Picking Techniques in Playing Guitar and How to Master it

Playing guitar will certainly be more exciting if you already know the technique. In playing the guitar itself, various unique techniques can make guitar playing more beautiful and interesting.

One of the most basic is the picking technique where you use a certain tool to help you strum the string to make it more vibrant with power. For those of you who grew up and studied guitar at a music school or acoustic guitar course, this technique might be very familiar to you.

What is a Guitar Pick?

A guitar pick is a guitar additional tool used to strum the strings to deliver a more powerful vibrant and is usually made of one uniform material – plastic, wood, etc – with a triangle shape. It’s a small tool; which can be easily tucked in your pocket; but really useful for every guitarist especially if you are playing with a steel-string type of guitar (acoustic or electric guitar) but can also be used for a nylon-string type of guitar.

What is a Guitar Picking Technique?

The picking technique refers to the way a guitarist optimizes hand and finger movements to play the notes in the guitar using a guitar pick. It involves the coordination of your two fingers (holding the pick) and wrist or arm movements. Your wrist movement determines the tone and dynamics of the notes played

This technique itself is divided into several different types, some of which are as follows:

5 Types of Guitar Picking Techniques

1. Down-stroke picking

This technique is the most basic and intuitive of all. Downstroke picking (or down picking) is achieved by picking the strings downwards. In tablature, the use of this technique is symbolized by V.

2. Alternate Picking

This technique as the name implies, is alternately doing downstroke and upstroke. In this way, notes can be picked in a smoother motion on faster tempos. In tablature, the upstroke picking is symbolized by an inverted V.

3. Economy Picking

Economy Picking is applied by picking 2 consecutive notes on 2 adjacent strings with the same stroke or direction. For example, a note on the 2nd string followed by a note on the 1st string can be picked by 2 consecutive downstrokes. This is to optimize the movement of the pick to achieve clear note sounds on fast tempos.

4. Tremolo Picking

Tremolo Picking can be said to be the same as alternate picking, where notes are picked quickly and repeatedly regardless of the tempo of the song.

5. Sweep Picking

Sweep Picking is a guitar-picking technique that is done by picking two or more adjacent strings on a single motion based on arpeggios.

How to Practice Picking Techniques?

To be able to master picking techniques, the simplest way you can try is to use a chromatic scale when you do finger exercises. The chromatic scale will work on down-stroke picking, alternate picking, and tremolo picking when you do 4 notes per string and economy picking when you do 3 notes per string.

For sweep picking, start with common barre chord shapes and play one string at a time. You’ll have to get used to the left and right-hand movement which would also require you to mute the strings or notes that have already been played before playing the next note.

Hopefully, this information can help you become better at playing the guitar, especially using picking techniques. If you want to learn the proper guitar techniques from an experienced teacher, you can always join our Guitar Lessons. For more info about the class, please fill in the form below and our team will reach out to you soon.

Picking Techniques in Playing Guitar and How to Master it

What is a Guitar Pick?

What is a Guitar Picking Technique?