Economy Picking - Advanced Guitar Lesson

[@MolsonEx1903]

I'm self taught been playing for 16 years and I hear these terms like economy picking. I come to realize most these things come naturally without having to be taught. it's all common sense at the end.

[@alexojideagu]

Yes I always thought Economy picking WAS alternate picking and did it from day one. I thought this was the logical way to play fast.

[@flux1968]

I agree. When I first started, I didn't know it but I was alternate picking I had no idea, I just thought it was the logical way to play. Then I found out I was hybrid picking on some things. Again, I just did what seemed logical - use whatever picking motion will get you to the next note the fastest.

[@wingman__7]

agreed... I never knew anything about economy picking, but I actually used this technique in the solo for Symphony of destruction by Megadeth

[@gsaigo8375]

Sure, all techniques are born of practicality. Some people just need more help than others to find them

[@iganpparamarta8813]

@@gsaigo8375 Thanks for being normal. Others always be like "been doing economy since forever, never understand why do alternate when you can blaa blaa blaaahhh". Yngwie Gambale won't sound like them using alternate, Gilbert Petrucci won't using economy. You can master both and be a picking god but noone would remember your name.

[@obi-wannabekennotbi2418]

5:38 Lil Wayne

[@NoahWoodworth]

He only played the simplified version. He has a long way to go before mastering lil Wayne's superior technique

[@Idkchangethislater]

😂😂😂 thank u

[@brykietosky7328]

I cant stop laughing XD

[@hakanlindgren8034]

I´ve used economy picking for years, though I didn´t have a name for it. It just felt natural. After this, at least I know what I´m doing.

[@alexojideagu]

I always thought Economy picking WAS alternate picking and did it from day one.

[@nissenilsson9158]

alex ojideagu me too, I thought a was going to learn this economy picking thing but apparently it was what I was doing all along

[@davulcu64st]

I think it is mission impossible

[@Bigbuddyandblue]

"Even???" 3 notes ?? I'm confused.

[@1mooresound]

Same here lol

[@Bigbuddyandblue]

+1mooresound economics has always been confusing to me anyway.

[@myriadplanes]

+Bigbuddyandblue i think he means even as in its 3 notes per string so the number of notes is equal on each string? im probs wrong

[@J_Schecter]

+Archie Watts pretty sure you're right

[@jeffreymonroe153]

he has put a special note in the video. he meant to say "odd"

[@GuitarLessons365]

Cool, sounds great, congrats on the new guitar!! Gotta love Christmas in March!!

[@shnorksnam9575]

bro forgot to log off his main

[@tcepilot]

Basically you always go toward the desired string? And alternate picking you go up down up down no matter what? I have the techniques down I just want to know if I understand the names correctly

[@OyeBeto]

tcepilot That's the same I understand.

[@psteeg3551]

I would describe it as: always go toward the next desired string WHILE also paying attention to the note afterwards, if you know what I mean. So looking 2 steps ahead instead of 1. And yes, alternate picking is up-down-up-down continuously

[@brandon9271]

after 20 years of playing strictly alternate picking and thinking that was the RIGHT way to do it this is probably going to be HARD to master. lol

[@KHALID47]

good luck

[@youyankagin]

There is no RIGHT way.

[@Fullofpies]

youyankagin your right!

[@youyankagin]

Fullofpies Sometimes.

[@CptSlow89]

whats the reason to learn economy beside alternate and sweep? If going fast, well you can play enough fast with alternate and sweeps so... I guess its just preference

[@GuitarLessons365]

@vanquisher21312 Hey man, you can download the TAB for this lesson at my main site. You can find the link in the description. After you get to the site click on the lesson archives then click on the advanced lessons archive. Cheers!! Carl..

[@GuitarLessons365]

@tayron27 The fast arpeggio sections are economy picked with each arpeggio starting with a downstroke across two strings followed by an upstroke then a pull off. :)

[@TheShockerX1]

I now know what this is called!!! I've been using this picking style for years and i didn't even know what it was called lol

[@Dreamdancer11]

@Manbagdeluxe The pick must be gripped only as tight for not fall of your hands when you play.If you grip it tighter it bounces off the strings so it must have a tiny slack between the fingers to make picking smooth.Also take a credit card and rest it at a 45 degree angle against the strings.This is the angle your pick should have in order to glide and not get caught on the strings.And above all..your whole hand must be ridiculously relaxed when you pick.And stay that way even at fast speeds.

[@SlashsBluesBall]

Dude you are the best, i thank god there are guys like you on you tube

[@LimitIsIllusion]

I have a question to anyone who might know the answer, when economy picking up and down strings, is it easier to learn to change position as you move strings or is it better to try to stretch to notes? The reason I ask is because if I see it correctly, most really fast guitarists like petrucci, buckethead, synyster etc doesn't change positions if it's not required.

[@VisualVEN0M]

I know it's a late response, but Petrucci actually strictly alternative picks.

[@dantes3768]

Turns out I’ve been economy picking scales naturally because i found it easier than alternate picking and didn’t want to do that

[@michaelcraig9449]

Got some tabs? I need that to learn stuff.

[@GuitarLessons365]

Hey PowerofJohras, there is a link to the TAB download for these exercises if you read the info to the right. I provide TAB for 95% of my lessons, all you have to do is go to my main site and click the Lessons Archive page and choose the advanced section. You will see all of my advanced lessons right there for free. :)

[@Manbagdeluxe]

This is definitely the hardest technique to learn on a guitar in my opinion. I pretty much can't nail the upstroke after the downstroke that sweeps two strings. Economy picking is the only thing that truly gives me trouble. I really think lessons should cover how the pick is gripped for whatever technique is being demonstrated. Also how tightly you're gripping the pick. All those things are so so important. Does the pick attack the string at an angle when sweeping in economy, or is it parallel?

[@Add_Account485]

Yes at 3:55 when he said it doesnt always have to be an even number etc. He didn't explain that very well

[@Add_Account485]

Oops!. Your comments like 10 years old!

[@musicfriend2051]

Oh now I realize that I was using economy picking. But I didn’t feel it like alternate picking thinking that alternate picking is only down and up. So now I’m starting learn only alternate picking .

[@parrrothead]

The funny things about economy picking is that when you do it once or twice on accident it starts to develop on its own. I thought I was checking out some new picking style and I realized I already do this...

[@TheN00bPolice]

A confusing thing about economy picking, is that the accepted (i.e much copied and used in this video) terminology states that it's one smooth motion as you go from string to string. This is not true at all, while it is not "separate strokes" as in, two downstrokes one after each, its actually a rest stroke. If you look at economy picking slowed down, the pick gets through the first string quickly, then rests on the next string briefly before you "push through" the next one. Trying to keep the string change as one smooth motion at one smooth speed is just not how the mechanics of the hand works and this idea was holding me back massively. It's only after watching slow motion videos of guys who are amazing at it did I realize that the terminology everyone uses is completely incorrect and the received wisdom is actually pretty bad advice.

[@tristanjross2186]

TheNoobPolice I totally agree! I’m an alternate player and have had so much trouble trying to learn economy picking. When I speed it up, the two down strokes would end up as one and play 2 notes together. I need that little pause in between so the timing is right. I have also noticed that it isn’t actually quite a smooth motion when going down down. You can see most players thumbs do a little manoeuvre when doing two down strokes. They might not even realise they’re doing it but I can definitely see it.

[@JoePariseauMusic]

The work Troy Grady is doing with the slow motion camera angles and collaborating with doctors who specialize in hand and wrist movement is amazing! I actually just decided to try out the "cracking the code" monthly membership and really like it. For this kind of stuff it's really worth it. But, not for the casual players. You need to be dedicated. I also really like the "guitar acceleration" program I signed up for through an ad I saw on Facebook. It's really, really good!

[@acmv71192]

Thanks man! i knew economy picking when i bought a guitar world mag but you made my knowledge larger! thanks a lot. gotta practice more and more. :) i wish i have my own pc so i could view all your vids.

[@edi_naorem]

hi , carl i cannot find the lesson archive(for downloading the tab). Could you please give the link here?

[@xXdppXx1]

I find it funny how I can Sweep pick & Alternate pick but can't Economy pick

[@generalkenobi8810]

Same.

[@kozuke1742]

for me it is the inverse, I learned guitar on my own and instinctively played using economy picking, and now that I ve heard about alternate picking, it confuses me and I am 4 times slower than with economy picking, I have to think about the amount of notes that are on one string to use alternate picking, otherwise I use instinctively economy picking

[@sutherlandnoah]

alternate picking is easy sweeping is not

[@snaxandviolence]

You can def do it, it just feels unnatural at first. I highly recommend you practice edge picking if you don't already do it, and try using a very stiff, smooth pick, such as a dunlop jazz 3 or even a petrucci signature jazz 3 ...... Eight years late

[@maciejczech8975]

if it's about picking why the main camera is focused on the fret board? :/

[@MrBKreeves]

when was 3 an even number?

[@caleb875]

He means the same number of notes per string - 3 notes per string.

[@tayron27]

Hey bud,great video.Quick question though-is the Final Countown solo ecomony or alternate picking?

[@BoyOfLol]

I found out economy picking by myself a few months ago, starting high and going down strings works better for me, I need to spend more time trying to perfect this.

[@skatinsince97]

5:34 if you learn it the outside picking way it will help with string skipping...where as the double down will make it much harder for string skipping but easier for sweeps

[@YRosales]

Absolutely well explained, well done.

[@frankie.d1127]

Was Frank Gambale one of the first guys to make this technique known? I remember seeing his videos from the 80s using this technique but I don't remember if he called it "economy picking"

[@DSAKDMSCHPRLTRT]

+Francois DuJour I think it's been used earlier in Flamenco, a technique called "Alzapua"

[@minthuko8871]

Your video Show Simplicity very much among other videos on KZbin regarding economy picking

[@joefreakhouse1]

that was a brilliant use of figurative language. I'm probably going to use that in the future.

[@gregaaron89]

Wow I taught myself economy picking by accident and thought I was doing it wrong

[@adramytos]

Thank you for the lesson.

[@authenticknowledge9349]

I have been playing for 1 year and I always used alternate picking and I find it a bit hard to apply this. Do you think I have to reprogram my brain to use economy picking when possible for speed?

[@rabbamonkey]

If it makes you feel any better, i've been playing for nearly 30 years and this has short circuited the connection between my brain and fingers....

[@Dreamdancer11]

@flowerdrop1 yes...or else..using the path of less resistance and moving straght to a string that why some call it directional picking.And you dont even need particular exercises for it...just dril all the scales you know doing that and you are set.the important part is when you go from string to string where you are actually sweeping(one motion) if you learn not to rush it and keep it even you ll see that its as stable as alternating.

[@Kriegter]

The whole time i thought i've been alternate picking i was actually unconciously economy picking

[@hanif7612]

I've been using this technique ever since I started playing guitar, which was like 6-7 years ago, and now i'm having trouble trying to learn alternate picking. I'm not saying this technique is bad, but it has its limitations. Any tips on how i can reset my brain so i can easily absorb alternate picking? :/

[@alexojideagu]

Same here, I thought Economy picking WAS Alternate picking for 20 years. I think Economy picking is faster.

[@randyrrs7028]

@@alexojideagu and here i thought alternate picking was economy picking. it took me like 6 months to learn alternate picking at 95% of mastery

[@lou.104]

Thank you Carl

[@zuhairreza]

Very nice video indeed!!! Informative, explanatory, clearly shown examples with playing and talking and a great lesson. :) I have a question: whenever I am going to the next string (either ascending or descending), I am having problems making the transition (downstroke when ascending and vice versa) "smooth", like sweeps... any idea what I can do? I have been playing by myself since April of 2009. Thanks for the video! :)

[@angusgnr]

what type of pick do you recomend me?

[@cruzazul113]

hey man what pick ups do u have in your strat.

[@jihanskate]

dude.. thanks so much for this lesson.. i think this will improve my sound greatly thanks!!

[@Nick.McIntyre]

@angusgnr its all preference. u really need to play with everywhere from thin to thick and choose which one feels the best

[@Add_Account485]

Yes at 3:55 when he said : " we wanna say in the same direction e? It has to be an even number it doesnt always have to be 3 etc. " He didn't explain or demonstrate that very well. Like he didn't explain what he was doing

[@MattYenko1]

+GuitarLessons365 Hi. What strat is that? Thanks!

[@ATthemusician]

Mattheus Lima its a Gibson

[@JoshuaSunOfNun]

I'm confused about if there are times when u DON'T wanna economy pick. Songsterr has a track by yngwie malmsteen called "classical exercise" and there is a part in the beginning where it says in the notes to strictly alternative pick. Can u check put this track, and use it as an example to teach us

[@sudinstevevai]

you are the best! Carl!

[@1gesteban]

Good stuff. Thank you!

[@Xoroxouselric]

there isnt much of a difference between alternate picking and economy picking =P but i see the difference. nice job.

[@JordyJayHomer]

I want this info out in cyberspace: :-) Some people -- not this guy -- make claims that they invented economy picking, or at least variations of it. Well, firstly, economy picking comes natural to many guitar players, me included, so it's a bit rich for anyone to lay claim to inventing it; and secondly, there's a type of economy picking outlined in William G. Leavitt's guitar lesson books A Modern Method For Guitar Volume 1, aka The Berklee Method (Berklee-endorsed. He was held the chair of their guitar department for 25 years until his death in 1990), which was published in 1966!!!!! So, it's been around for at least 52 years.

[@TrippingDaizy]

1:25 someone had amazing grace stuck in their head lol

[@sssssanu]

Do I need them big fingers to stretch crazy like you

[@bulldog1010123]

Was the first scale B Major/Ionian?

[@RotterStudios]

I always did this naturally until a friend told me I was wrong. I tried true alternate picking and that messed me up big time. I hate alternate picking and now it's rough for me to do what was natural to me.

[@EXPLOSION518]

i have horrible trouble keeping this clean... tips?

[@LimitIsIllusion]

I was decent at this about a year ago then I forgot about it, now I suck

[@LimitIsIllusion]

***** uncalled for and mean, but thanks

[@rikkardjsmith9358]

YEA , You Suck !!! Lol. I did the same thing. Worked on it a couple years ago then said the he'll with it. Started again a couple months ago , and now it's really paying off for me. And I probably suck too . . . lol . . . nah . . . guess I don't. :-)

[@ATthemusician]

LimitIsIllusion I used to be super good at fast rhythm playing(I used to play a lot of Metallica) but now I suck after I stopped for a few years :p its hard to balance techniques

[@TheCkddcom]

did anyone else accidentally master this picking technique and never knew it had a name?

[@xZest1]

this was very natural to me - the economy picking. I just thought what I am doing is called alternate picking until, I just realized that alternate picking should be consistent with up stroke and down stroke even though I have to change strings and its an odd number of picking, and I think to myself Im doin it wrong.. at first I freaked out as a beginner guitarist I don't want to learn bad habit, I think I got alternate picking really wrong, Im anxious to correct it so I practice alternate picking on odd pattern of picking the note... but later on I learned that what I'm doing is not a bad habit, and it was another picking technique, thus called Economy Picking.. that is how I know about the term Economy Picking...

[@alexojideagu]

YES I always thought Economy picking WAS alternate picking and did it from day one. I thought this was the logical way to play fast.

[@municaves6963]

After I started sweep picking this came up naturally lol, I thought it was some kind of sweep picking

[@minthuko8871]

Economy and hybrid picking are the same?

[@joeblough261]

Correct. So I refer to it as "combo picking" meaning a mix of alt and economy picking.

[@BlackShadow451]

i know its irrelevant, but what are those pickups?

[@kaiserwilhelmii1827]

Thanks!

[@DokterRekt]

I’m understanding you, but 3 is not an even number. It’s an odd number. You keep saying as long as you have an even number, but you have an odd number.

[@Zanenoth]

So I pretty much already do this. Just gonna start sweep picking the string change instead of doing two down picks.

[@myufostory689]

I've always been an Economy Picker. I've tried to alternate pick for years but my picking always lags. I feel like I'm riding a bicycle with triangular tires.

[@joseppi2382]

yes! my biggest hurdle

[@J_Schecter]

so is economy picking the same thing as inside picking?

[@J_Schecter]

i got it a couple weeks ago, maybe a month or two ago. you basically have to do your best to set up for alternate picking but sometimes you have to skip over the string and hit it from the other side just to keep the pattern going (examples would be 3 note per string scales)

[@RorysIrishTour]

you can alternate pick exclusively through runs of 3 notes per string

[@J_Schecter]

well, through notes per string will eventually force you to skip over the string and strike it from the other side to continue the alternate pattern.

[@J_Schecter]

three*

[@RorysIrishTour]

Yes, which is not a problem. Atleast to me. (and Steve Morse :D)

[@chea4007]

Thanks you.

[@vonsboy]

Please do a tutorial on playing the piano solo of in my life on guitar!

[@ricardiux12]

BlackShadow451 I'm not totally sure, but I think those are Dimarzio Air Norton pickups

[@GuitarLessons365]

Thanks, I have some more videos showing full Frank Gambale style economy picking coming soon!! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@pauljam98]

guys ... Gus g from firewind doesnt know how to play with the economy picking technique ( he said that in a n interview), so dont feel bad if you cant master it ... just practice

[@gnrcr]

I don't know why, but I find alternate picking easier to do than this. With alternate picking, the motion is pretty much done when crossing strings, you just have to complete it, with economy picking I have to move my arm to get the motion right, and it makes things harder.

[@PowerofJohras]

Seems useful for people who knows how to play that but maybe you should show slowly what you're playing or place the tab in a video comment cause I couldn't understand this, I understand the Economy picking but there are no good exercises for it on here.

[@seandwilson6402]

-6:38 (4:20)

[@JeAl8aa]

good lesson

[@marshalcraft]

always thought economy picking was just not adhering to a strict up down pattern ( like in alt picking) and if you happen to finish on string with down stroke and am going to next string down you would just down stroke again instead of the normal upstroked to keep down up down up as with in alt picking.

[@GudeDoc]

NIce thx man

[@grizzlyandtrigger5147]

Economy picking aka playin fast af boiiii

[@Matt3n]

Wise words.

[@Liberty-hw9dh]

Just practice with discipline, this will come naturally. thx

[@TomGoldsmithguitar]

Great exercise son

[@CptSlow89]

Well its looks like you need to think about it a lot while economy pick till it gets in your head

[@angelodelrosario8988]

in a way, while im reading the comments its kinda weird for me cause i actually naturally play this kind of picking which at first im very disappointed cause i thought it was bad and not really meant for playing for some reason. i tried to change it but im not so comfortable in alternate picking which most of you guys use. 😅😑 weird

[@psychoCreep94]

So I’ve been ‘economy picking’ without even realising it. Upstroke only though. Lol

[@omnitvz]

This is called economy picking? I thought it was just alternating

[@MikesMusicMethod]

No, they're opposing ideas. Alternate picking is ALWAYS up down up down. This is doing DOWN DOWN (when you move to a lower string) and UP UP when you move to a higher string.

[@glytch5]

I am self taught on guitar completely, this technique really does not seem to be beneficial over just straight alternate picking for me. I can't tell if i'm already economy picking or alternate, it sounds the same either way I do it.

[@glytch5]

Ah I see... I watched my self closely after thinking about this video for a bit and realized I have been doing this style picking all along... my issue is that I cannot efficiently change strings with my left hand.

[@ATthemusician]

Crixus The Gaul its extremely useful when applied properly. The intro to cliffs of dover pretty much needs this, bedazzled fingernails by mastodon is another example. Its basically alternate picking but either its odd timing or the strings you are playing arent against each other

[@PowerofJohras]

Okay thank you.

[@mannymccash9660]

lesson starts 3 minutes in you're welcoe

[@richardpaulus9823]

Nice lesson but.. 3 and 1 aren't even numbers

[@juniorrhere6262]

The pickups are dimarzio pickups.

[@mrcommentator7406]

Could you hazard a guess what model it is?

[@juniorrhere6262]

MrCommentator It can be a combination of DP181, DP182 and DP186. I'm pretty sure I see the neck pick up as DP186 Cruiser.

[@lwilso20]

That's an Andy Timmons signature

[@dilbophagginz]

what limitations does economy picking have? It combines sweeping and alternate picking, so if you need to alternate pick, you should be able to do it fine. trying to alternate pick a phrase that is easier to do economy picking is just pointless.

[@GAFVM]

nice!!

[@jadenthomas8671]

Holy shit… 11 years later

[@vanquisher21312]

waht songs can i use to practice this?

[@vanquisher21312]

dude can u send me tabs of the exercises? plz lol

[@agbluemetal2364]

Never knew this was called economy picking

[@NS1.]

I was taught economy picking when I started lessons when I was 12 or 13. My teacher was this amazing Jazz player. He always told me "if your pick lands on the next string, just down pick it rather than coming back up on the next string"...So basically I have been economy/sweep picking all my life. I didn't even realize until I was younger, and me and my friend were jamming/shredding, playing yngwie licks, etc...My friend was like "whoa, you don't alternate pick do you?"...I'm like "uhh, what do you mean"?..then he showed me how he goes Down, Up, Down, then UP on the next string. I tried and had a pretty hard time doing that, lol. He's like "hmm play a fast lick again I want to watch"..I started playing "Trilogy" by Yngwie ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipK5XnxreJ5jsM0 ) and he watched my hand, and was like "whoa, no, no, bro, you should probably learn to alternate. I played it fast and fine, but it was a little sloppy. He told me if you alternate pick it will sound more accurate. Thats why John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, etc, are so flawless sounding.

[@camu123789]

I'm a drummer, but can someone please quickly tell what alternate picking is and what sweep picking is? Or at least the difference? Thanks

[@mjgibbs131788]

Alternate picking is the equivalent to a drum roll right/left...etc. just up/down all the time(not that there's anything wrong with that). If I were to compare the economy style picking to drums, I'd compare it to the "heel/toe" technique. basically getting more out of less movement.

[@ATthemusician]

Ties Jehoul alternate picking is picking up and down constantly, which allows you to pick faster and smoother than just constant down picking. Think of sweeping how it sounds, you sweep the pick across the strings in a fluent motion. Its basically a more controlled way of strumming chords, usually used in fast lead playing.

[@mikem376]

Jackson KV2.

[@RafaelQuintanaRivera]

Good lesson! Change to neck pickup though lol.