Stagger-Stroke RIFF Picking! (all the power and speed without the fatigue)

[@TheArtofGuitar]

Going to be uploading a full playthrough of one of these 4 songs (to prove the technique's efficacy) but because of copyright I'll have to do it on a separate video. Keep an eye out for it.

[@mattyleighramone734]

Great

[@poep3997]

hi, I see you post lesson video's on your patreon page, but do you also present the opportunity for players to have regular live lessons, e.g. through skype or discord or whatever. Most guitar teachers in my neighbourhood are great guitarists but not specialised in the metal genre (in contrast to you). Thanks in advance.

[@modsleix6]

Hey there, hope you're doing well. I was wondering if you still use or even have your Positive Grid Spark amp? Also, if you do have it and still use it, did you ever upload any of your custom effects settings to the Spark app?

[@stefanloof1643]

Awesome Mike! Very good and inspiring 👍👍

[@OfficialCesarValdez]

The technique allows for both the upstroke and downstroke to be be used so there’s no wasted motion. When you just downstroke you’re wasting that upstroke. Cool benefit of this is it cuts your stroke speed in half, so you can play much faster. As a drummer we do a lot of similar things like the Heel/Toe Technique and the Push/Pull method. This grants us more speed and control with half the effort. For picking patterns you can try: (1. Down, Up, Down, Down/ Up, Down, Up, Up (2. Down, Down, Up, Down/ Up, Up, Down, Up (3. Down,Up, Down,Up/Up, Down, Up, Down. Those could be the straight 16th note patterns. But you could also try triplets. Just go through all the possible combinations, inversion, Variations and permutations. I know you know this Mike, I’m just passing this along to others. Cool video.👍

[@mmudigonda]

I say this with absolutely no exaggeration, hyperbole nor sarcasm. Mike...you have changed my life with this video. From the bottom of my heart...thank you!!!!!

[@TheArtofGuitar]

Awesome. Glad it's helping you out. :)

[@Gentle_Prime]

​@@TheArtofGuitar Same with me, no cap!

[@aimanj8060]

I've been playing this way for years , I learned it from Mustaine. I was learning "Washington is Next" and was struggling with the verse, i tried playing it alt. picking and it was so weird, but it was too fast for downpicking. Then i saw a live version and watched closely how dave played it , and it made a lot of sense to me , and then started paying closer attention to dave's right-hand and he pretty much played most riffs like that, and so did I.

[@silverjaw138]

I was just thinking this is a lot like how Dave would play these

[@ThibautKurt23]

This is what Dave calls « butterfly picking ». Kiko Loureiro explained that when Dave showed him how he actually plays his riffs , he was surprised how much he uses this technique and in a strategic way. Because with all downstroke it would be exhausting and furthermore some parts do not sound good. Kiko showed examples of this and with this lesson of the art of guitar everything makes sense now.

[@mobeus84]

For sure. Dave undoubtedly inspired and helped teach James how to play that way. James was just a mad man on that down stroke style. But Dave showed him where to start i guarantee it.

[@BrandonBames]

If you grew up playing 2000's metalcore this technique is most likely a part of your arsenal already. Great video!

[@EpiphoneShredzzzzz]

I was gonna say, I came up with this technique on my own trying to learn BFMV songs. When watching other YT guitarists like Nik Nocturnal, he does all downpicking for metalcore songs and I thought that seemed more "proper" which made me think my technique was just lazy. Good to know that's not the case lol

[@falricthesleeping9717]

Jason wrote the main riff for blackened, and I remember in an interview he said it was not all downpicking

[@uome20bukz]

Maybe not all downpicking the way he wrote it, but I’m pretty sure it’s how James played/plays it.

[@GalaxyDinoPlayzjojobestshowlol]

more fun downpicked

[@michaelmillican5592]

Jason was a good bassist and he got screwed. Metallica has been declining since Justice. Blackened is by far my favorite song on that album.

[@mobeus84]

Its not. In fact alot of riffs were done w an upstroke or 2 from time to time.

[@jkbx138]

Seen James do this in a few live performances and decided to try it and it definitely changed the game for me but felt completely illegal 🤣

[@TheTalcoChannel]

This is something we do unconsciously out of necessity when playing live. Good on you for showing the beginners and helping give them some more confidence!

[@patstuker]

I just got Master Of Puppets on vinyl for Christmas too Mike 😅I hope you all had a great Christmas whoever's reading this

[@newplayer3861]

Same to U I got a set James Hatfield’s signiture emg pickups

[@periachi4961]

Glad you had an awesome Christmas! I got guitar lessons and a DS-1 so I'm excited :)

[@thebluesboy2009]

You too sir

[@traskirata]

I got MoP on vinyl too, but mine had a scratch that goes over Battery, Puppets, and The Thing That Should Not Be

[@matilda232]

lucky you!!

[@Tommieboy_666]

you have to be one of the best KZbin teachers very valuable information and you teach it in such a chill way, it almost feels like I'm having private lessons

[@davisantosguitar]

Your tips on the downstrokes helped me a LOT! I'm 15 and I've been playing for two years and you're one of my inspirations since the beggining. Keep on, cause your videos are great!

[@Frenkel111]

Those stagger stroke patterns sound great! Awesome video!

[@MovieMentality]

This is perfect timing! I’ve stayed away from these songs for so long because they always seem out of reach but have started to learn Master of Puppets a couple of days ago and have been struggling with the down picking. This should be a big help!

[@jimmytaylor6385]

This! I've been saying for years that you can get the same attack with upstrokes if you use the right technique but never had a word for it! Thanks for sharing this info

[@turboturtle01]

I've seen Adrian Smith play "Two Minutes To Midnight" exactly like that in his Guitar Center video. He also plays "The Number Of The Beast" and "The Wicker Man" like that. It sounds really good. I need to to work on that technique. At the moment I feel much more comfortable doing all downstrokes.

[@HannahCope88]

🤘🏻🔥Congrats on 773k Subscribers! Love this! With those up strokes/ attacks it sounds even better, it adds to the song for me.

[@awguitarroom8033]

Love the Explorer man. That's one of my dream guitars. Sounds so dang good

[@paulmazzola1598]

I've been teaching this technique for more than 20 years to my students! Excellent to see you going over this on your channel.

[@PhobosDDeimos]

These kinds of stagger strokes have already been my go-to technique always for my particular style of playing. Feels nice to get validated in this way 😁 It's important your upstrokes have (nearly) the same attack as your downstrokes. Your wrist will develope immense precision and you will be able to sound as tight as clockworks doing either down or upstrokes. Props for distinguishing this from straight alternate picking!

[@glennandreasen3152]

This is a great video, thank you.....I started playing guitar only a few months ago again after several years of not playing at all and have found it somewhat challenging to get my picking chops up to tempo......this technique will help me indeed, I've tried it briefly playing thrash riffs and I've noticed a big difference with less fatigue and strain in my picking hand so thank you for this great tip

[@homebrew1709]

That’s how I’ve been playing the MOP verse for a while. It’s amazing how much it helps to incorporate even just one upstroke into the pattern.

[@guitaraholic83]

I love this technique. These riffs sound great with the stagger stroke method.

[@davidjoiner2309]

Great tip on how to hold the pick for better attack on the upstrokes

[@traviswoyen2243]

I did this for years in my old band when we did Creeping Death and Master of Puppets. Not only did it keep my right arm looser, which helped when switching to lead work, but I was able to more smoothly work in gallops with some riffs too. I actually preferred the attack of the upstroke on a lot of stuff, especially the main Creeping Death riff which I played with a down-down-up pattern. That less muted upstroke really jumped out in the riff.

[@olafburgermann806]

Great vid thanks. If it sounds good it is good. Techniques like this can make the difference between somebody new carrying on playing or giving up and on that basis can only be a good thing. Do this, replace alternate picking in solos for legato, whatever it takes to keep you interested and playing. Sure some KZbin viewers might notice, but playing in a live gig environment 99% won't notice if it sounds the same.

[@matthewlewis8106]

This is excellent and makes me actually want to take the time to learn ol' school Metallica riffs now! Thanks!

[@BrandonStonerAEP]

Finally I can play Metallica songs without my picking arm becoming a rock. Props to them for their endurance. It always amazed me. Thanks for such great content!

[@bvrgrn1038]

For decades. 2.5 hours at a time. Night after night. May the riff be with you.

[@ryanbwags]

You do this right, you could get a whole new groove out of these songs. Love it.

[@hugobastien1655]

Its funny how everytime i see a video from Mike i always think its some sort of old video i never saw, and then i see the date and its written ''2 days ago'' XD i have to say though, i love your content they helped me a lot in my self taught journey and to those who took the time to read that ; i wish you all a Merry Christmas

[@Pjbro]

Woaahh ive been rly trying to figure out how to this properly on creeping death for like a month! You posted this at the perfect time for me man thank u! I alrdy watched ur vids but never found one on specifically creeping death picking technique lol thanks!

[@djking44151]

This has been my preferred method of picking metal for years. Good to see I'm not the only one!

[@greenfender07]

This is such a cool picking method that it feels natural. Thanks for the awesome vid!!!!

[@strangelet4588]

These sound great. In a mix you’d never know they weren’t all down picked. Well, except for the folks who can detect tone wood… Great vid. Definitely gonna try this out.

[@bobsdock]

Awesome idea man. It's kinda like doing downstrokes on the kick and upstrokes on the snare but not always.

[@recordman555]

I really love your tutorials. Along the lines of picking, I'm thinking of a great example of how picking can "clash" with fretting. That example being "Ogre Battle" from the Queen II album - perhaps the most raw metal tune Queen ever produced. I would like to see your take on how the main riff is picked and fretted.

[@MrBryanGatwood]

Might've been one of your lessons that said that playing the song at a faster tempo and then slowing it down makes your downpicking better andmore efficient. After warming up, I play Master almost as fast as I can and as long as I can. It kinda gets my hand in the right headspace and then I can really lock in an relax on the original song tempo.

[@Spooky-CS2]

Helped so much, getting over muscle problems so I don’t have as much power in my picking hand like I did a month ago. Had a couple gigs / studio apts coming up so now I feel like I can breath LOL

[@Lassef3k]

Great tips. Gonna applie those to my playing. You are really helping me out with your helpful videos as i'm still a beginner

[@SeanGTM]

I love the satisfied smirk (no disrespect) at 7:40 after you show how literally nothing is lost with "Master..." using your picking technique.

[@ljdobles8104]

Excelente técnica. Gracias.

[@theboomerang131]

I actually figured this out pretty early in my guitar playing, luckily - I've literally been playing all of these riffs exactly this way for years :D Particularly I think this technique shines on the second riff of Puppets, the double-downstroke keeps you in time but the upstroke gives your arm/wrist a little bit of a break. For anyone struggling with implementing this - as mentioned in the video, really focus on accenting the upstrokes, more than you would otherwise. The idea is to make every stroke sound exactly the same. Nice video!

[@The_BeardedDragon]

I use this technique for the Four Horsemen. Upstroke after the galloping. Makes sense to use it for Creeping death to. Thanks Mike

[@tythompson4794]

Dude this is life changing. I’ll try it later when I have some time but I’ve been struggling with downpicking speed forever. The block is that I’m trying to go so fast my hand and pick just kind of vibrate and don’t go through the string. I also have this roadblock that I have to play a song the way they play it or it’s not correct (which is not true all the time!)

[@jfo3000]

I do this stagger picking as well, going WAY back. Most of the all down pickers do the first two strokes away from and into the plane of the strings, and the third stroke starting from within the the plane of the strings to away from the plain of the strings. This takes a little while to get down, maybe a few days, but it really reduces tension and it's still all downpicking. But with this video technique, Laiho often favored alternate and possibly staggered picking and his rhythm riffing was powerful. James will throw in the odd upstroke here and there too, probably strategically placed recoverey strokes as well.

[@luisgustavo6117]

I'm always learning something new from you Mike, thank you!

[@jeffreymonroe153]

Great video. I've been implementing this technique since learning "The Art Of Shredding"

[@reeceypc]

Very excited to try out this technique! Thank you for another amazing video! Happy holidays! ❤

[@JoseyStranded]

Sounds great. Beautiful guitar. I've had two Explorers in my life; a black and white Gibson like yours and a black ESP. Nowdays I have a Gibson SG. This video kinda lit the fire inside for a guitar like that. :)

[@XDlosDominicans]

I used to practice downstrokes a lot. So much so, that I'd only play those same three songs actually for hours. What I found out: the constant practice helped me condition my arm to get endurance. You need to be conservative with your stroke movements (let the amp sound out the power, instead of forcing it with your picking; stay in a tight box. No large movements). Lastly, practice with their live versions of the songs (during their peak like ~89-91 where they played all their songs stupidly faster). Also thicker strings & picks helps with getting that beefier sound

[@Mdjagg]

That guitar looks and sounds incredible! Nice tip too. I've never been a die hard down picker, and just use the same style as your examples.

[@berylmgage09]

I think this is a great tip, especially for playing these songs live.

[@Money.Rocks.Podcast]

Great stuff man! it does help, I think the acid test would be the opening riff to disposable heroes and the riff after the 2nd chorus in sanitarium, thats 10-14 open E strings in a row! I'm curious to see how you'd arrange that. I've found that this technique sounds best if it opens and closes with 2 consecutive downstrokes. The alternate picked notes don't stick out that much when they're in between

[@fernando651]

i clicked a ben eller video after this one and realized that you never as for likes, subscribes or patreon support. and you dont have in-video ads (where you promote the product yourself). thats really cool and i appreciate that. i do think you should tell us your name regularly, or have a goofy name badge graphic at the bottom corner for the first 10 seconds of a video.. i think its mike? thanks mike!

[@TheArtofGuitar]

Thanks for noticing. I'm about to do a video about why this is. P.S. I do put a quick text on screen about subscribing but it's just like 3 seconds. ;)

[@cc_1983]

Great video - I’ve learnt creeping death recently and it’s been challenging! I managed to compromise a little by using this kind of idea.

[@CYON4D]

Great tips, I will try it out.

[@ultragkart]

Sick man! Can’t wait to try this out!

[@nsp477]

I have practiced this today only with the Creeping Death riff; it works well for me when there are E-pedal notes alternating with notes on the A and D strings. However, towards the end of the riff when you are chugging those 8 notes on the second fret of the E string, plain alternate picking feels easier (to me).

[@ViniciusMartarello]

Great lesson and beautiful guitar 👌

[@kkarx]

I am sold on this. It sounds amazingly good and even more rhytmical than pure downstrokes. With regular practice I can play comfortably downstrokes at about 190 BPM. Downstrokes at 200 BPM is already my top limit and anything above that tempo is just unplayable for me.

[@javi5810]

This is what Richie Faulkner does for Judas Priest in songs like painkiller to give it more of a swing

[@syphlex8776]

love your videos man ❤

[@Tcrunk365]

Man I wish I lived in Minnesota and you were still teaching lol. But I’m old and live in ga . Haha great video mike.

[@bizzy5439]

Interesting idea, though I hate how it feels LOL My solution to downstroke fatigue is to do something similar to what Yngwie does--as soon as my wrist gets tired or a bit tense I switch to picking with my thumb, and then once that gets fatigued I transition back to the wrist. This allows me to utilize different muscles and alternate to maintain attack and energy throughout the song. This was the technique I used to play Master of Puppets up to speed all the way through for the first time. Give it a try!

[@markjones472]

I had stumbled across this approach for the Creeping Death main riff, but then always fell behind on the 8 downstrokes on the F#. Oh, and of course the shame of my weak downstroke game. 😂 Awesome video, Mike! Will definitely work on developing this technique more now.

[@thenuzgu2719]

Yo dude. Nice video. Can you make those guitarist technique videos again? They are the best!

[@johnnyronci]

Love your videos man! I try to watch em all! You always have a great tone with this Explorer for these Metallica songs. What are the pickups? Are they still the stock Gibson 500T/496R combo?

[@kinniecas9004]

this is how ive picked mop for the longest time. spider riff upstroke on the a string

[@battoosh]

Interesting! I'm generally a down-stroke purest just cuz I really enjoy it, but gonna give this technique a shot definitely!

[@roberthofmann932]

I have to try this! Thx

[@Devil_Jade944]

You explain it so well

[@leaharrington4472]

I didn't have a name for it, but I have played all those riffs with this technique for ages.

[@Ahwits]

You're doing God's work Mike

[@greggriffiths9053]

My wrist gets tired pretty quick when I was downpicking this could be helpful thanks for the video.

[@sausagesausage2819]

if u only concentrate on downpicking it takes only 1 years to manster this technique. in 2021 i couldn't play mop, but now i can play blackened,battery,creepin' without any problems. + smashing the strings

[@silverjaw138]

Killer lesson! Ty!

[@blakkno666]

If you want the ultimate downstroke challenge try the verse of 'Time to kill' by Overkill.. so fast I think even Hetfield would have to practice! 🤘

[@anthonyw5261]

This techniques are brilliant!!!!!😳😳🤩🤩👏👏👏

[@donakahorse]

I wonder how many of us do it this way? When I was young I could actually keep up, somewhere along the way I started doing this. Personally though I choke up on the pick and go for a straighter angle than I usually use. I do get accidental pinch harmonics sometimes, but it usually fits in. so there's that. lol

[@fieder4280]

My guy is spitting bars with that title

[@ChrisRash]

Another benefit, you can easily keep up with James in Seattle 89.

[@adriennethegozerian4924]

Wow... it's going to take some practice for me to get used to, but I can already tell that it'll be worth it. Thanks! :D

[@dimlightbulb10]

I've played a while, and even in two note power chords there's still a sound and vibe difference between and up and down strokes. If you play a Bo Diddley beat with all down strokes, it's going to sound a lot different.

[@teresathomley3703]

Thanks Mike.

[@SuperAfrolex]

I'm lucky enough to not feel the pains when playing Metallica songs. All that alone time as a teen really paid off💪🏽

[@JohnDoeWasntTaken]

lmao same it didn't take long for me to be able to reach a high picking speed without getting tired playing for a while, I also credit that to my alone time when I was a teenager

[@juniorlupercio1470]

I started doing this out of necessity hahah. I started doing this learning Lamb of God riffs and it gives riffs that are downpicked a bouncy, yet tight sound

[@hristo_panov]

I find my picking hand do this from time to time without any control. Now after you explain it makes a lot of sense. I'll start using it more instead of trying to become downpicking god

[@simplyrockcovers9383]

Mike, when are you going to make your steve vai jem jr comparison video?

[@TheArtofGuitar]

When it arrives.

[@mattyleighramone734]

Thank you for helping us not break our wrist by down picking

[@Moozart]

I've been doing this forever. Whenever I showed it to someone though, they seemed to find it easier to just downpick lol

[@jye_24]

Mike im sorry, im never doing an upstroke unless its a song where james did 😂

[@crackerfoot]

I think the key is to try and make it musical by making the upstrokes a part of the phrasing. Definitely food for thought. Thank you!

[@LlorracTN]

what you're basically doing here is creating accent notes which if anything can make the riffs sound cooler. It would be a great technique to experiment with further. especially if you tie it in with a drum track to have an upstroke just before a beat/hit so the down strokes keep the rhythm. Maybe you should try "improving" some all downstroke riffs and make them groovier.

[@teduh3344]

You should get novel prize for this invention mike. Thanks alot.

[@johnscott2076]

Horror or romance 😂

[@roadrunnerplaying]

That seems to be really versatile

[@Daniel-hr7rp]

never been this early thanks for the lesson mike 🙏

[@mackan509]

Great tips! I prefer the pain of only downpicking!

[@BatFan1]

Yeah I stumbled across this technique by accident (or necessity lol) years ago. If you see James' live performances throughout the years you can pick up these little "cheats" he does to get through shows. He also does these pick attacks that aren't strokes, his fingers look like a telegraph that just go up and down, or like a car suspension on rocky terrain.

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

Dimebag used upstrokes to highlight the accents, and to reduce fatigue. Especially on the intro to Cowboys from Hell.

[@thoth_amon]

i used to play those riffs until my forearm felt like it was on fire, but i also used to work doing a lot of sanding, and then practice on an accoustic, blood blood everywhere, so metal

[@drrodopszin]

Oh, I see I can rephrase your strategy to "accented, salient notes that already sound different can be cheated as up-strokes, and your riff would sound decent without the fatigue", which works quite well: you get the benefit of consistency from the downstrokes and you get relief from the upstrokes.

[@danicorptv3453]

okay... let me grab my guitar... a beer... and I'll work on that!!! awesome video thanxxxxxxx