How Do I Practise Alternate Picking Properly?

Hi Alien Guitarist,

Alternate picking can be your best friend or your biggest frustration. When it clicks, everything flows. When it doesn't, it feels like your hands are fighting each other. The secret? It's not about speed — it's about consistency and form.

Here’s how to get it right:

🔪 Start with one string
Don’t jump into scales yet. Grab one string and alternate pick slowly – down-up-down-up. Focus on even motion and tone. This is where the battle is won.

🔪 Keep your pick grip relaxed
Too tight, and you lose speed and control. Too loose, and you lose precision. Think "firm but flexible."

🔪 Watch your wrist
Let the wrist do the work. Don’t rely on your whole arm. A small, tight wrist motion is key to clean alternate picking.

🔪 Use a metronome
Start painfully slow. Stay even. Don’t speed up until it sounds clean and feels effortless.

🔪 String crossing matters
Most players break down when switching strings. Isolate tricky crossings and drill them slowly. Practice ascending and descending with intention.

🔪 Accent the beat
Put emphasis on the downbeat (or every fourth note). This keeps your time locked and gives your hands a rhythmic anchor.

Alternate picking isn’t just a technique – it’s a language. Get fluent in it, and your soloing becomes sharper, tighter, and way more dynamic.

🔗 Want a full system to develop clean picking, fluid movement, and total fretboard control?
Join the Fretboard Mastery Course now — and take your lead playing to another planet.

Peace,
Rob Lobasso 👽🎸🤟