Learn Guitar Economy Picking Techniques

If you are a fairly new guitar player, particularly if you play electric guitar, you will come across a lot of references to picking techniques.

Some guitarists swear by a certain techniques, others use a mixture of styles. Economy guitar picking techniques are actually hybrid techniques. Economy picking is a combination of the techniques used in sweeping and alternate picking.

Economy picking is not how you learn to play guitar when you’re on a budget … ;-). Basically, economy picking teaches you to be economical with your hand movements, so that you can pick faster, with better accuracy.

At first it seems a little clunky, and alternate picking makes much more sense. After practicing for awhile, though, your hand will understand!

Defining Economy Picking

The basis for all economy picking techniques, is using the same picking motion over more than one string. Think of it this way: if you are playing on a single string, the best way to increase your note speed, is to use alternating up-and-down picking.

This is alternate picking. If you are playing a sequence of notes across two or more strings, you would play them quickly by sweeping the pick down, in one continuous motion, which is sweeping.

Economy picking simply combines these two methods, so when the notes are on the same string, alternate picking is used, but when the noes are on different strings in a sequence, the direction of pick motion is preserved, making your hand movements more economical. Movement economy means more speed and a tighter, more controlled way of picking notes.

What is Economy Picking on Guitar?

Economy picking is often explained in terms of its opposition to alternate picking. When you alternate pick:

• You always follow a down stroke with an up stroke
  
• It can be easier to keep time
  
• It is easier to play an even number of notes per string

When you economy pick:

• You always follow a down stroke with an upstroke, except when you are changing strings.
  
• When you change strings, you start on the new string with the same stroke on which finished the old one. See the exercises for a more visual explanation.
  
• It is easier to pick fast
  
• It is easier to move into sweep picking
  
• It is easier to play an odd number of notes per strings

To learn to economy pick:

• Start by playing a triplet on an open E, beginning with a down stroke
  
• Don’t push the limits of your speed
  
• When you finish the triplet, begin a new triplet on the A string, beginning with a downstroke again.

How to Use Economy Picking

Using regular melodic scales is a good way to to practice economy guitar picking techniques. You need to work out your starting pick motion, so that as the notes of the scale progress across the strings, you will be able to sweep across from one string to the next.

This means you “work backwards” from the string transition point, so that you discover which motion you start with when playing that string. This is what differentiates economy picking from alternate picking. Instinctively, you would normally start with a down stroke, but because of the added sweeping technique, you may need to start with an up stroke.

Frank Gambale is an Australian guitarist, who is credited with pioneering modern economy picking techniques. He developed a system that could be applied to scales and arpeggios, in which he used an odd number of notes to move vertically on a string, and an even number of notes to move horizontally across the fretboard. In some cases, extra notes would be added to the scale or arpeggio, making it slightly chromatic.

Once you have worked out your stroke sequences for a scale, try playing the notes in triplets, and gradually speeding them up. This will help you recognize patterns of strokes and anticipate which strokes to use when playing songs.

If you have only used alternate picking until now, economy picking will feel broken and non-rhythmic to begin with. You'll soon notice, though, that when you are trying to play a fast song, keeping the same stroke direction to change strings is faster, and just makes more sense.

Guitar Economy Picking Exercise 1

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In songs where speed is required, but there is also an even number of notes per string and alternate picking just doesn’t cut it, you can use hammer ons or pull offs to achieve the speed while maintaining economy picking flow. See the second exercise for an example of how to do this.

Guitar Economy Picking Exercise 2

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Other things to keep in mind as you are learning economy picking

Make sure you are holding the correct part of the pick. Leave only the tip of the pick overhanging your thumb - using any more will slow you down.

Make sure you angle your pick slightly upwards if you are moving down strings, and slightly downwards if you are moving up strings. You will be 'stroking' the strings more than plucking them.

Admittedly, there is quite a lot of work involved in learning and using economy picking. Each new song you learn will need to be broken up into sweeping and alternate picking sequences. If you are used to normal alternate picking, it can be tricky to break the habit of using different strokes when crossing strings.

You may find that you integrate economy guitar picking techniques into parts of songs, or only in certain styles that play. It is not crucial that you learn one technique and stick to it all the time. Just make sure that when you do use it, it is being used correctly, and that it actually improves your playing.  If a technique is too hard to integrate into you playing, or doesn't suit your style, don't use it.

Good songs for practising economy picking

• Reign in Blood,Slayer
  
• Mr Crowley,Ozzy Osbourne
  
• Dead Heart in a Dead World,Nevermore
  
• Master of Puppets,Metallica
  
• Heaven Tonight,Yngwie Malmsteen

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