Alternate Picking Exercises
Hi, this is Hub Guitar.
Let's take a look at some more advanced alternate picking exercises.
These exercises will put your left-right hand coordination to the test.Ê
I'm going to do all of these exercises on fret 9, so they'll all start on C#. They can be played anywhere, though.
First, let's do the classic alternate picking exercise. This one is really time-tested. It's just 1-2-3-4.
Now we'll change the pattern to 1-2-4-3.
Next is 1-3-2-4.
Now 1-3-4-2.
Now 1-4-2-3
And last 1-4-3-2.
So those are the exercises. You should just set a metronome and play through all of them.
Now if you want, there are three variations you can do:Ê
The first variation is to go through each exercise and stretch the index finger down a fret but leave the rest of the fingers in place.ÊJust a quick example.
The next variation is similar, but with the fourth finger instead of the index finger.
And the last variation is to stretch both the first finger and fourth finger.
If you want more practice, you can try playing all six patterns with those three variations. If you practice these exercises, you should see a noticeable improvement in your alternate picking.Ê
In another lesson on alternate picking we covered the basic patterns. This lesson is for players who want to really exercise their alternate picking and advance to a higher level.
The basic alternate picking exercise uses four notes on consecutive frets with fingers 1-2-3-4. This is great because it’s perfectly alternate (down-up-down-up) while also allowing for an occasional string change. But now we’re going to mix up the patterns to prevent your muscles from doing all of the thinking. This can really help get the hands coordinated. To keep it simple, we’ll always start on the first finger and we won’t include any stretches.
Patterns – Starting With First Finger
| Pattern 1: | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
| Pattern 2: | 1st | 2nd | 4th | 3rd |
| Pattern 3: | 1st | 3rd | 2nd | 4th |
| Pattern 4: | 1st | 3rd | 4th | 2nd |
| Pattern 5: | 1st | 4th | 2nd | 3rd |
| Pattern 6: | 1st | 4th | 3rd | 2nd |
Picking Pattern 1
Ascending
Descending
Picking Pattern 2
Ascending
Descending
Picking Pattern 3
Ascending
Descending
Picking Pattern 4
Ascending
Descending
Picking Pattern 5
Ascending
Descending
Picking Pattern 6
Ascending
Descending
More Exercises
- Repeat all exercises, this time with the 1st finger stretching one fret lower. For instance, frets II-III-IV-V becomes frets I-III-IV-V, with a first finger stretch.
- Repeat all exercises, with the 4th finger stretching one fret higher where possible.
As the creator of Hub Guitar, Grey has compiled hundreds of guitar lessons, written several books, and filmed hundreds of video lessons. He teaches private lessons in his Boston studio, as well as via video chat through TakeLessons.