Half Picking

Go to Lesson

Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Rock

Excerpt: Welcome! In this tutorial we are going to look at a technique I call "half picking". Half picking involves patterns where every other note is played with a pick. The notes that are not picked will be played using legato. For example, here's what a half picked pattern might look like: picked note, pull-off, picked note, hammer-on, picked note, pull-off, pic...

Media Length: 0:39

Go to Lesson

Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Technique Style: Rock

Excerpt: Here is the first of four parts of the etude. Don't skip ahead to the other ones until you have this one down. The goal of this tutorial is for you to get the actual technique down first, then branch out and start applying it elsewhere. So take your time and go slow as you learn it. As you'll see in these exercises, this etude heavily revolves around the us...

Media Length: 0:48

Go to Lesson

Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Technique Style: Rock

Excerpt: This exercise is a little different than the last in that the octaves shift every two beats. In the last exercise, the octaves shifted every measure (four beats). We'll also find a big finger stretch in this exercise. Just a reminder - always make sure you warm up and stretch before you play!

Media Length: 0:47

Go to Lesson

Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Technique Style: Rock

Excerpt: This is the exact same pattern as the last exercise, except it's shifted to where it starts on the 19th fret B string. Make sure you keep the legato notes equal in volume with the picked notes!

Media Length: 0:53

Go to Lesson

Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Technique Style: Rock

Excerpt: With this exercise, we'll finish up the etude. This is the only exercise that slightly deviates from the octave patterns we've been playing. Once you have all 4 exercises down, you can either go to the next page for the etude backing track, or skip ahead to practice more half picking exercises.

Media Length: 0:51

Go to Lesson

Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Rock

Excerpt: Have fun with the backing track! If you ever make a recording of yourself playing along, be sure to post it in the forum. Also, don't forget about the next few lessons where we'll be looking at a few more half picking exercises.

Media Length: 0:41

Go to Lesson

Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Technique Style: Any Style

Excerpt: We're now going to apply the half picking technique to a couple descending patterns in B Major, or more specifically, the B Ionian scale. In example 1, we'll just descend each note of the scale in a 3-note-per-string pattern. The actual rhythmic notes we'll be playing are sixteenth notes. In example 2, we'll be playing the same notes, except we're going to...

Media Length: 0:50

Go to Lesson

Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Intermediate Topic: Technique Style: Any Style

Excerpt: Here we'll be playing a descending and ascending pattern in the C# minor Pentatonic scale. Practice it slowly and make sure you don't forget to keep the notes equal in volume.

Media Length: 0:26

Go to Lesson

Instructor: Sean Conklin Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Metal

Excerpt: To close out the tutorial, we'll apply the half picking technique to a fun metal riff. Some of the patterns are similar to the patterns we played in the etude, but there are some new shapes as well. We'll also be dipping into the diminished scale. Okay, if you've learned all the exercises in this tutorial, great job! But it of course doesn't end here. Now, ...

Media Length: 0:46