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Guitar Tutorial

Intro to Alternate Picking

Instructor: Travis Montgomery
Topic: Technique
Style: Any Style
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    1
    Intro to Alternate Picking - Explanation Travis Montgomery
    2:19
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    Instructor: Travis Montgomery Level: Beginner Topic: Technique Style: Any Style

    Excerpt: For this tutorial, I will be going over the basics of alternate picking. I’ll be discussing my view on the technique, and how I going about doing it physically and thinking about it mentally. Artists that I would recommend checking out for good examples of alternate picking are Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci, Jason Richardson, Michael Angelo Batio, Jeff ...

    Media Length: 2:19

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    2
    Intro to Alternate Picking - Exercise 1 Travis Montgomery
    0:29
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    Instructor: Travis Montgomery Level: Beginner Topic: Technique Style: Any Style

    Excerpt: Lick 1 is a single string lick that can be used for a neo-classical type sound (see Lick 5). Along with making sure that you’re playing this accurately, focus on keeping the lower five strings muted so there is no excess string noise.

    Media Length: 0:29

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    3
    Intro to Alternate Picking - Exercise 2 Travis Montgomery
    0:29
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    Instructor: Travis Montgomery Level: Beginner Topic: Technique Style: Any Style

    Excerpt: Lick 2 is just a little scale fragment. Focus on hitting the downstroke on the beginning of the lick every time it repeats.

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    4
    Intro to Alternate Picking - Exercise 3 Travis Montgomery
    0:31
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    Instructor: Travis Montgomery Level: Intermediate Topic: Technique Style: Any Style

    Excerpt: Lick 3 is another classical sounding one. This is a lick that is used frequently among metal/shred guitar players. When played fast and cleanly it can sound really cool, and can be used to build tension at points in a solo.    There is a bit of inside picking in this lick when changing between strings. This can feel a bit weird at first, but...

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    5
    Intro to Alternate Picking - Exercise 4 Travis Montgomery
    0:33
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    Instructor: Travis Montgomery Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Any Style

    Excerpt: Lick 4 is a scale run up the neck. Scales are great for practicing alternate picking. They get you used to changing strings, and the licks can easily be reversed so you can practice descending as well. In my opinion, doing ascending alternate picking licks and descending ones actually feel a lot different. You’ll have to get used to doing both, and ...

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    6
    Intro to Alternate Picking - Exercise 5 (Etude) Travis Montgomery
    0:46
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    Instructor: Travis Montgomery Level: Advanced Topic: Technique Style: Any Style

    Excerpt: Lick 5 is an expanded version of Lick 1. In this one you’ll be staying on one string, but changing positions of a scale. The end result is a cool neo-classical sounding lick. Focus on hitting that downstroke at the beginning of the pattern every time it repeats, and making sure there is no excess string noise.

    Media Length: 0:46