Help with Alternate Picking!

[ryancrl]

Hey guys.

I've been playing for awhile now.

Whenever i try to play fast riffs like those from master of puppets, my bicep area tends to feel tired.

I believe that my technique is flawed.

So far this is what i know and have learnt.

1. Proper holding of pick (Paul Gilbert Style)
2. Use of wrist only

However, i still tend to feel tired.

I've tried to do the riff slowly, and then speed up. However i get tired as i go faster.

Any tips on how to alternate pick properly? Lessons or Youtube videos?

Thanks guys.

 

[sleepykitty]

You're probably holding the pick too hard or your hands and arms are too tensed up.
You'd be surprise how those two little things can affect your playing drastically.

Try applying a lighter grip on the picks. You don't have to hold them as if the fate of humanity rests on them! And also shake your arms about to loosen everything up.

 

[burnout747]

haha u said "those two little things"

jk jk

 

[MaCcA]

Master Of Puppets is really fast lol....besides technique i think your muscles need to get used to it as well...give it some time

btw i was referring to playing it downpicked...if u alternate pick u shouldn't be feeling that tired

 

[zidane01zidane]

playing MOP downpicking is a pain!

I have problem with fast alternate picking on 1 string. Can't seem to get a good flow. Always get stuck.

any advice? or practice regime?

 

[ryancrl]

Yeah kirk and james downpick the song all the way.

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[faekildare]

Practice tremolo picking. You will get use to it in time.

 

[Hydrofly]

Don't be a lazy bum, practice more.

 

[haz_flow]

yo zidane..ur solution would be, learn 'small-ranged picking' tremolo..

When u pick, u hav to force ur wrist not to push the pick far away when u've already touched the strings..People name it 'small-ranged picking'..

Ok,after u get used to dat,like 2 weeks or so, u hav to start doing tremoloS..



*the nearer ur pick is to the string, the more picking u could do in a split second* << get d picture..

 

[haz_flow]

Ryan..do u play master of puppets the original way? like..palm muting and NOT palm muting the next second?

If u are..dat explains alot...Ur hand is simply not used to the palm mute, let go, palm mute, let go technique..I've had such problems before..dis one needs practice..i'm not sure if u need to do it slow, but yea, u juz need more time on it..keep practising..and conquer this palm mute, let go, palm mute, let go technique..it is commonly used!

 

[RyanZ]

The downstroke playing is widely used by Metallica. It requires some practises to play it well. Initially, you will get tired. If you see Metallica's behind the scene footage, you can see James Hetfield training up his muscles by lifting weights.

 

[fenderrules]

theres a way to alt. picking MOP's main riff really, i managed to do it with some practice and careful coordination with my picking hand and soon it was nothing..

and like hydrofly mentioned, practice more...

 

[zidane01zidane]

hey Haz Flow

thanks for your advice on small-ranged picking. Ya, and I got the idea for that.

but I don't understand small-ranged picking tremello.

By the way, I thought MOP is palm muted all the way for the intro? Except for the 2 string power chords (E5,D5,Cb5,C5)?

 

[fenderrules]

not all of it is palm muted...

as stated, the main riff consists of the palm mute then let go technique, same for the intro except the 3 chords.

simple laaah..

 

[zidane01zidane]

I know about that, but I'm refering to the intro, the chromatic thingy, where kirk joins in, as below.

e--------
B---------
G--------
D--------
A---2---3-
E-01--01--

that part is fully palm muted? or notes on the A-string isn't? I can't really hear out the difference but I believe there's a vid in youtube where Kirk does not fully palm mute that part.

Sorry to be so particular but I'm actually quite paranoid when it comes to playing the original...LOL

 

[Hydrofly]

Lol fenderrules if its simple maybe you should explain why your pick goes "piack piack piack" when you're playing it, anyway, the palm mute, release palm mute release thing, is much easier to do if you downpick.

edit: read what I say to fenderrules, because that is a result of picking technique that needs fixing, you have to pick lightly AND make the note ring with power. Watch yngwie.

 

[fenderrules]

Lol fenderrules if its simple maybe you should explain why your pick goes "piack piack piack" when you're playing it..

got meh...

i think i play until the pick chui liao.. :lol:

zidane: dont mute the notes on the A string.

 

[fenderrules]

oh yeah, just curious guys...

whats your picking hand technique like? do you guys close your fist or leave the remaining 3 fingers open?

personally, i pick with the 3 remaining fingers flying open. i dont know wether i should drop it because they sorta go into a small ugly curl pointing up(slightly at my ring and pinky) when im riffing and it also sorts of slows down my speed in soloing. but when it comes to stuff like those string skipping they help me mute the rest of the remaining strings below to prevent unwanted noise.

somehow i managed to work my way to when only my middle finger is out and the rest of my fingers are slightly curled up into my palm doing solos. like kirk hammett.

what about you guys?

 

[Hydrofly]

pinky out, rest curled up halfway, pinky resting on the guitar body, thats the only part of my arm touching the guitar body.

 

[Ized]

paul gilbert does use the wrist, but more often than not his wrist is always resting on his guitar's bridge. that is an anchor point. do feel free to anchor if you need this support to facilitate speed. I used to anchor my pinky on my guitar's pickguard also, but now i mostly anchor my wrist only (buckethead/PG style). Michael angelo however anchors his pinky, and his style is really suiited to fast alternate picking.