Hi, whoever is gone answer my question. It’s about alternate picking. This week I started exercising the whole tone scale inspired by a lesson which Pebber Brown uploaded on 11th okt 2010. And for the first time in my life I started using the metronome. It was about time.

One way I practise the whole tone scale is that I start at the low E-string at the first fret, the f followed by the g and the a. From there I move on to A-string, the b, than the c+ than d+ and so on. And than to the D-string and so on, till I reach the f of the 13th fret of the high E-string. And than I go backwards.

Alternate picking is d u d u d u and so on. I noticed that my alternate picking goes like this. I do a downstroke when I start at the E-string at the 1st fret. Than follows an upstroke at the 3rd fret. And than a downstroke followed by another downstroke when I go the A-string 2nd fret. So you get: d u d d u d d u and so on. This isn’t exactly alternate picking. Maybe it’s economy picking? But this is the way I thought myself ‘alternate’ picking. So I wonder is this something good or something that I should get rid off?

And by the way, I’ve become a little bid addicted to the playing with the metronome. I start every day at 60 bpm (which I find the most difficult tempo) and end up somewhere at 220 bpm. It takes me about two hours to get there since I only put the speed up with 5 bpm after a 100% perfect rep. This makes me wonder in which tempo a guy like PB or other good players can do this exercise.

Regards Theo

Hi Theo,

Welcome to the forums mate.

So far people who have asked that question seem to always get the same answer: Practice both!!!! the more weapons you have in your arsenal the better. :)
I use Pebbers daily routine as my practice schedule, the picking excercises are meant to be practiced with all possible permutations.

e.g:
u,u,u,u,u,u
d.d.d.d.d.d
u,d,u,d,u,u
d,u,d,u,d,u
+economy picking

It came to me as a surprise (noob that i was) that starting with a downstroke or an upstroke is actually a whole different excercise, and just because you can do one , doesnt imply you can do the other exactly as good.
Check out the pdf files on the site, its all there.

Nevertheless lets wait for what the pros have to say :)