Episode 11: Alternate Picking
But still, I wondered.
I really did think that shredding was the clearest way to get better at guitar.
It's flashy, it stands out 😂
But honestly, I was more interested in song structure, riffs, vocal melodies, fills — that kind of thing. Whether a song was in a minor key or major key, how the whole arrangement unfolded.
Still, I was a total beginner, so first I practiced shredding on guitar.
I started playing with alternate picking. Tried economy picking along the way too.
Why?
You can't avoid Yngwie.
A guitarist that distinctive and neoclassical — you can't help wanting to copy him at least once.
I copied him too. Once you get into Yngwie, every phrase you write starts turning into a Yngwie phrase — that's how influential his phrasing is.
That's exactly why alternate picking felt right to me. It felt like the orthodox path.
Akira Takasaki uses alternate picking, and so do James and Kirk.
To be continued.
