The Easy Way to Master Alternate Picking!

For this full lesson go to goo.gl/O6qmLd
Check out this video from our friends at Guitar Zoom. Steve Stine shows you the easy way to master alternate picking!

[@TheRealisticEnd]

As someone who could say they are pretty good at guitar for playing about 2.5 years not learning how to alternate pick from the start is gonna be the biggest roadblock in your progress and I still regret not learning it so early. Trying to learn alternate picking is like trying to learn how to play guitar again.

[@Yeoldepube]

Trace Kilpatrick it’s just down up down up? Or am I missing something?

[@jjj-qj8lu]

@@Yeoldepube yes youre missing a lot of things. Its easy to alternate pick slowly but when it gets faster its harder. Alternate picking is the most important lead guitar technique. You have to work on it no matter how good you are. Improving alternate picking is an endless process.

[@user-ql3rm2ci3w]

Same shit

[@Mecha-ddafi]

As a former drummer/okay guitarist, alternate picking kinda reminds me of practicing on a drum pad, working on paradiddles and all that stuff. Seems so pointless reading and playing Rs and L's all day until you get to the kit and things come 10x easier. Unfortunately, I'm just now practicing alternate picking since i ran into an issue with keeping up with songs i was trying to learn

[@TontonTomConcon]

I recently heard about alternate picking and i though it was a crazy technical thing on guitar. But now i'm feeling lucky to have it naturally because i've learned it from the beggining. For me it was just a basics.

[@MrThiebaudjulien]

James Hetfield wants to know your location

[@ivancheshmedjiev4291]

James Hetfield disliked the video.

[@MrMcGear]

Ivan Cheshmedjiev OMG!

[@bangbob7851]

Haha lol

[@IceCubeNETWORK873]

Is James hetfeild Self taught? Or someone taught him? Does hetfeild alternate pick? Does He all just do downpicking?

[@triad5766]

IceCubeNETWORK. - No he doesn’t only down pick. That’s just an internet myth.

[@karannsyt]

I've played guitar for 2 years My worst habit. Not caring about alternate picking. It's affecting me as I recently got into electric guitar.

[@JumpingShroom]

Karan Sreedhar yeah I’m in the same boat dude. Really kicking myself in the ass hard.

[@Pr3stig3july]

Sameboat as well, its a pain

[@aa-de2jw]

SAME

[@soproparmvfx6269]

Very relatable, I find this very frustrating

[@sohibconner6926]

same, welcome me to ur boat

[@1x56]

I'm so used to fingerpicking on a classical guitar....Alternate picking is going to take a lot of practice!

[@willkoestner4159]

Try alternate picking basic chords as arpeggios for practice.

[@Die4girl]

This is what happens when you only learn Metallica songs

[@user-ql3rm2ci3w]

It's about me😄 but what about fight fire, battery, other stuff?

[@MSt_fighter]

@@user-ql3rm2ci3w I can only down stroke and when I was playing Fight Fire my hand was so painful🤕

[@cristi9213]

Literally the reason i clicked on the video,was tired of playing metallica

[@antonymalko2009]

Lol, learning am I evil

[@fortefatale5695]

For whom the bell tolls 😩😩😩

[@timrussell1559]

As a greenhorn newbie to guitar i first thought that alternate picking was just something the pros did to show off. Then i decided to try to learn the riff to thunderstruck. I quickly realized that alternate picking isn't for showing off, its a fundamental necessity!

[@edreed5571]

What is gren horn

[@Kaleke09]

@@edreed5571 Inexperience, He was saying he had no experience playing stringed Instrument's.

[@aquatichighs]

Thunderstruck is merely the path to the gates.

[@Iheartdgd]

I’ve improved my picking more this week than I have in my entire life while playing guitar , together w a few of your videos. Thank you very much , I’m definitely looking forward to more. Been more of drummer throughout my life , but I’ve recently picked up the guitar again and I wanna take if further. Been studying theory and scales and techniques, and practicing every moment I can. Looking for more exercises

[@apno7234]

I can't see his picking hand because of that obnoxious banner

[@AM-we8hj]

which banner? have you tried adblockers?

[@nehemiahzo_]

A M the one that says click the link in the desc

[@rustbeltgypsy3713]

E string, Down Up, down up , A String down up pick and .....just switch index faster back to E and repeat...if you go higher in pitch, (up to i.e) . G string, going down in pitch it's backward, up down , up down

[@barkwhoop8052]

This is so much better in form than a lot of guitar lesson content, the speaker is super concise in what he’s talking about, the way playing is interspersed is super functional, AND there’s a separate camera for playing which makes it really easy to jump to the clips that should be referenced for technique. Good shit.

[@sinjon]

Totally agree. This guy is one of the best guitar teachers on KZbin. He’s very concise and tells you different ways to make learning a technique easier

[@sandeepsreehari9188]

I have been using only single picking so far. I am not able to achieve much speed although I can contemplate some good riffs and solos to play. This video helped me as it gave me a foundation as to how to start off with alternate picking. Thanks a lot man 👍

[@brodieross1868]

Insert James Hetfield joke here:

[@mrnohax5436]

*Kicking Jason newsteed out* I’m not laughing

[@EnigmaticAnamoly]

I wish someone gave me this advice 15 years ago. I was self taught and i was always the guy who looked for shortcut ways to alt picking instead of just taking my time to practice it slowly. That's the only way to get good at it. Took me forever to learn Crazy Train because the 16th noted on the muted A in the rhythm, I never could play it, I never took it slow, just bent my pick and played it like crap lol

[@nylonsteel]

There is no easy way to Master anything

[@lewisbirkett4428]

apart from mastur bating

[@ctnicetune141]

practice and patience.

[@chazbono5991]

eh, easy and hard is subjective. i bet someone like yngwie would say that mastering alt picking came easily.

[@minutesagoedited9761]

I can bate like a master! mastur? where's the dreams that ive been after.

[@David-hl9iv]

apart from snorting coke

[@johnw1566]

Damn I used to dread alt picking at first but after I sat down and really dug in with it I can't see myself playing arpeggios with all down picking again😂

[@JohnOhkumaThiel]

Thanks for covering that so thoroughly.

[@sinjon]

Hats off to this guy for being one of the best guitar teachers on KZbin

[@wolfgangwolfdogplaysguitar701]

This video is what I definitely need because I can't alternate pick and I'm a beginner I do know a few chords but I'm working on alternate picking because that type of picking is required for solos

[@celica6661]

Good lesson- and great sound !

[@pinoymetaltv1882]

I'm playing guitar for 11 years and i play lefty .and i want to convert into right handed playing. So i am starting again This tutorial realy helps me .. Thanks dude

[@joetroutt7425]

I thought about doing that too.

[@morgangerminario9336]

Why do You Want to change? Im right handed but im wondering, it Is because there are not many guitars or is It more difficult

[@pinoymetaltv1882]

@@morgangerminario9336 its hard to find cheap left guitar, and i cant play along in any occasions,

[@maximrahman]

There is an easy way to master building a rocket but not alternate picking

[@davidefrasca8062]

Trying in these months to improve alternate picking, it's ridiculously hard, also after years of guitar playing, you really need to put all your attention on it!

[@Would_YouKindly]

Please watch Michael paouris!!! He mastered everything!!!

[@thatOneSexySonofaBitch]

Thanks for the tutorial!

[@starlodear2987]

I noticed breathing slowly helps me relax and focus.

[@adamcogan211]

First guitar world vid i've ever seen with good sound

[@gaysquirrels6915]

Awesome lesson!

[@ColdAssRanch]

Great lesson! Thanks!

[@peterklein5861]

The main riff in Fear of the Dark by Iron Maiden is a really good exercise for this too.

[@rustbeltgypsy3713]

Reminder to Relax . Nice! ..and slow defined moves in relaxed felt better on hand/arm/wrist/fingers and most importantly my brain. Thx for the tips. Learning alone is difficult sometimes/no help for first hand in my area that doesn't charge big $$. Working on buying some lessons soon.✌️

[@000Skill]

Best teacher ever

[@scottybandicoot6347]

Thank you for this lesson ❤️

[@dtechx7124]

Steve, you are an excellent instructor. Please do a video that shows how to achieve palm muting.

[@BigStarch96]

God i want that guitar so bad.

[@joshuamichael4312]

BigStarch96 an Ibanez jem with EMG pickups. It's definitely a hotrod.

[@jayvalentine2046]

BigStarch96 yeah its a real JEM 😉

[@mridulsagar4106]

it looks like acid was dropped on it

[@unlshtb4524]

Sounds so good doesn't it... Maybe its about the amp though

[@CosmicHarmony58]

@@unlshtb4524 ya, amp and the EMG pickupzzzzz

[@eeejayseven]

Great video. In depth explanation!

[@therepairguys6862]

Good teacher, thanks brother

[@miky8788]

hey... nice quality in this video (and great video too)

[@mr.yellowstrat3352]

Damn Steve.. shittin' on the pick slanters! 🤘😈🤙

[@geoffwhitemusic]

Excellent instruction

[@Mr.Nichan]

The most important thing I learned from this video is that you can go faster by turning the pick sideways (lol), though he's right it doesn't sound the same. My main issue is getting the control so that pick actually goes through the string every time instead of sometimes just hitting it or going over it, and yet doesn't have enough force to pluck another sting after the one I intended to.

[@Mr.Nichan]

Well, in another video, Steve legitimizes my idea that maybe I shouldn't be trying to speed pick with super-floppy picks, not that I don't also have control problems of course. I thought that felt a bit like cheating, because thicker (or harder) picks have a different timbre (louder noisy attack I think) also, so being able to speed pick with either soft or hard picks would give you more options, but I guess there's no harm in starting out with harder (thicker) picks. He even suggests pointier picks, which I don't think I have any of right now.

[@Raziel6523]

this is a really good lesson. I actually used to have my pick at a high angle to the string, almost perpendicular... no more swishy sounds lol thanks

[@cc12yt]

Who knew that Arthas Menethil played guitar

[@mohamadfhazril7876]

He did in the game credit

[@vladionescu8222]

Who knew Ricardo Milos searches for metal stuff

[@emmanuelsabado6580]

Wow fans here

[@cuagg1]

Joke funny

[@alekrous6650]

Damn you explan good bro I practice that since on year

[@sweetgyy]

Steve rocks

[@sourbrothers73]

Alternate picking between strings is no problem playing scales and chords, or just open PM'd strings. As soon as I try to learn a song, all my picking progress goes out the window. Idk why I cant do it. The first 10 years of my self-taught guitar career were on an acoustic, and I hardly used a pick. I _picked_ up some bad picking habits. Now that i own a proper left electric, re-learning to use a pick, and not wailing on my instrument has been challenging. Electric guitar is far more gentle of an exercise, believe it or not.

[@jaydenanderson53]

Bro Steve Stine is the GOAT

[@grabsmicug7622]

thanks my hand gets tired when doing only down strokes when playing dumpweed by blink 182 very helpful video

[@FirstLast-zv5od]

"As opposed to just picking down." Shit...I've been picking at a 57° angle in an upwards jerking motion this whole time.

[@danio-LP]

Danke schön! Das hat mir sehr weitergeholfen. 👌

[@kingbaconvi2650]

First warmup: AlTeRnAtE PiCk ThIs LiCk Me: *Does Hammer ons* “ Also Me: “I’m not getting any better at this”

[@_tor]

course no longer available.

[@agentsnyper6354]

That Ibanez Jem look’s cool

[@Brosky1998]

5:45 haha that was wicked

[@avocadocommander]

i have been playing for like 22 days and when i go a bit faster when alt picking i tighten my thumb on the pick and it just hurt thank you for this i think this gives me an actual idea on how to alt pick

[@JohnHWelch63]

When I first started learning to play guitar alternate picking just came to me as natural and logical. It never had to be explained to me. I started doing it right from the start. When I started taking lessons I learned the practice patterns and stuff but the idea of alternate picking was something I started to do naturally.

[@TKD187]

Damn I love you guitar 🤘🏻

[@selection5072]

I don't know why but my hand seems to be too stiff when picking, cause my pick sometimes gets stuck on the up-stroke...

[@mackenzieray3493]

I've been playing for 15 years and Everytime I've ever tried fast alternate picking my pick will get hung on the g string and it literally sounds like I'm trying to rip my strings off. I cannot comprehend the idea of it.

[@oliverwilliamson6528]

Try picking shallower and with the pick at a greater angle. That'll lessen resistance against the strings. Also use a thinner pick so the pick bends past the string more easily.

[@wlmirand]

Is a good habit, alternate even if im going to play notes in two different strings? After playing with attention, I noticed i use up and down, but not 100% alternate.

[@dariixxiv5371]

Skwisgar Skwigelf has really been working hard on his American accent

[@matheusgarcia8975]

2:15 that is what Paul Gilbert does and it sound metal af

[@maxsterling5247]

Do I need to alternate pick 100% of the time? Or there are some cases you need to upward or downward pick?

[@saikiace7409]

I have to use a bread seal as a pick

[@Dilaudid123]

hahaha I enjoyed this comment

[@devonboes2376]

Or cut an old credit card and sand it down lol

[@chazbono5991]

@@Dilaudid123 i also enjoyed this comment, maybe more than i should have, lol.

[@maxwestfall1873]

thank u bro

[@FrancoAguileradonillan]

What is the guitar model?, its a jem, but which one ?

[@expired_pomegranate8717]

Holy shit bruh this guys a genius

[@TheRealKirkHammett]

What I want to know is, does anyone use alternate picking on every note? Also, just want to say that I love that version of the JEM. That's the best one they ever made in my opinion. The mody paint is awesome and the mirror guard. Everything about that version. I believe it's the JEM 7?

[@edwardheins2930]

love your aproach i appreciate you im 58 self taught wait i meant self scewed up .Man its harder to unlearn bad habits so listen to Steve kiddies. Stevie Ts dad lol !

[@Ava-fx6dq]

How do u get your guitar to sound like that is it the way you tune the amp or is it how the guitar is made

[@TKD187]

I'm here because I have to learn cowboys from hell solo and I have a problem with alternate picking I can do it on one string but when it comes to alternate picking a whole scale I get messed up

[@giannislymperopoylos5574]

the question is one master..please answer... when we have pull offs and hammer ons ..why we break the up down sequence...?when we have 4 16ths and the first two notes are a pull off we pick up the third down ...so we have two downs and an up.... breaking the second nature sequence..isnt this a headache...?is it necessary to play with alternate pickin if we want to reach a descent level?if you answer YES...i ll do it...promise!!

[@ferdiaroalbert989]

This guy is in the guitarzoom. Com channel too?

[@LITRLG0D]

Anybody else waiting for Paranoid by Black Sabbath to start playing after hearing him pick the E string so many times?

[@mustard_poppa1742]

I was waiting for that or Disposable Heroes😂

[@bananaclipper9343]

Turning your pick is super beneficial in some circumstances. Two-way pick slanting is pretty common in technical death metal

[@malakaimillsap4484]

My issue is I usually miss a note so I'll hit three in a row and then miss the string and then back and forth.

[@thesabbath483]

As a guitarist, I can tell you alternate pick is definitely harder than downpicking. Yes, downpicking requires more strength, but alternate picking requires much more precision.

[@scottautoprep94]

Been practicing this using this video for 4 years and still can’t get it at all😑 people say use your wrist instead of fingers but I found that slows you right down

[@crisoliveira2644]

Now I understand why I can't develop my playing. Thanks!

[@theguyof360]

0:31 wait a second...

[@Mattypantaloons]

If I'm a first week beginner, and just learning my first scale, should I be using alternate picking or is down fine for now? Or would down picking only be creating a bad habit?

[@willferrel3767]

I've been playing for 5 years now and I wish as a beginner I would have learned alternate picking I can mow but yes it's a good thing to learn early

[@TomyBach]

Yes! Yes! Yes! ❤️

[@mauritsp4420]

Why do I automatically pick the string I just upstroked when going to the string below?

[@dondeestacoconut]

Google's URL shortener is saying you're violating TOS

[@nicholas7781]

i feel like i am actually progressing from your lessons, verses most teachers.

[@bluesatmosphere4659]

I always alternate picked and thought that’s normal, in my head alternate pick always was hybridpicking

[@joesmith5617]

I can do one or the other it’s more switching between the two

[@michaeljfox16]

No link in description

[@guitarworld]

goo.gl/O6qmLd

[@wildchild01ok]

As always xd.

[@PulledPurk]

I have a habit of manipulating bthe pick with my fingers instead of my wrist. I cant stop!

[@masterchimichanga117]

But I like picking down😞

[@rizha5964]

What guitar are u using?

[@Haltzo]

Dat 6min47 riff tho 😍

[@jamesluisculaway8041]

tnx sir.. beginner here

[@skaterjoe1669]

dude i always end up sweeping

[@thesonicexplorer75]

So your saying I didn’t even know what this was but I still mastered it

[@zacrider8854]

WTF IS WITH THAT MASSIVE BANNER??? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GET RID OF THAT MASSIVE BANNER SO WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE YOU PLAYING THE GUITAR. FOR F...KS SAKE!!!

[@larssmith6780]

fucks*

[@lobsterwhisperer7932]

i hate people like you who comment on the enviroment in the video..you sound like an old woma n

[@austinburton194]

Quiet Karen

[@valasovich6101]

@@lobsterwhisperer7932 Yeah right

[@nbcnbc8252]

You mean locking wrist using the elbow. Not locking elbow using elbow. Great lesson 👍

[@trevorcarterva]

I noticed that I can play faster when I make bring my fingers into my palm on the picking hand, akin to a fist.

[@burakertas7302]

I play like this all the time is it normal? Ive been trying to get used to picking the normal way like this guy does but it feels so wierd

[@rphuntarchive1]

I find the opposite works better for me, otherwise those fingers get in the way.

[@jimcrossland3575]

link does not work

[@marceli155]

si nothing under this link! thanks !

[@CHOPERUS23]

This basically is a tutorial on 2 notes per string pentatonic playing, how about some real alternate picking strategies for example 3 notes on bottom E then 1 on the A string and then 2 on the bottom E string. That's an alternate challenge.

[@erickim4832]

Is it better to pick from the wrist or the elbow?

[@purpley5164]

Wrist

[@samuelcramphorn3874]

Also make sure you have a comfortable pick...

[@corryburton9252]

kinda cool i didnt know guitar world was affiliated with steve...