Economy picking

  • Thread starter Thread starter Exo-metal
  • Start date Start date
This one mentions a simple phrase to sum up economy the way its usually played...always begin a new string with a downstroke. That's it.

 
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Techdeth said:
But backwards you go upstroke into the string . So descending you reverse it all
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That requires a different pick angle tho right? I have a similar pick angle and when I upstroke the pick goes up in the air and doesn't economy pick the next string very well. Unless I twist my wrist a little. But when I downstroke my pick naturally rests on the next string just like he was talking about 'pick parking' in that video above. Ready to downstroke the next string. It's just another method tho, I had heard that 'start every new string with a downstroke' from Gypsy Jazz players. And those guys are known for wicked right hands.
 
SpiderWars said:
That requires a different pick angle tho right? I have a similar pick angle and when I upstroke the pick goes up in the air and doesn't economy pick the next string very well. Unless I twist my wrist a little. But when I downstroke my pick naturally rests on the next string just like he was talking about 'pick parking' in that video above. Ready to downstroke the next string. It's just another method tho, I had heard that 'start every new string with a downstroke' from Gypsy Jazz players. And those guys are known for wicked right hands.
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true economy picking means just going in the direction of the string . No alternate picking . They were not time you would go around a string is if multiple notes are on the same string . Sometimes true alternative picking works better . Like say on zakk Wyld tyoe picking . Then I choice to go AROUND the string . But almost always while soloing I just go between strings and eliminate the split second you go around . You maybe would have to do an angle . Depends on the way you pick .
 
The way I pick it's a push/pull from my fingers rather than my wrist if that makes sense, I think it's called circular picking.

The upstroke I would describe as dragging my pick back over the strings.
 
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I like the first video. I play like this. When Troy Grady first came out more than a decade ago, I looked at how I picked and “most” of it was economy, but I certainly made a lot of changes to make it better. When in doubt my right hand will allow legato of my left hand to use a downstroke on the next string (either the string above or below).

When teaching my son guitar I’ve stressed the importance of the pick attack and economy picking.
 
I’m doing on line lessons live if anyone wants to work on this
 
Techdeth said:
true economy picking means just going in the direction of the string . No alternate picking . They were not time you would go around a string is if multiple notes are on the same string . Sometimes true alternative picking works better . Like say on zakk Wyld tyoe picking . Then I choice to go AROUND the string . But almost always while soloing I just go between strings and eliminate the split second you go around . You maybe would have to do an angle . Depends on the way you pick .
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For some reason when I started playing, I started playing everything with an upstroke and 30 years later I still start 95% of phrases with an upstroke, which forced me to learn how to play ‘inside‘t the strings. I couldn’t grasp the concept of economy picking initially, it was more natural for me to play the same thing with alternate picking.

It’s probably easiest displayed with 3-note-per string runs started with an upstroke, if you’re ascending, the comes up off that last note and is clear to hit the next string over unobstructed.
 
It doesn't matter, u still need to use legato to get into position for the sweep up or down.
 
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