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For years, there have been debates among the guitar community between the two techniques of alternate and economy picking. One player says, “I only use alternate”, and another says, “I always use economy.” The truth is however that neither of these techniques are better than the other. But each technique does present advantages and disadvantages depending on the type and style of music being played.

So let’s look at some of the differences and you can decide for yourself which technique you would rather use in your own playing. Do not think of one technique as being better than the other but think of them as being tools to get the job done.

What you will learn

• What is alternate picking
• What is economy picking
• Advantages of alternate picking
• Disadvantages of alternate picking
• Advantages of economy picking
• Disadvantages of economy picking

What is alternate picking?

Alternate picking is where you alternate pick strokes between down and up motions even if your next note is on a different string. The picking is always down up, down up. If you are playing a three note per string scale, the picking would be down up down, up down up, down up down, up down up, etc. This technique is known as alternate picking and has been used by many guitarists to great effect.

A few notable guitarists that have used this technique are

• Paul Gilbert
• Shawn Lane
• Zakk Wylde
• Eric Johnson
• Steve Morse
• Michael Angelo Batio
• Al Di Meola
• John McLaughlin

Alternate picking is not the only technique that these guitar players use, but it is certainly a technique that they have mastered.

What is economy picking

Economy picking is simply a technique that combines alternate picking with sweeping. Alternate picking is still used when playing on one string, but sweeping is used when you wish to change strings.

To play a 3 note per string scale with your left hand going up, the picking would be down up down, down up down, down up down. To play the scale back down the picking would be up down up, up down up, up down up. Instead of alternating pick strokes from string to string, simply continue the pattern with the same stroke that you left off with

With economy picking it is important to start with a down stroak when going up the scale, and an up stroak when coming down. If you play a scale with economy you will see why.

Many guitarists have opted to use economy over strict alternate picking as it requires less energy and movement. With such a small movement you can gain much more speed with less effort.

Some notable guitarists that use economy picking are

• Yngwie Malmsteen
• Jimmi Bruno
• Derryl Gabel
• Marshal Harison
• Frank Gambale

Advantages of alternate picking.

strict alternate picking gives you a very distinct and aggressive tone when compared to economy. The next pick stroke is always easy to remember because it is always down up down up.

Sometimes when playing certain passages, there is no substitute for strict alternate picking. Playing the pentatonic scale with two notes per string is a good example. It would be impossible to play this scale with economy picking unless you use three notes per string.

disadvantages of alternate picking

the biggest disadvantage of alternate picking is with its inefficiency of motion when changing strings. Play a downstroke on the low “E” string and then play an upstroke on the “A” string. In order to play the upstroke you must first hop over the “A” string to execute the up stroke.

It is this hopping motion of alternate picking that creates a lot of wasted movement and slows down your overall speed. It takes more energy from your right hand to use alternate picking as you have more movements than with economy picking.

Incomplete teaching of alternate picking technique

Guitarists also have trouble with strict alternate picking because they are not tauthg proper pick motion. Remember our hopping motion when going from the low E to the A string? There is a way to get rid of that motion and make alternate picking much easier.

The problem is that most guitar teachers are not even aware of the complex pick motions that take place when jumping from string to string. Guitarists that are naturally good at alternate picking found out how to use these techniques without being shown and many times are not aware they are doing them.

There is a reason why one guitarist may start a phrase with an upstroke while another may start with a downstroke. This is because of the way that the guitarist naturally holds the pick. The pic is held in either an upward or downward pick slant in relation to the strings. This is usually very subtle without the guitar player realizing it unless it is pointed out.

I am not referring to the common way of changing your pick angle by turning your knuckles towards the bridge of the guitar. This makes the pic edge about a 45° angle in relation to the strings.

the best way to describe these different angles is to take a six-string cord and strum it from low E to high E. Then strum up from high E to low E. Notice that when you strum down, your picking hand is naturally forced into a downward slant. When strumming back up, your picking hand is naturally forced into an upward slant. These two slants have been coined the terms of downward pick slant and upward pick slant respectively by none other than Troy Grady!

generally a guitarist will lean more towards one pick slant than another. I myself tend to play with an upward slant occasionally changing to a downward slant.

it is because of Troy Grady’s “Cracking the Code” and “Masters in Mechanics” series that I finally learned how to alternate pick correctly! So, if you are struggling with alternate picking check it out! I would have to write a book on how valuable his material has been to my own playing!
Check It Out Here

So, with the different picking slants that must take place to alternate pick correctly, it is no wonder that many guitarists have trouble mastering the technique. But like with anything else if you have the right information it is certainly doable. Many great guitarists can testify to that and even prefer to use strict alternate picking even though there are easier ways to play the same thing.

Advantages of economy picking

Many players use economy picking when we thought they used strict alternate picking. Take Yngwie for example. Much of his three note per string scale playing uses economy picking. He also uses this technique to play a lot of three note/four note string patterns. I believe he chose to use economy picking because it allows the player to play phrases that would be almost impossible with alternate picking at faster speeds.

The major advantage of economy picking is in its efficiency of motion. Since you never change to the opposite pick stroke when changing strings, you do not have to worry about string hopping or the correct pick angles.

with economy picking your pick slant only changes when you change direction with your fretting hand. When playing up a three note per string scale for example, your pick will always be in a downward slant as you are playing two downstrokes in a row when changing strings. When going back down the scale, your pick will always be in an upward slant as you are playing to up strokes in a row when you change strings. It is this an ever-changing orientation of the pick that allows for greater accuracy, a smoother tone, and far greater speed when compared to alternate picking.

Disadvantages of economy picking

one disadvantage of economy picking is that you do not get as aggressive of a tone as you would with alternate picking. This may bother some guitarists that play heavier types of music but personally has never been a big deal for me. If you are having an issue with this and would still like to use economy picking, you could try using a compressor petal in your set up.

one other small disadvantage is learning to change strings with the same pick stroke. It is a bit odd at first to do two downs or ups in a row as you tend to want to hit the next string with the pick before your fretting hand can get in position to play the next note. So, using economy picking it is possible that your picking hand can out run your fretting and. This is opposite of alternate picking where the fretting hand out runs the picking and.

I do not really see this as a disadvantage or advantage but something that does take getting used to between the two techniques. I personally prefer to use economy picking unless I am playing acoustic guitar or playing pentatonic sequences with two notes per string.

I personally cannot think of very many disadvantages of economy picking when compared with alternate. Economy picking has allowed me to play phrases that would have been otherwise impossible. Combining sweeping and alternate picking in one seamless motion has changed the way I look at the guitar.

Wrapping it up

most guitarists are familiar with alternate picking but have never really tried economy picking. If this is you I would highly encourage you to give this technique a try for a few months and see how you like it. It does take a bit of getting used to but can revolutionize the way you look at the guitar.

I wish I had found out about this technique years ago. But it wasn’t until 2012 I discovered what it could do.

so what are your thoughts? Have you switched from strict alternate picking to economy picking? Leave a comment! Which of these two techniques do you use in your playing and why?