Picking Hand: Alternate & Economy

The Hand That Actually Limits You

When a scale sounds messy at speed, the problem is almost never the fretting hand — it's the picking hand. Which way the pick travels on each note, and whether the two hands arrive together, is what separates a clean run from a smear. So the picking hand deserves a plan, just like the fretting hand.

There are two plectrum models, and the notation now shows you which stroke to use on every note:

• Down-stroke ⊓ — the pick moves toward the floor.
• Up-stroke V — the pick moves back up.

Alternate picking is the default discipline: strict down, up, down, up no matter what string you are on. It keeps the hand in a steady, even motion — the single most reliable way to build speed that stays clean.

Economy picking saves motion when the line keeps moving in one direction. When you cross to the next string in the same direction the pick is already going, you keep the stroke instead of reversing it — a small raked sweep across the string change. Within a string you still alternate; it is only the string crossing that changes.

Read the Strokes — Strict Alternate

Study C major with strict alternate picking. Every note carries a down ⊓ or up V mark, flipping on each note regardless of which string you are on. Watch how the marks march evenly down-up-down-up — that steady motion is the whole point.

Play It Both Ways — Alternate, Then Economy

• This run is marked for economy picking: ascending lines sweep down (⊓), descending lines sweep up (V) — read the marks above each note
• First pass: ignore the marks and play strict alternate — down, up, down, up — keeping the picking hand even and relaxed
• Second pass: follow the economy marks — let the pick keep its direction through a same-direction string change (a small raked sweep) instead of reversing
• Read the marks out loud as you play: ⊓ is a down-stroke, V is an up-stroke
• Aim for both hands landing together; if a note buzzes, slow down until the stroke and the fret arrive at the same instant