Scales: The First Position – Part 2
As promised in the last lesson of this series, here are some exercises using the root form.
Practice them slowly using alternate picking throughout.
Introduction to Alternate Picking
I always try to get my students to practice alternate picking. For those that don’t know, alternate picking simply means that you’re alternating between upstrokes and downstrokes while playing.
Some people prefer economy/sweep picking, but I find alternate picking to be important because it helps students develop a strong sense of rhythm. It also helps improve the postioning and movement of the right hand.
Once you build a solid foundation with it, you can move on to economy picking and other techniques. Ultimately, you’ll want to combine these different elements, and use whichever is needed to best play the music at hand.
If your new to alternate picking, you can start out by simply playing scales, like this:
Make sure all movement comes from the wrist. You can also play this simple exercise (great for warming up):