economy picking vs alternate picking?

i was just wondering when is it best to use economy picking, is it one of those things where its just best to do it all the time or are there certain times where its better to do one or the other as to not break ur rhythm or sumthin, for instance which would be the best way to pick triplets across strings?

depends what you're playing, i've read that alt picking is generally better to do because it speeds up your right hand or something and also it becomes more independant, if you economy pic you might face problems with your muscle memory in your right hand when you decide to improvise or make a mistake.

Well, try not to get to technical when talking with these defintions. In reality, alternate picking is a form of economy picking. And that can get confusing when including tremolo picking in the scene. If you alternate picking though 3 note per string scales, you are already economy picking. Check out a lesson (not sure which one) by Schmange on his idea of making evey "box" type scale into 3 notes per string. That way, its up, down, up down... throught the entire scale. So the answer your question is YES. You do alternate pick, but when you do in that scense, its also economy picking.

Just to clear things up as far as what these actually are:

Alternate Picking is done by using the pick in a down-up-down, up-down-up manner, basically all the time.

Economy Picking is a little trickier. Generally when you play on just one string, you use alternate picking, but when you go to the next high adjacent string, you always start with a down pick. You never deviate from this pattern until you go backwards from high to low string. Going backwards, you use alternate picking. This method minimizes energy in hand movement by using one pick stroke to cross from one string to the next highest string.

So generally, you use economy picking if you want speed with as little hand movement as possible. You use alternate picking if speed isn't as much a factor and you want to play with more style and soul.

Best thing to do is learn alternate and economy picking and use both depending on the situation.
Also, when you do scales, learn to pick them backwards as well as forwards.
ie, Usually when you start a scale on the bottom E string, you'd start with a down stroke.... down-up-down, up-down-up...etc..
Instead of always doing that, try playing the scale by picking it in reverse...
ie, up-down-up, down-up-down..etc..

If you learn to both ways equally as well, you'll find you won't get lost in the middle of leads so much cause you won't be constantly fumbling to start all scales with a downstroke.

If you go to the forums on john petrucci's website and search this topic, you'll find indepth discussions on the topic of economy vs. alternate. They're pretty much all shredders over there, but if that's what you're into, they won't steer you wrong!

Here's a link to a search I did there:

economy, alternate, picking search on johnpetrucci.com forums

Do some more snooping over there, and some more on the GT forums (it's come up a few times here as well), and I'm sure you can make an informed decision as to what's right for you. Perhaps it's both!

you can't really compare economy and alternate picking. they go hand in hand. thats like saying: which is better? the drink or the container. you need both to drink.

so, which is better? alternate picking or economy picking? you need both to play.

Both have their uses. In my opinion, an established alternate picking technique gives a more even tempo, where economy picking I find myself slightly faster changing strings if I'm not paying attention (!)

Economy picking can be faster depending on the lick so as schmange says, it's all economy of movement. If you get it in to your head that you want to economy pick all the time, you have to work your licks out so they flow correctly - it needs more planning.

As the guys say, learn both to the extent that when you're flying you're not totally sure which you're doing but you know it's working :D