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Practicing alternate picking to the backing track from SGS Lesson 22. I'm noticing I am struggling to keep my picking consistent, does anybody have any tips on how to practice that? Also any further alternate picking tips are also super welcome :)
Hey! First of all, you are doing really well! Keep going at it!
Now to answer your question, I know it might seem redundant but to make it all more consistent and tighter with the song, I would suggest going really slow. And this is something that really applies to anything regarding technique because in the end, your goal is to be able to be fast, consistent, tight and smooth right?
For that you have to build up your muscle memory so it basically becomes second nature to alternate pick. And so by going slow, I really mean to the point where you are capable of controlling every movement of the pick with precision. Once you found that speed, make sure that every picking movement you do is consistent and repeat the exercise at the speed until it feels like second nature. And then raise the speed and repeat! It may start slow but that's okay.
I would also add that if you want consistent playing, you also need consistent practice. And I dont mean to say that you need to practice 6 hours a day. Really, if you pick up the guitar and only practice 10 min but that practice is well done, that's already a win in my book!
First I think you're doing a good job and that with more practice you can get it right. Try and work on your rhythm, try and sync your picking with the drum beats. Second I would suggest you attenuate the picking, if the current position of your picking hand isn't comfortable then change it and see what works best. If there;s no problem with your picking hand, then pick harder and make sure every note is heard clearly. Again, don't rush the notes and get them to sync with the drums. But honestly you sound like you're on the right track. With a little more practice you'll get it perfectly. Good luck!!
Great job so far! Your left hand appears to be on point and with a little work on your right hand you will be flying in no time. To add to the already great tips, I would suggest forgetting about the left hand for a second and focus all of your attention on your right.
Use your left hand to mute the strings, then starting on the low E, just alternate pick that string (and only that string), when you are getting a nice consistent attack, introduce the A string, alternating between the two with 4 notes per string, again until you are getting a consistent attack and smooth string switch. Keep adding strings as you go until you can confidently work your way up and down all 6, then bring the left hand back to the game.
You can take this a step further to practice string skipping too.
Edit- I should add that it is a good idea to practice this with a metronome (@Ed Seith uploaded a video recently on how to do this if you need help), and accent the pick strokes that fall on the clicks
Wow! So awesome to see the students utilizing the lessons! You should do an entry for the contest! Have you considered it? Great work!! This is the stuff that makes Syn proud!
Something that helped me was practicing to a metronome and going really slow with it (one stroke per click at 60BPM for example)! The trickiest part can be the string transitions and doing this gave me extra time to mentally prepare for changing strings! Also, just staying on one string and trying to maintain consistent picking for 20seconds or so without changing note or string (its abit boring but it really helps get some stamina up!).
After you get abit more comfortable with the string changes at a slow tempo, speed it up a little and you'll be amazed at the results! And then try that all over again starting with up-strokes (which is PAINFUL but that's why its so important!)
Best of luck and excited to see how much you improve, keep it up!
Everyone has had some awesome input so far! If I could add/double down on anything really it would just be to go slow and with a metronome. I know that both of these tips were stated before, but when I was first starting I wouldn't always do it, and it kinda came back to haunt me later on, so definitely get in the habit now! Good luck, you can do it!
