Which is best for you? Alternate vs Economy Picking 

The best teacher on RU-vid. I've got Swedish Shred Secrets and it has helped me so much. For me the biggest revelation was around economy picking, I was good at ascending with economy but I'd always try and descend t in alternate picking out of habit. It was only when I started going through the SSS materials that I realised this and started to use the exercises to improve and the results are great. For anyone that is looking to play a bit more like Yngwie or anyone who has just hit a wall in their technique progress and maybe needs a different perspective on picking, note grouping, fretting hand finger choice etc, I'd highly recommend it. On another note, the tones you're getting from that USA YJM are amazing. What an incredible guitar.

Hi Shredders! Thanks for watching 😎🎸🤘 Check out The Maestro's Holy Trinity here: tomshreds.mykajabi.com/

Great lesson. I've been playing since 1978, and I use economy and legato both at times when I need smoothness and speed. I also use alternative picking to make the notes sound a certain way.

This has helped me so much. Embarrassingly much. After years of alternate picking. You are a great teacher with a very clear and concise explanation.

5:54 Tom, it's also important to point out that downward pick slanting (as you use in this video) must be used for this lick. I got hung up for a long time on the cross over from the 12th fret E string on beat two (upstroke) to the then downstroke on fret 13 of the B string (and the subsequent follow through economy downstroke on to the 10th fret E string). This is the snagging point of the lick for people unused to economy picking. Thanks for all the great lessons, Tom... they have been incredibly useful to me this past year or so.

I was SUPER stubborn about learning economy picking because it felt so odd to me at first, especially doing it across more than a few strings. I thought it was going to take a long time to get good at it, but it didn't take long at all to master. Maybe a couple of weeks to get it into my brain good and then a couple of months of consciously working on it here and there. Before I knew it it was just the way I play now. It almost feels like a bit of a super power. It makes those three-note-per string runs effortless. And I only started with it about six months ago. I really should thank Tom for that. Thanks Tom!

Good to see you post again Tom !

Absolutely great video, with the best analogy and breakdown of both economy and alternate picking styles.

Hello Tom, Awesome video. I was wondering your opinion on using alternate picking technique to get economy picking results using hammer on's and pull offs? Thanks. 🙏

Wrt the Final Countdown solo.. I'm in the group that is currently playing that with economy picking. Learned it that way from Ben Eller (like, I'm sure, many other). It *can* be done that way, and in terms of getting the pattern up to speed it works well. However, when playing this live with the band I am indeed sometimes having a hard time finding and locking into the pulse of the song. So I would be very tempted to give it a go with your alternate picking approach and see if that helps. In any case, can't hurt to know it both ways ;)

Excellent lesson! Greetings from Brazil!

Loved your analogies when comparing economy and alternate. Another analogy I thought of is economy picking is like running decline on a treadmill or down a hill. It becomes easier to run faster with less effort. Alternate is sort of like running normally, you can be fast with practice but it’ll and it feels normal. But it likely won’t feel as easy to run fast compared to running at a decline.

Can you do a video about Marty friedman? I like how you break it down and explain the differences between yngwie, Eddie, and others and would love to hear what you think is unique about Marty.

I used to not care about my picking, sometimes there was an economy stroke sometimes inside picking (i rarely outside picked). But i was really inconsistent. Maybe one month ago i started consciously alternate picking everything (except most arpeggios, i sweep). I found my picking has improved tremendously and ive become wayy more consistent. My favourite licks are the Paul gilbert ones, three notes per string scales, but most importantly "Mable's Fatal Fable" by jason becker (the palm muted sixtuplets, i know it has sweeped arpeggios) Also, i sweep two string arpeggios (i used to inside pick them 😬 until i tried to learn tornado of souls)

Phenomenal lesson. Q: Did EVH ever use economy picking? I'm just starting down the path of learning some of his techniques.

You have a new guitar😮! Beautiful ❤

Economy picking is an alternative option for string crossing only, and it’s an option only when the string to cross towards is in the same direction of the pick stroke. You cannot economy pick when the string crossing and pick stroke are not in the same direction. So economy picking is advantageous for string crossings but there are very limited natural and organic opportunities to use it unless one goes the Frank Gambale route, which is to work out in advance how to phrase lines before hand, such as playing an odd number of notes per string (which naturally means alternate picking more than one note on that string) going in the direction of strings to cross, and playing an even number of notes per string to change the direction and cross strings in the other direction. This obviously constrains line construction to such patterns. So to be free from this constraint, one should be well versed in both alternate and economy picking for string crossings.

1:18 This is now my preferred version of Wonderwall…

Tom, we really enjoy your guitar prownes and teaching ability and techniques. Would you kindly show us how Edward Van Halen plays Drop Dead Legs.

Thank you

🤔..i'd say i know that i've learnt the economy picked drill when i can do it slower as well..eg. the sultans of swing speed feels very natural for me and i get fluider more fingerpicking-like sound..😅

Whichever is easier and sounds better. Whatever works at the time. Like some songs are really rhythmic and alternate picking really helps keep the beat. Sometime upstroking sounds really powerful and different from downpicking. I might upstroke a string(s) 3 or 4 times because it sounds better. I migh downstroke if I want to slow down and be a little softer for more control...I think...Hmm first time I thought about it. Kind of like trying to explain to someone how to ride a bicycle for the first time...I think I try to alternate pick more often. But I do change it up from time to time to make the sound of the stroke of the string sound different. Or maybe it makes for an easier transition or logical transition.

Econate picking

I’m sure this is asked a ton but what pic is that?

i have hard time playing economy picking with palm mutting. anyone else?

😅

Accents vs no accents.

R.u. playing 8 gage or 9 gage.