Alternate Picking

[GodOfRhythm]

Re: Alternate Picking

I guess it's Tomato(e)/Tomato. As long as it sounds good to our own ears it'll be great, so it doesn't really matter. [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[paulbag]

Re: Alternate Picking

hey god, any cool exercizes you got for increasing down pick speed? i can't do mop at speed yet, i'm practicing it slowed down and gradually increasing speed. but do you have any practice techniques other than just doing it slowly to help shock my wrist into some growth?

[GodOfRhythm]

Re: Alternate Picking

Hmmmm, good question.

The classic of course is just pm'ing the open E and keeping a precise rhythm. But I know that's not what you want to hear!

I'd start out with other songs, that feature some slower downpicking stuff, like ride the lightning or am I evil? or something. And then build it up until you can play The Art Of Shredding all downpicked.

Master of Puppets is all relatively easy, the hardest part is basically the spiderriff and that little sequence after the solo, after the variation on said spiderriff.

Just try going as fast and precise as you can for 5 minutes, every time you wamr-up:

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm pm

[paulbag]

Re: Alternate Picking

thanks dude...i can do it alternately picked but like you, i know it doesn't sound right and thats not how james did it. i got the spider riff thing pretty good courtesy of dave mustaine (who we all know wrote that shit)i'm coming up with my own exercizes and stuff but it's always a good idea to pick other peoples brains especially if they can play something you can't! [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[paulbag]

Re: Alternate Picking

chromatics paying big dividends...i always neglected them cuz they can seem so boring but i'm finding it's quite a necessary evil! my wrist is relaxing more and moving less in not even 2 weeks of making sure i practice some chromatics every day. [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[GodOfRhythm]

Re: Alternate Picking

Yeah I practice about 15 to 30 mins of Chromatics, in a constant rhythm. Every day, key is consistency, not quantity.

[paulbag]

Re: Alternate Picking

at first to get more comfortable doing them i was spending at least an hour a day on them, but i felt the old burnout settling in and backed off to about a half hour a day. left and right hands just "feel" like they're working together much more efficiently. i just gotta stay on my downpicking now too and my wrist should be whipped right into shape. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Oogadee Boogadee]

Re: Alternate Picking

What about the movement source? I tend to do all finger motion. It makes the angle of attack on 2 different strings different b/c my fingers move the pick to the next string before my picking hand 're-anchors' or re-adjusts to the new spot (if it does so at all - if i'm coming back to the orignal string, i might not bother with readjusting anyway and just let my pick move back and forth between 2 strings with fingers only). My accuracy is better this way, but my attack varies b/c of inconsistent pick angles and stuff. is this why i see monster pickers doing more elbow motion when they go into a 16th note flurry? their range of motion is so huge, but they're so fast! what's the key? a light touch?

also, for Holy Wars - do you guys start the E string gallops and 16th chuggas with down strokes only?

[paulbag]

Re: Alternate Picking

i do, because i hammer and pull the notes fretted in that riff...