Up/down picking

Hey
Ive been playing guitar for about 2 months now and am trying to learn trilling prob is ive only been downstroking on the songs and solo's ive learnt and wondering whats a good exercize for up and down picking, thx :D

May sound dumb but just pick a string and pick at it up-down-up-down over and over again. Start simple and slow with an open string, then you can move onto the chromatic 1-2-3-4 stuff starting on the low E and switching strings and starting over again.

D>

Scales will help and add speed

If you get bored doing the chromatic thing mentioned above then try different variations of it.

e |-----------------------------------------------------------------
b |------------------------------------------------------1--3--2--4-
g |-----------------------------------------1--3--2--4--------------
d |----------------------------1--3--2--4---------------------------
a |---------------1--3--2--4----------------------------------------
e |--1--3--2--4-----------------------------------------------------

e |--1--3--2--4-----------------------------------------------------
b |---------------4--2--3--1----------------------------------------
g |----------------------------4--2--3--1---------------------------
d |-----------------------------------------4--2--3--1--------------
a |------------------------------------------------------...etc...----
e |-----------------------------------------------------------------

or maybe

e |----------------------------------------------------------...etc...
b |-----------------------------------------------------1--4--------
g |----------------------------------2--3--------4--1---------------
d |----------------------------1--4--------3--2---------------------
a |---------2--3--------4--1----------------------------------------
e |--1--4---------3--2----------------------------------------------

After you can do that stuff using "alternate picking" then try doing runs where you skip strings in between phrases and/or notes.


e |-----------------------------------------------------------------
b |-----------------------------------------------------------------
g |-----------------------------------------4--3--2--1--------------
d |---------------1--2--3--4---------------------------------------
a |----------------------------4--3--2--1---------------------------
e |--1--2--3--4----------------------------------------------------

or


e |---------------------4-------------------------------------------
b |---------------2--------3--4-----2-------------------------------
g |----------4-------3-----------------3----------------------------
d |-----2-------1----------------1-----------3----------------------
a |--------3------------------------------4-------------------------
e |--1-------------------------------------------------------------

Originally Posted by: guitarist101


e |---------------------4-------------------------------------------
b |---------------2--------3--4-----2-------------------------------
g |----------4-------3-----------------3----------------------------
d |-----2-------1----------------1-----------3----------------------
a |--------3------------------------------4-------------------------
e |--1-------------------------------------------------------------

Is it just me or is that incredibly hard to speed pick that

Yeah, that is a really difficult one to pick (especially if you're trying to go fast). Still makes for a good picking exercise.

Try reversing your picking too. Instead of starting with a downstroke on a riff, start on an upsroke and do everything opposite of the way you'd normally play it.
Not necessarily the way you'd normally play, but if you learn all your scales this way it makes it easier to string them together up and down the fretboard. ie, you aren't limited by always starting a riff using either an up or down stroke.
It won't matter anymore because you'll know both equally as well.
(sorta like being ambidextrous except with just one hand)

What's that supposed to mean?

Good point there Schmange.

Thanks for that guys, ill try all your methods i spose the best way is just with practice tho aye :P
:D

ive been practicing master of puppets solo 1 for awhile and i had it down on downpicking and now when i try up-pick it my hand automatically goes to downpick so when up-picking i have to pick at about 2 frets per second.. feel like i did when i first started guitar which is pretty cool, glad i got a challenge! :)

Hi just got my guitar, I know all the basic notes, but I'm having trouble figuring out how you are susposed to read tabs could anyone help me ?

With most tab, all you're given is the notes to play (not the duration of each note/measure).

For some detail on how to read tab try this lesson by our own web guru, Jon Broderick. :)

http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=3554&s_id=2&prev_id=1739

The 4 note "thought" is a good one. Take a Major scale and break it down into 4 note segments. Play the first four notes in the scale, then start on the second note of the scale and play the next three, and so on. In other words 1234, 2345, 3456, 4567 (notes from the scale, not frets). Then work it back down 7654, 6543, etc. This will get you working across 2 strings for each segment. Tie them together, alternating your pick on each note, up, down, up, etc. Try starting the runs with both an up or down stroke to get the feel that works.

Create your own exercises.