Alternate picking

[Rizla]

Look at this

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-------------5-6-7
-------5-6-7------
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When you go on to the D string do you hit the 5th fret with an upstroke instead of a downstoke? Does it matter?

[wild_child]

strict alternate picking means just that, presuming you play the first note with a down stroke, every even number of picks you do will be an upstroke and every odd will be a downstroke. i.e. D,U,D,U,D,U etc..
if you wanted to use a downstroke for the string change, you could start with an upstroke, so that way every even number of picks will be down and every odd up, or U,D,U,D,U,D etc..
another way to play the new string with a downstroke would be to economy pick, i.e. interrupt your alternate picking pattern to change strings with two down strokes, or D,U,D,D,U,D etc.. however you play it is up to you i guess.

[Malcolm]

....your playing - so there is no wasted motion ---- so in the true since the second string would start with an up pick.

I'd not worry about being that exact - conserve motion sure, but don't get bogged down with; "...am I supposed to up pick or down pick on this one......."

[Alan(Lost)]

You do all the possible combinations; Alt.pick start with down, alt.pick start with up, economy pick, use hammer-ons - practice all the different ways of doing it and this way you're rounding off your technique (learning to play the same thing in different ways - very good!).

[axe_man_oli]

Now, if you were economy picking... you would hit the first string with a downstroke and sweep it down to the next string and then do an up and then a down... so


D U D D U D

I don't bother with this... I just play it on an upstroke...

[jazzIII]

One question I have for the original poster is: "Is this a repeating phrase or a one shot deal"? In other words, are you looping it?

If you are looping it, economy picking won't be very economical. The first 6 note will be fine, but then what?

I'd alternate pick this all the way regardless, since you could play it once or a million times and maintain a consistant picking scheme.


Kel

[Alan(Lost)]

If you're looping this, economy is no good.

My fastest way of doing this particular one would be starting with an up and using inside picking.