Ben, just wanna say thanks man. I watch your channel religiously and youve helped me improve my playing massively. Thanks for taking the time to do this. And i think its awesome that you always shout out the guys who you learn from. Guitar community has gotta look out for each other. Thanks again mate. If you ever come to scotland ill buy you a pint.
I've been a painter for 23 years, and how you just described holding, and doing the angled pick technique compared to how you use a brush helped it make alot more sense to me in my guitar playing journey. That's why I enjoy, and appreciate your teaching because it makes sense to me alot more.
I've been playing acoustic from past 2years. Learning from you tube. I am improving with everyday, I give not less than 2hours to my practice everyday. I learned chords, how to play barre chords, hammer and pull offs, slide, palm muting and every beginner level stuffs there is. I recently discovered the importance of learning scales so at present I'm working on it. That all being said if there's anything I still suck at is picking. It goes okay if its continues to the next string but sometimes when I've to skip a string or two it gives me a hard time. But I ain't giving up. Thank you mate for your tips it helps me a lot. Love from India.
Uncle Ben, you know for years I have been on to the pick slant thing, and yet, it just resulted, at the end of the day, me just scratching my head thinking something is going on here. Then Troy Grady started doing the pick slant vids revealing the mystery, actually also the number of notes picked, AHA! [not the 80's group] not so mysterious after all! You know old dogs can learn new tricks. Ben, its common logical sense! Eureka! I love your videos, and humor, you are a great player teacher, and don't have the Yengyoyo, big head Im' great syndrome, I think there are some players watching, cut pasting your lessons, sue the cads! Thanks bro, Nephew Kenny from Fla. [but Im' probably older than your dad!]
I actually became an economy picker by accident, fairly sure that's how it happens for most. Try to play some lick, fail hard, play until your hands somehow figure out a way to do it, and for some of us that way is going to be economy picking.
I love troy grady's cracking the code videos here on youtube (discovered I naturally do downward pick slanting and never realized it and practiced picking wrong for years) I highly recommend his videos to anyone
As I’m diving into learning some a7x stuff and trip over myself why playing the first lick in nightmares solo I thought this would be helpful, so imma 1000000% give this a go
Great stuff as usual Ben. Thanks! (I found your metronome setting at the beginning interesting - set to 16ths. For some reason I’ve always set it to 1/4s as I’d been told that this was “correct”. But your way would probably help left-right hand sync so I’m going to check it out.)
After picking econ for a(long) while I'm still divided on it. The up to up picking is what's almost not worth the practice time to get right, for me at any rate. The upwards slanted pick I've definitely noticed after a decent warmup, and higher action actually helps buttloads for picking fast and clean.
Thank you for this exercise, it's really helpful. By the way, I am still practicing (with better or worse effect) "the punisher" (I think that is the name) method you showed months ago. With your lessons, you taught me to learn alternate picking starting not only from downpicking but also uppicking. Greetings from Poland :).
I learned the boring, old fashioned way. Ascending & descending finger/picking exercises in groups of 2,3, & 4 with a metronome; i actually would just listen to music and keep time with the songs, it was WAY less boring. It's a tedious thing to do, but it WILL teach you alternate and economy picking. The only way to get good at it is to simply do it... a LOT.
I have noticed that sweep picking is making a comeback especially with newer metal bands. Thank God The 90s, flannel, don’t shower for a month, no playing guitar for shit days are gone🤘
Dear Ben - Question from the land of Gary Moore do you have an exercise for something I struggle with - alternate picking two notes - same string - same note - moving up the scale and then moving to the next string - I'm ok with single notes - triple notes quadruplets etc but not double notes - can you show mw a want that can sort this??
Yeoo Uncle Ben, I just discovered true temperament frets and I'm really curious what your thoughts are on them. Why aren't more people playing them? Because to my ear, true temperament fretted guitars sound so heavenly and in tune. Have you ever played them? (potential question for FAQ You?)
Again very well explained! Well done. And about Troy Grady; dude is amazing and I wonder how much time he spends on slowing down video, writing things down, listening intently, etc. he must have never had a job!🤣🤣
Have to say, I'm finding this a lot, lot easier using an upstroke when changing strings (so up down up down up down down up up). I've been economy picking since before I even knew what economy picking was though. Is there any benefit to playing it the way Ben plays it, other than getting those downward "sweeps" down? The pattern still works out, so if there's no extra benefit then I'ma keep going this way!
It’s funny to me how everyone says economy picking is hard. I just learned what it means, and it turns out that it is the natural way I play. Maybe it’s because I started off with 3 notes per string scales. The least efficient picking method seems to be outside picking. It’s very difficult to force myself to do outside picking, because if I don’t pay attention my hand will always revert to economy.
My problem is I really struggle with the left hand for this kind of thing. I don’t think this was a problem for me in my 20s - 20 years ago now. Any help?! I struggle with the fourth finger. Playing with fingers 1-2-3 is much easier but doesn’t feel so good with the stretches and with ascending patterns. I struggle much more with ascending patterns than descending with my left hand.
Hey Ben thanks again for some great tips well put down 👍 I was wondering what you thought of those twelve to fourteen dollar dragonheart pics and if they were really worth the money?!? Or just any thoughts you had on them at all 😉 thanks again for one more nice video 👌⚡🐕
Then I was wondering what you thought about the the 12 to 14 dollar dragonheart pics!? Any thoughts on that would be greatly appreciated 🙏❤️😇. Thank you
06:07 why dont we do two up stroke here? after the up stroke, instead of jumping on top of A string to do down stroke , we can do 2 up stroke instead ? anyone?
i know this is really late, and I do not apologize for it, but it's because with the down-slant picking style, the pick should end up away from the strings (aka further away from the guitar, rather than closer and in between the strings), making it easy "overshoot" your target string in order to come at with a downstroke. This exercise is for people who primarily use a down-slanted pick technique, and our best friend in the entire world Ben Eller mentions that the up-slant version of this exercise would be on his patreon
This lesson defeats the purpose of economy picking, y start pick 8 9 12 down to 8d then do a string jump to play a12 d8 on down stroke when u can play the same notes by playing 9 8 7d Using economy picking and not having to do any string jumps to do double downs through the note sequence 12a to 8d is the same as 7 8 on the d, but no string jump required, the whole point of ecco picking is the find the fastest smoothies root possible, string jumping just to keep the ecco picking going defeats the purpose when it can just be fretted differently, not have to do any string jumps to keep the picking sequence. The whole point of playing like this is to write a phrase with the fastest route possible 8 10 7 no string jumps is the fastest most ECONOMICAL route. This is the first time I’ve ever seen Ben fail us. U don’t just ecco pick for the sake of it, u write something specially designed for it, writing something that involves a string jump when it can be written different and not require a string jump completely defeats the purpose of economy picking.
I hate economy picking. The feel is so much more linear with a brutally strict alternate picking approach. I started playing with economy but just found I was trying to cheat and I never got the feel of the Gilbert signature lick. I still can't. Your nervous system can only pick so fast... Practice all techniques, but understand that your body is your limit, not your picking style. Yngwie could out pick Gilbert doing his signature lick using any picking style without practice. These guys are genetic freaks.
I love economy picking, I never realised I used it cause after a while I started naturally doing it. It feels so much more natural for me, and changing picking angle came without realising. I've always thought alternate was awkward and near impossible. I'd never say I hate alternate though. It's crazy how different things are for different people.
hugodogobob alternate picking IS awkward. It's annoying as hell, but it creates a very clean feel which I prefer for my own playing. I don't like listening to Gilbert at all, or any of the alternate picking legends. Thing is, I'm really a rhythm player in the same lineage of Hetfield. Slow twitch. I have a very feel dominant style and that sounds crappy doing those cool classical licks. So I struggled through the alternate picking because the results were better. I share my thoughts because I've been playing over 20 years and it can take a decade to realise what your weaknesses are.
It's taken me 20-some years to get around to economy picking. I was pretty dead-set on alternate picking with the occasional hybrid picked note until, as with a great many people, I found Troy Grady's stuff. I'm not here to sell you on that, just to say that I also thought for a very long time that I would never be capable of economy picking. I was surprised to find that it finally started to click - and only just started, I should say. I have a long way to go.
Ima learn this....Ima learn this real good!
Robert Baker I read that with the cadence of “Push It” by the immortal Salt-n-Pepa.
Robert you are a heckuvaplayer too, rock on dude!
If you are anywhere in the world hearing a kick-ass 80’s tone. Just go say hi to Robert
Ben, just wanna say thanks man. I watch your channel religiously and youve helped me improve my playing massively. Thanks for taking the time to do this. And i think its awesome that you always shout out the guys who you learn from. Guitar community has gotta look out for each other.
Thanks again mate. If you ever come to scotland ill buy you a pint.
8 Letter Lie cheers, dude!!! Thank you!
I've been a painter for 23 years, and how you just described holding, and doing the angled pick technique compared to how you use a brush helped it make alot more sense to me in my guitar playing journey. That's why I enjoy, and appreciate your teaching because it makes sense to me alot more.
I'm going to steal this lick so bad.
I've been playing acoustic from past 2years. Learning from you tube. I am improving with everyday, I give not less than 2hours to my practice everyday. I learned chords, how to play barre chords, hammer and pull offs, slide, palm muting and every beginner level stuffs there is. I recently discovered the importance of learning scales so at present I'm working on it. That all being said if there's anything I still suck at is picking. It goes okay if its continues to the next string but sometimes when I've to skip a string or two it gives me a hard time. But I ain't giving up.
Thank you mate for your tips it helps me a lot. Love from India.
Today I was just thinking that I needed to practice my economy picking but didn't know how. Gracias tío Ben!
Uncle Ben, you know for years I have been on to the pick slant thing, and yet, it just resulted, at the end of the day, me just scratching my head thinking something is going on here. Then Troy Grady started doing the pick slant vids revealing the mystery, actually also the number of notes picked, AHA! [not the 80's group] not so mysterious after all! You know old dogs can learn new tricks. Ben, its common logical sense! Eureka! I love your videos, and humor, you are a great player teacher, and don't have the Yengyoyo, big head Im' great syndrome, I think there are some players watching, cut pasting your lessons, sue the cads! Thanks bro, Nephew Kenny from Fla. [but Im' probably older than your dad!]
I actually became an economy picker by accident, fairly sure that's how it happens for most. Try to play some lick, fail hard, play until your hands somehow figure out a way to do it, and for some of us that way is going to be economy picking.
LocrianDorian For me it began by playin Megadeth xD But i didnt knew there was a so called technique for it back then :D
Those Troy Grady Cracking the Code videos are fascinating.
Economy picking feels like butter once you start implementing it! Playing the guitar is FUN 💯
Is there a step-grandpa speed? 'Preciate it
Pilipino here . And I like you Tutorial sir. It helps a lot .❤
I love troy grady's cracking the code videos here on youtube (discovered I naturally do downward pick slanting and never realized it and practiced picking wrong for years) I highly recommend his videos to anyone
This short vid actually improved my technique. Thank bro🎸👍
"Bro"?? Is that how you address your biological stepdad??
@Kunobu the grammar patrol. You are sure right. Love your comment even though I sense the sarcasm you snowflake bitch! How about those apples?
Your Teaching Skills are up there with your Playing Skills. Top Notch. 🎸
Thanks Ben! Found my way here from Troy's CTC stuff, it's a great complement to that material! I owe you a beer for that speed burst lesson -S
One to add to the arsenal. Cheers Ben!
Man I love uncle Ben
When im looking to improve my technique I straight come to your channel, you have the best exercises 🤘🏽🤘🏽
As I’m diving into learning some a7x stuff and trip over myself why playing the first lick in nightmares solo I thought this would be helpful, so imma 1000000% give this a go
A sheet of sound is much better than the sound of sheet!!! Great stuff as always Ben. Time to get in touch with my inner Eric J.
SkyScraper Guitars hahaha
Welcome to the pollen season Ben. Good lesson 👍
Yup, I'm learning it.
This has helped me a lot!
Im here for this beautiful Suhr
With downward pickslant you can just as well start this with downstroke. Works just as good.
Yeah I was wondering why the upstroke at the start of each pattern was so important. Starting with a downstroke works just fine.
thanks for this dude! You're doing some of my favorite shit right now between this channel and Dead and Lovely.
I’ve been playing for many years and starting with an upstroke kicks my ass.
Thanks ben. You're an excellent teacher .
Great stuff as usual Ben. Thanks!
(I found your metronome setting at the beginning interesting - set to 16ths. For some reason I’ve always set it to 1/4s as I’d been told that this was “correct”. But your way would probably help left-right hand sync so I’m going to check it out.)
Beautiful lick Brother!
After picking econ for a(long) while I'm still divided on it. The up to up picking is what's almost not worth the practice time to get right, for me at any rate. The upwards slanted pick I've definitely noticed after a decent warmup, and higher action actually helps buttloads for picking fast and clean.
Thank you for this exercise, it's really helpful. By the way, I am still practicing (with better or worse effect) "the punisher" (I think that is the name) method you showed months ago. With your lessons, you taught me to learn alternate picking starting not only from downpicking but also uppicking.
Greetings from Poland :).
very cool class!!! i think Kiko Loureiro a real master of economy picking....
I learned the boring, old fashioned way. Ascending & descending finger/picking exercises in groups of 2,3, & 4 with a metronome; i actually would just listen to music and keep time with the songs, it was WAY less boring. It's a tedious thing to do, but it WILL teach you alternate and economy picking. The only way to get good at it is to simply do it... a LOT.
Super pick tips.
Thanks Uncle Ben, educational as always. Well done.
I have noticed that sweep picking is making a comeback especially with newer metal bands. Thank God The 90s, flannel, don’t shower for a month, no playing guitar for shit days are gone🤘
Never got the "no shower, can't play" thing.. but there's nothing wrong with a good flannel shirt. Lol
You guys are getting shower?
I am inside up picking the ninth note the jump up to the A.. has it got to be down?? Am I ever going to be able to get above step dad speed!??
Hey Ben. What if you are an Upward Pick Slanter?
Jeff Dean a really rigid UWPS player will have a real hard time making those double downstrokes connect.
"Pettin' the cat the wrong way."
Cat doesn't care for it much, either. :)
That’s badass. Thanks! I love your channel
Great. Cheers 4:50
It’s a petrucci style lick . Sounds great .
Dear Ben - Question from the land of Gary Moore do you have an exercise for something I struggle with - alternate picking two notes - same string - same note - moving up the scale and then moving to the next string - I'm ok with single notes - triple notes quadruplets etc but not double notes - can you show mw a want that can sort this??
this lesson is just great!!!
Yeoo Uncle Ben, I just discovered true temperament frets and I'm really curious what your thoughts are on them. Why aren't more people playing them? Because to my ear, true temperament fretted guitars sound so heavenly and in tune. Have you ever played them? (potential question for FAQ You?)
Again very well explained! Well done. And about Troy Grady; dude is amazing and I wonder how much time he spends on slowing down video, writing things down, listening intently, etc. he must have never had a job!🤣🤣
Have to say, I'm finding this a lot, lot easier using an upstroke when changing strings (so up down up down up down down up up). I've been economy picking since before I even knew what economy picking was though. Is there any benefit to playing it the way Ben plays it, other than getting those downward "sweeps" down? The pattern still works out, so if there's no extra benefit then I'ma keep going this way!
I was wondering this same exact thing since I do it too.
siiiick lick btw
Can you please make a lesson of fly away intro by impelliteri or the solo from alone in the dark by testament
If you are reading the comments , can you tell what should be the action for beginning acoustic guitarist?
Randomly Uncut like, string height? Is that what you’re talking about?
Hmm.. Channeling your inner Bob Ross.
I like it.
Could this potentially work on the fast sequence of Bark at The Moon solo?
It’s funny to me how everyone says economy picking is hard. I just learned what it means, and it turns out that it is the natural way I play. Maybe it’s because I started off with 3 notes per string scales. The least efficient picking method seems to be outside picking. It’s very difficult to force myself to do outside picking, because if I don’t pay attention my hand will always revert to economy.
My problem is I really struggle with the left hand for this kind of thing. I don’t think this was a problem for me in my 20s - 20 years ago now. Any help?! I struggle with the fourth finger. Playing with fingers 1-2-3 is much easier but doesn’t feel so good with the stretches and with ascending patterns. I struggle much more with ascending patterns than descending with my left hand.
Will you do a Windowpane lesson 😁🤔?
James Yellow yup :) stay tuned
Master Ben, your awesome. M looking forward Judas priest , Ram it down solo lesson from you.please🙏
Hweekend hwankshop
Can you do a break down to the solo on (Death Rattle)?
Let me hear a hell yeah for uncle Ben, cause stone cold says so.....
I like how you start on a down stroke in the demo but tell us to start on an up stroke 🤣
First class too fancy, i'll just take Comfort Plus.
Ben can you do a Wank Shop on the solo to ATB - Wolf Amongst Ravens?
Hey Ben thanks again for some great tips well put down 👍 I was wondering what you thought of those twelve to fourteen dollar dragonheart pics and if they were really worth the money?!? Or just any thoughts you had on them at all 😉 thanks again for one more nice video 👌⚡🐕
Then I was wondering what you thought about the the 12 to 14 dollar dragonheart pics!? Any thoughts on that would be greatly appreciated 🙏❤️😇. Thank you
Jay M I think the material is fantastic, but I just personally can’t make any sense of that shape. I know a lot of other people that like them.
authenthicc
I think I saw you in a video working as a sideman with Andy Wood? Great shoe.
first-class, what if I wanna be the Pilot?
I'm equally comfortable doing upward economy picking
Stuff that Death does!
NOOOICE
im here because im a upstroke player
Uncle Ben, teach us “Fear Inoculum” by Tool! It’s their new song!
06:07 why dont we do two up stroke here? after the up stroke, instead of jumping on top of A string to do down stroke , we can do 2 up stroke instead ? anyone?
i know this is really late, and I do not apologize for it, but it's because with the down-slant picking style, the pick should end up away from the strings (aka further away from the guitar, rather than closer and in between the strings), making it easy "overshoot" your target string in order to come at with a downstroke. This exercise is for people who primarily use a down-slanted pick technique, and our best friend in the entire world Ben Eller mentions that the up-slant version of this exercise would be on his patreon
Would you be really upset if I stole this lick and used it on my tiny wee channel?? (Giving you proper credit of course) :D
This lesson defeats the purpose of economy picking, y start pick 8 9 12 down to 8d then do a string jump to play a12 d8 on down stroke when u can play the same notes by playing 9 8 7d
Using economy picking and not having to do any string jumps to do double downs through the note sequence 12a to 8d is the same as 7 8 on the d, but no string jump required, the whole point of ecco picking is the find the fastest smoothies root possible, string jumping just to keep the ecco picking going defeats the purpose when it can just be fretted differently, not have to do any string jumps to keep the picking sequence. The whole point of playing like this is to write a phrase with the fastest route possible 8 10
7
no string jumps is the fastest most ECONOMICAL route. This is the first time I’ve ever seen Ben fail us.
U don’t just ecco pick for the sake of it, u write something specially designed for it, writing something that involves a string jump when it can be written different and not require a string jump completely defeats the purpose of economy picking.
Stone Cold...
I heard first class...
Troyyy Gradddyyyyy ughhhhhhhh🙄(jk)
tempo 65 start 2 h later 80. I'm beginer but i will be better than Pinguin Meinstream
I'm never sure when you're our uncle and when you're our step dad. Kinda like Hallie Biden's kids' relationship with Hunter.
The two guys who thumb down....are you Malmsteen and Gilbert, or Abasi....????
Ok...so thumb down your mother instead!
DARTHKROM I thumbed your mom. She was definitely down.
HUERRR HURR SO EARLY MY STEPDAD MOLESTATION JOKE HURR
To learn karate 🥋 You must first paint the fence, Daniel-san.
What? Why?
American always complain this much?
I hate economy picking. The feel is so much more linear with a brutally strict alternate picking approach. I started playing with economy but just found I was trying to cheat and I never got the feel of the Gilbert signature lick. I still can't. Your nervous system can only pick so fast... Practice all techniques, but understand that your body is your limit, not your picking style. Yngwie could out pick Gilbert doing his signature lick using any picking style without practice. These guys are genetic freaks.
I love economy picking, I never realised I used it cause after a while I started naturally doing it. It feels so much more natural for me, and changing picking angle came without realising. I've always thought alternate was awkward and near impossible. I'd never say I hate alternate though. It's crazy how different things are for different people.
hugodogobob alternate picking IS awkward. It's annoying as hell, but it creates a very clean feel which I prefer for my own playing. I don't like listening to Gilbert at all, or any of the alternate picking legends. Thing is, I'm really a rhythm player in the same lineage of Hetfield. Slow twitch. I have a very feel dominant style and that sounds crappy doing those cool classical licks. So I struggled through the alternate picking because the results were better.
I share my thoughts because I've been playing over 20 years and it can take a decade to realise what your weaknesses are.
It's taken me 20-some years to get around to economy picking. I was pretty dead-set on alternate picking with the occasional hybrid picked note until, as with a great many people, I found Troy Grady's stuff. I'm not here to sell you on that, just to say that I also thought for a very long time that I would never be capable of economy picking. I was surprised to find that it finally started to click - and only just started, I should say. I have a long way to go.