Why You Need to Learn Alternate Picking

In the world of guitar playing, there are countless techniques that help shape a player’s style, speed, and efficiency. Among these techniques, alternate picking is one of the foundational skills that almost every guitarist needs to master. But why is it so important, especially if your ultimate goal is to become proficient in more advanced techniques like directional picking?

Directional Picking: The Ultimate Goal

Before diving into the nuances of alternate picking, it’s helpful to understand what directional picking is and why it’s the ultimate goal. Directional picking combines elements of alternate picking and economy picking, but it takes things a step further. In directional picking, the guitarist uses the most efficient pick strokes to navigate through strings, adapting to the specific musical passage. It blends the precision of alternate picking (down-up-down-up) with the efficiency of economy picking (sweeping when changing strings).

The ultimate aim of directional picking is to minimize unnecessary hand motion while maintaining accuracy, speed, and musicality. With directional picking, you can play faster and more efficiently without sacrificing control, and that’s what every guitarist aspires to achieve.

However, before you can get to directional picking, you need to build a solid foundation in alternate picking. It’s one of the essential building blocks of your technique.

Economy Picking: A Key Component

Economy picking is closely related to directional picking and involves a sweeping motion when moving between strings. In economy picking, the pick moves in the same direction as it transitions to the next string, allowing for more fluid motion and fewer extraneous movements. While alternate picking strictly alternates between downstrokes and upstrokes, economy picking lets you sweep from one string to the next, creating a smoother, more efficient playing style.

In essence, economy picking focuses on creating the least amount of movement possible. It’s a technique that directly complements alternate picking and helps streamline your overall picking technique. Mastery of both techniques will make transitioning to directional picking easier, since you’re already familiar with controlling your pick movement in a way that minimizes unnecessary hand motions.

My Relationship with Alternate Picking

As a guitarist, I’ll admit that I don’t particularly “like” alternate picking any more than I have to. Even though I’m not the fastest at it, I’ve found ways to offset this limitation by using hybrid picking, economy picking, and ultimately directional picking. By blending these techniques, I maintain speed without feeling locked into the strict discipline of alternate picking.

That being said, alternate picking is still a critical skill. Even though I don’t rely on it as much as I would some of the other techniques, I recognize that it is an essential foundation for developing full technical command of the instrument. My proficiency with hybrid and economy picking techniques came only after I had a strong grasp of alternate picking.

The Teacher’s Dilemma

As a teacher, I face a dilemma when it comes to teaching alternate picking. On one hand, I know that alternate picking isn’t the end goal for many of my students—directional picking is. On the other hand, I know that if my students don’t get a solid grasp on alternate picking early on, they’ll hit a technical roadblock when they attempt more advanced techniques.

In the short term, alternate picking provides the necessary skill set to build speed and accuracy. Students need to master it and be able to execute it relatively fast in order for it to become second nature. This is important because when they eventually move on to directional picking (which is far more efficient in terms of overall hand movement), their alternate picking background will allow them to more seamlessly blend the two techniques. Without alternate picking as a foundational skill, they would likely struggle when learning more advanced techniques.

But there’s also a larger truth here: alternate picking is not the ultimate goal. The ability to seamlessly transition between strings with efficiency is the true mark of mastery, and directional picking is where you’ll find that freedom.

Important Rhythmic Byproduct of Alternate Picking

One of the crucial by-products of mastering alternate picking is that it provides an exceptional foundation for syncopated rhythms. When you’re able to alternate between downstrokes and upstrokes with precision, you’ll find that playing syncopated rhythms becomes much easier and more natural.

In a syncopated rhythm, the emphasis is often placed on the offbeats or the weaker beats of the measure. Alternate picking helps you lock into this feel because it ensures you’re able to clearly articulate the offbeats with an upstroke, while maintaining the downbeats with downstrokes. If you’re strumming chords in a syncopated rhythm, you’d use alternate picking to emphasize the offbeats, making your rhythm more fluid and dynamic.

The key benefit here is that by practicing alternate picking, you’ll develop a more acute sense of timing and groove, which is indispensable when playing syncopated and complex rhythms.

Why You Should Invest Time in Learning Alternate Picking

1. Foundation for Speed and Precision: Alternate picking helps develop speed, precision, and control, which are critical for playing at higher speeds. It allows you to play individual notes cleanly without unnecessary motion.
2. Builds Your Timing: Learning alternate picking builds your sense of timing and rhythm, making it easier to tackle more complex rhythmic patterns later on.
3. Prepares You for More Advanced Techniques: Whether you’re transitioning to economy picking, hybrid picking, or directional picking, alternate picking is the first step in gaining full control of your right hand and developing fluidity across strings.
4. Flexibility in Musical Style: Alternate picking is incredibly versatile. It can be used for fast, single-note runs or more intricate picking patterns, allowing you to play in any musical style, from rock to jazz.
5. A Skill That Bridges Many Techniques: Even as you progress to more advanced techniques like directional and economy picking, alternate picking will remain an important part of your overall toolkit.

Conclusion

Alternate picking may not be the most exciting or glamorous technique, but it is the cornerstone of efficient guitar playing. It might not be your ultimate goal as a guitarist—directional picking holds that place—but without a strong grasp of alternate picking, you will find yourself hitting a ceiling as you try to develop more advanced techniques. It is a stepping stone that lays the groundwork for greater efficiency, speed, and musicality.

In the short term, students should invest time in mastering alternate picking because it will give them the foundational skills they need to tackle more advanced picking techniques. Once they’ve developed this skill, they can move on to economy picking and eventually to directional picking, where they will truly unleash their speed and efficiency as guitarists.

So, even if you don’t love it, take the time to master alternate picking—it will make everything else you want to accomplish on the guitar much easier in the long run.