Question:
Alright I've been playing guitar a year now just teaching myself and just recently I was reading an article and realized my picking technique is not normal alternate picking but rather economy picking. Whenever I ascend or descend a string I keep the pick going in the same direction if it is toward the next string. I do this all the time and its just a habit I formed somehow. After reading an article I realized that is a sort of special technique for really fast stuff, and that normal alternate picking is used much more often. So what I'm wondering is, is this bad that I always use economy picking, is normal alternate picking more useful for certain situations? I feel so much more comfortable using economy so it would seem stupid to force myself to learn to use just normal alternate picking but everywhere I read it says that alternate picking is the most useful technique and economy is only used in certain situations by the "shredders" such as Vai, Petrucci, Malmsteen. Just curious what you guys think.
Answer:
If economy picking works for you, just go with it. But keep in mind that some time in the future, it might be a good idea to work out strict alternate picking and also legato phrasing. Each has it's place. Strict alternate picking works well if you want to pick very articulate and have each and every note have a sharp attack. And legato phrasing means you pick the first note on a string and hammer the rest if you're ascending, or pulling off if you're descending.
Answer:
what ever is more comfortable for you. Alot of people are not comfortable doing normal alternate picking.
Answer:
whats economy picking..and what's alternate picking?
Answer:
Economy picking achieves what the name suggests, an economy of motion in your picking hand. For example, say you want to pick 3 notes on 1 string and 3 notes on the string below. With economy picking, you would go:
string 1: down - up - down
string 2: down - up - down
With economy picking, the key is the last down on string 1, then you keep the same downward motion and the first note on the second string gets that same downward motion. So with 1 motion, you pick 2 notes: economy picking!
Now, strict alternate picking tries to keep a constant up-down-up-down motion. What you achieve there is each and every note will get the same sharp attack. Your solos sound consistant and clean. But it requires more effort:
string 1: down - up - down
string 2: up - down - up
You see the strict alternate motion is kept.
It's worth while is to learn both. Now legato phrasing descending:
string 1: down - pulloff - pulloff
string 2: up - pulloff - pulloff
Whether you start with a down or up motion isn't that important, just remember the pulloffs.
Legato ascending:
string 1: down - hammer - hammer
string 2: up - hammer - hammer
Answer:
What ever style you are comfortable with, use that. My guitar teacher used to play with the "economy" style picking but everone told him that he should use strictly alternate picking,so he did, and he regrets doing that BIG time. Have you ever heard of jimmie bruno? look him up he picks "economy" stlye
Answer:
I've known I've been doing that for a while, it just made sense to me. I thought I was just weird but I guess a couple folks do it. (Was it Malmsteem maybe???) Anyhow, lately I've been working on the normal traditional way lately, for the sake of improving my technique. Good luck.
Answer:
I dunno, but I thought economic picking was used(at least for Malmsteen) for arpeggios. anyway, that's what I use it for.
Answer:
learn both, and You have no worries!!!
bobby