Economy Picking Lesson - How to Build Speed and Control

[@saraelizabethloerlein1139]

I've been playing for 15 years, and I have always skipped over economy and gone straight for alternate regarding leads. I knew I was missing the key speed I wanted, so about 6 months ago I made it my mission to get economy down. I must have watched 20 different videos, and this is literally the only one that clicked. Thank you so much for the great lesson! A+++++

[@McFretwear]

Thanks Sara! That is really great to hear - Something I didn't really get into much in this video is practicing along with a metronome (or drum track, etc...) to really get a solid time feel. That is a big part of it - alternate picking inherently gives you that 'tick tock tick tock' feel, but economy can actually be a little trickier to lock in as far as timing. Staying relaxed and letting the notes breathe is important. Good luck with it and thanks for watching!!

[@Strings-jg2to]

McFretwear I've been playing off and on for awhile and I never economy picked. It seems to be a little more efficient way to play some scales right? I'm going to start practicing.

[@mariacristinaadel]

After watching all the economy picking lesson available here in KZbin, this is the most clearer, accurate and easily understand lesson. Thank you!

[@pollyrath5069]

After years of 35 in fact of lessons university study videos practice and coaching I finally come across a simple logical and useful technique without all the hype and mysticism to build speed and control using the darn major scale. Since I've studied every scale from the Byzantine to the melodic minor and developed chops in pitch intervals and chord building I can at last add this much deserved technique to my archive. Thanks John. Phweeeww...

[@surefire1333]

Thank you John for teaching at a speed so most of us can follow it and buildup on the lesson !

[@astorian7455]

Gotta be one of the best focused concise lessons on this topic. Thank you!

[@paulmachamer5575]

John - thank you for an excellent lesson. I have been ignoring economy picking in favor of alternate picking for 2 decades but your video has opened my eyes to a whole new approach. I am already improving after only an hour of trying this. Thank you for putting this together!

[@RJRonquillo]

This is a great lesson, adding each note one by one really helps! Thanks

[@eliqueen5617]

Oh my god ive gone through several different videos and this is far by the best i have come across for economy picking. Thanks

[@Voxboy876]

At first I thought...'I don't like this guys tone". When you started playing the scale fast it was much easier to pick out the notes as well as the right hand touch. Great lesson

[@utooberblooper]

Voxboy876 thats the thing if you sound good playing clean+fast,when you add distortion it will sound godly and fast as lightning.

[@maxriptide]

+Voxboy876 yup its gotta sound good clean or it is always shit

[@eltigre8978]

Awesome lesson! This what I've needed for years.

[@lex.cordis]

You are an excellent teacher! Not much else to say that hasnt already been said, but thank you for sharing the lesson.

[@razorstyle]

I do alternate picking, and a lot of sweep picking, i have problems with the economy. Your video is a good exercice to improve this technique. Thank a lot, put another video like this please!

[@dynaudio8vs]

This is the best economy picking lesson I've seen so far.like allot of people I've been putting it off 🎸

[@RikJSmith]

I've been referring to this tutorial for about 3 years now. This lesson made 100% improvement with my Economy Picking. If I'd known you still check on this occasionally I would have thanked you years ago . Thank You !! Hope everything is going great with you. 🔊💻🔊

[@McFretwear]

Thanks Rik - very kind! Glad you got something out of it. Such a simple concept but people tend to think of it as some sort of 'law' that you either abide by or don't...which it isn't...it's just another tool in the bag. Definitely not an 'all or nothing' type of thing! Learn alternate, hybrid, sweeping, etc... They all have a purpose...Thanks again!

[@McFretwear]

Glad you enjoyed the video - as far as using a clean tone or distorted tone, try both - but you'll find the distorted tone is more forgiving of your mistakes, so the clean might be a better way to practice. Once you get the technique solid, use whatever tone fits the music!

[@RikJSmith]

Best Economy Picking Lesson I've seen on KZbin. Definitely great details as you progress through the Video. Top Notch Video Tutorial. Thanks for sharing this. 🎸🎸🎸

[@McFretwear]

Thank you! Much appreciated

[@TheJblack57]

Awesome lesson, I've been trying to understand why I was having trouble picking thru the pentatonic scale.My scales were sounding boring abd and tiresome I was watching this video of the Ohio Players playing one of their hits and one of my favorites called sweet, sticky, thing and when it gets to the guitar solo, he just rips through the solo so fast without missing a note, and I couldn't figure out how he was able to do this, but your lesson cleared it all up.Hey thanks so much, now comes the hard part of getting it down! Thanks again!

[@lucasmiller1189]

This is the best video I found yet on learning and starting and practicing economy picking I've been getting much better is based off of some of the other videos I had seen but I wish I would have seen this one at the very beginning of me practicing thanks a bunch

[@McFretwear]

Well, I definitely haven't mastered it by any means, but I've been using it for well over 20 years, so I've had a lot of time working with it in different situations. I think using different techniques for a wide range of situations helps you get 'real world' experience with them. Only focusing on a couple of scale fragments will limit you - once you get the basic idea, take it and run with it...try using it for all sorts of situations. This really goes for any new technique.

[@EricBlackmonGuitar]

Thanks so much for the great lesson! A real eye opener!

[@redrooz]

Update: As of the last few days, I can now play the ascending 2-octave major scale at speed (32nds ~ 2x your example) consistently. For anyone easily discouraged, that's about 6 weeks of practicing it every day (or as much as practical). I found it easier to move up to Cmaj coz I use my ring-finger and Amaj was a bit painful with 12/54s. Having now reached this capability (thanks to your video), almost anything looks achievable. But first, I better try Amaj ascending as well as descending (your 2nd video). :)

[@McFretwear]

Very cool - Glad the video helped! It's your persistence and work that makes it happen though...Keep it going!

[@M3talguitarist]

I'm now convinced that economy picking is not the technique for me, id rather alternate pick, but your video reminded of a few basics such as not locking my arm and relaxing my wrist, thx for the help great "how to", if ur not already, u should consider becoming a guitar teacher, twenty bucks a lesson makes for some good pocket money, but thx anyway, continue making vids

[@McFretwear]

@rockinpoweraxe - Thanks - Glad you got something out of it! Economy picking (as with any style) should only be one piece of the puzzle...use it where applicable, but not everywhere. I think alternate picking, legato, etc...all have equal importance. I do have some alternate picking exercises on my site you might dig. On the teaching thing, I did for many years - taking a bit of a break but I may go back - who knows! Take care.

[@Novacult]

Thank you for this video. Gave a great perspective. I had gotten too used to doing triplets on just two alternating strings and accidentally applied that to 6 string scales. So essentially I was doing a triplet on each string without letting the pick do the work by dropping to the next string. I first noticed it was very wrong as I tried it too fast and it sounded like a scale with a slight rest between each triplet. Pretty much what FifeScythi below was talking about; I didn't have the control that I needed and my picking hand was basically twitching. Heh. Again thank you!

[@benosborn267]

One of the best tutorials Ive found on this topic. My main problem was trying to relax my right hand but then it just automatically tensing up.

[@cmaxhm]

Do it very very slow without tensing your right hand and you will get it even when trying to speed up

[@TomGoldsmithguitar]

yep

[@TomGoldsmithguitar]

well said carlos! Great attitude to manipulating the strings ! Also advisable to have less than a matter of millimeters of pick between your fingers and the strings.

[@maj187]

Very good lesson. Enjoyed it and learnt a lot! Thanks

[@jokrasa]

Thank you very good lesson from one John to another !

[@lpgoog]

I'm not really getting it yet, but this is an excellent 2 part series. Thanks.

[@teenagerfrommarss6668]

I've only been playing for about nine months and I'm actually amazed at how fast I'm getting this down.

[@sajenshrestha9061]

***** lol you are saying , playing guitar is easy xD Upload some videos !!

[@mariacristinaadel]

I did subscribe to your channel Sir; you’re an amazing guitar teacher.

[@McFretwear]

Thank you! Really appreciate that

[@candydormizzi2500]

Thank you so much this lesson is really helpful

[@ariekoren4256]

Thak you very much sir, great technique and lesson.

[@salmon020]

do you use your fingers when you pick? i find myself using my fingers to move the pick more than my wrist sometimes, not sure if that's a factor in hindering anything. thanks.

[@blackie75]

i can appreciate it for certain cycling riffs, such as the end of no more tears, but im not a fan of it for scales etc, i prefer the sound of alternate picking

[@ver0nica1982]

Very helpful lesson.. liked the pausing in between concept. Btw I also love your guitar tone.. very meaty... unlike twangy single coil.. have you rolled down the tone knob??

[@McFretwear]

Thanks Debraj - I was using the neck pickup - I may have had the tone rolled off just a little as well.

[@MRreallyhappysmiley]

I've been playing guitar for 2 years, and i recently just realized i have to learn other picking styles than only downstrokes, but it's a pain in the ass trying to learn alt and eco picking when you're used to only down picking :(

[@kdcdc8614]

***** But man can't believe that a T-Rex can play guitar lol

[@muhammadakbarmisuary]

+Kim Dela Cruz lol

[@masterbeernuts9344]

Liked. Subscribed. You have a great teaching manner, and you know what you are talking about. 400th Sub!! *proud*

[@alejosandu]

HI grz from Colombia...I have a question... How long did it take to master that technique? thanks and you play awesome!!

[@KirillBezzubkine]

Great idea for practice

[@megabraddotcom]

Pretty good teaching there man. Good video ;)

[@maxriptide]

wow i mastered this in 5 minutes

[@haloop2287]

Matur nuwun kulo saking jawi(Java)

[@ronjjohnson3569]

Man you're the best! Thanks sooooooooo much.

[@alejosandu]

and do you recomend do that in clean channel or dont care if I use distorsion... thanks again!! that is the same to go low? I mean from 1 string to the 6 string? thanks!!!! jajaja

[@pauloamw]

Awesome lesson, man!

[@torontoguitar92]

great tutorial, thanks man

[@AndyY499]

When I speed up my play after a certain point I cant use my wrist anymore and I use my arm and it all goes horrible and sounds shit, help me please. Also when I speed up they become triplets like... Do do do.. do do do.. do do do... you know? My hand stalls and I dont know why.

[@maxriptide]

+FifaScythi you are not trying hard enough. play it a couple more thousand times

[@tylerdav3071]

I use mostly alternate picking but when I started adding economy picking as well that same thing was happening to me. I was so used to the down up motion switching strings that the sweep kind of got "stuck" . practice slowly and make sure it's a sweep on the string change and you're not picking down down. it's one consecutive down or upstroke I also made sure when I was working on economy picking after I got comfortable sweeping to the next string I practice sweeping and then the next upstroke on an ascending line so that would be down up down down up five notes and then from there adding the last note in the group of three.

[@dukestreetking5094]

Thanks for the video,excellent

[@zorankokanovic4665]

Great Tutorial

[@redrooz]

Very useful speed benchmark to have online. Thank you. Can you say: 1) what shape/gauge plectrum you were using? 2) what gauge strings were on that Les Paul?

[@McFretwear]

It is probably a Dunlop jazz III XL pick - I think they're 1.5mm. Strings are D'addario 10's. Thanks for watching!

[@moleprice]

I wonder why I keep thinking of the Addams Family here

[@MARK-r6c3k]

Thank you thank you thank you!! This is awesome!!👍😎

[@horstlippitsch]

What Guitar Pick do you use?

[@McFretwear]

Horst Lippitsch I use the Dunlop Ultex Jazz III XL's on electric. The Ultex material wears a little smoother and lasts longer than most other picks, in my experience at least.

[@consul1957]

Good stuff!

[@anonymousguitarist9096]

Which is better? Economy or alternate? Because i want to master only one ...

[@McFretwear]

Neither is better...they both have strengths and weaknesses. I actually switch between them randomly myself...I tend to just do whatever it takes to play an idea...sometimes either works fine. Practice both and you'll see there are benefits to both...but the music and sound should be your focus - picking is just a small piece of it.

[@anonymousguitarist9096]

@@McFretwear thank u...

[@lucasmiller1189]

It's not possible to only do one ot the other. Eventually, you'll encounter a situation where you'll need to blend the two styles. Practice economy picking, and by default some alternate picking will find its way in

[@lucasmiller1189]

This is the best video I found yet on learning and starting and practicing economy picking I've been getting much better is based off of some of the other videos I had seen but I wish I would have seen this one at the very beginning of me practicing thanks a bunch

[@jmbdoelan1074]

Iam indonesian thank you very much ....

[@jordanacuna4772]

Wow, thanks.

[@hasan5882]

Thanks !

[@ramlathers8182]

I'm not sure if you are still actively monitoring this site John but if so, I wonder if you could answer a quick question for me. (by the way you have a real gift for breaking things down and making difficult concepts much easier to tackle, so thank you very much for that) My question is simply this. Do you angle your pick in any way or play with the plectrum flat against the string?I ask because I'm having a little difficulty in "pushing through" the strings on the down strokes as you describe it. More often than not I seem to miss the next string altogether and wind up down stroking empty air! I hope I'm making myself clear because I'm finding almost as hard to describe it as play it!

[@McFretwear]

Thanks for the nice words! As far as the angle, I may angle the pick a little bit on downstrokes but it's not a conscious or planned thing. Even if I keep the pick flat, it doesn't make much difference. The main thing is to keep your wrist from rotating or 'bouncing' when you change strings. It's important to keep the pick momentum 'pushing through' to the next string. How tight you grip the pick could also make a difference - too tight and the pick might be getting 'caught' on the string. Experiment with gripping the pick as loosely as possible to let things glide across the strings as you play. Hope that sheds some light on it!

[@ramlathers8182]

Thanks SO much for the tips. I'll give things a whirl and let you know if I'm making progress. I'm going to concentrate on lightening up the grip on my pick and see if I can keep from sailing it off into the distance... lol

[@ramlathers8182]

Well it's been a week and I'm seeing steady improvement John. I was definitely gripping the pick too hard but old habits die hard as they say! It's almost counterintuitive to hold the pick so lightly for fear of dropping it but it's really helping me "push through" the strings. I think I may actually have more control now than before when using a firmer grip. Anyway it feels good to be making measurable progress on the guitar again. Thanks man.

[@McFretwear]

Awesome to hear! Glad you're seeing some progress. Yeah the looser grip seems counter-intuitive but it really helps. You learn to vary that grip while you're playing for different attack and/or tone for some things, but in general a relaxed grip helps things!

[@rodriguezkortez3002]

Thanks man!

[@jaggercontreras9270]

fantastic

[@dossman6]

excellent

[@nobot87]

Honestly, I think its more convenient to stick with down/up picking even if you are jumping to another string, because it is easier to keep track of the down and up beats. Doing another down strum when you are going from the E string to A string just messes up the feel of everything.

[@McFretwear]

Just to be clear, remember that economy picking does not 'replace' alternate picking in any way. There are things you can do with it that you can't do with straight alternate picking, just like there are things you can do with alternate that economy can't. It's just another technique to have in your toolbox as a well-rounded player. In fact, if you could only do one, alternate is infinitely more useful. Players who only economy pick usually have issues with timing, lack of versatility, weak tone, etc... Take the time to develop both!

[@nobot87]

Cool, Yeah I guess in that case wont hurt to learn it haha

[@eapenkoot]

+McFretwear Can you please elaborate on how a guitar player who only employs economy picking will have problems with timing etc?

[@nobot87]

With alternate picking the down strums will always be on the down beat and the up strums will always be on the up beat, so its easier to keep track of timing. But with economy picking the up and down beats can be flipped in mid riff, so ull be playing up strums on the down beats and down strums on up beats, which messes up the flow.

[@McFretwear]

Eapen Koothoor The problem with economy picking is that it's a mix of down and up picks at completely random locations in the beat - your natural physical tendency is to play 'down' beats with a down stroke, and upbeats with an up stroke. You can develop decent time-feel with economy picking, but it takes WAY longer. The subtlety of playing in time is such that any tiny little variance is pretty noticeable - most 'sloppy' players just aren't locked into the groove...and that's what really makes a great player. With alternate picking, your picking is already following the natural order of downs & ups - so it's easier to synchronize the movements and play in time. And I'm not just talking about playing fast stuff - it's even more noticeable at slow and mid-tempos, making it even more important to develop good alternate picking for most of your playing (that is if you play songs and not just practice scales!).

[@jaggercontreras9270]

all is great...

[@markbader4942]

Right hand tension? That's not the hand with the cramps.

[@maritesalbis6789]

GITAH!!!!

[@maxriptide]

jesus

[@mitch8557]

Lil Wayne disliked

[@runrabbitrun4342]

I know the fucking scale, So you come off the E string and go to the A and you say ok now that was a what ever stroke, But you never said what your first note was Up or Down im not sure your the3 best teacher for this. JMHO.

[@McFretwear]

D-U-D-D-U-D-D-U-D-D-U-D-D-U on and on.... All you have to remember is in most cases, just play the same stroke direction when you switch strings. That's it. If your last pick stroke was a DOWN, when you switch strings, play ANOTHER DOWN. Easy.

[@runrabbitrun4342]

McFretwear Ok I just didn't hear that in the vid

[@runrabbitrun4342]

***** Really.! You know this is going to be 5 minutes of your life your never going to get back,I hope it was worth it to you To waste everybody's time. Hows that, I've just confirmed im a complete jerk Asshat Next time don't bother. Just keep eating your peanuts as you look on.

[@runrabbitrun4342]

***** Cool Julio, Are you done ... With my internet scolding .Can i get back to real things. Or do you want to lash out at somebody your never going to meet some more?? What a waste of fucking air.

[@josephsanchez9994]

or your not ready for economy picking cuz you suck and can't use your eyes to watch him start with a down stroke