Six Strings
In this section: Techniques
Techniques

Economy picking

On a single string, you alternate down and up; when you change strings, the pick keeps its direction if it’s already heading toward the next string. It crosses two strings in one motion: less effort, more speed.

Notation
two ⊓ or two V in a row at the string change
Hand
Picking hand
Difficulty
Intermediate
Style
Rock, fusion, jazz, neoclassical

Listen

e|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|
G|-------5-7-9-9-7-5-------|
D|-5-7-9-------------9-7-5-|
A|-------------------------|
E|-------------------------|

What it’s for

Play three notes on one string with strict alternate picking: D U D. The next note, on the next higher string, has to be an upstroke. Your pick, which just went down, has to get past that string without touching it, then come back up to play it. That’s a wasted trip.

Economy picking gets rid of it: since the pick is already going down, it keeps going and plays the next string on the way. Two notes, one motion. On a three-note-per-string scale, your picking hand travels a lot less, and string changes get smooth, almost slurred.

Frank Gambale built his whole style on it, and you hear it wherever scales fly by fast: fusion, neoclassical rock, jazz. The sound is a bit more fluid than strict alternate picking, with no bumps at the string changes.

How to do it

  1. On a single string, alternate as usual: D U D, or U D U.
  2. When you move to a higher string, if your last stroke was down, play the next string with a downstroke too: one motion crosses both strings.
  3. When you move to a lower string, it’s the opposite: if your last stroke was up, keep going up.
  4. Let the pick come to rest on the next string right after the note: it leans there for a split second, then plays it. That little rest is what keeps the two notes separate.
  5. Keep the rhythm even. Two notes picked in the same direction tend to rush together: each one has to keep its own place in time.

In tab, you spot economy picking from the pick directions written above the notes: ⊓ ⊓ (two downstrokes) or V V (two upstrokes) right where the line changes strings. In the text, we write D and U.

Examples

The example at the top of the page plays G major with three notes per string, on the D and G strings. Going up: D U D, D U D. The first D on the G string carries on from the last D on the D string. Coming back down: U D U, U D U. The E at the top sounds twice, down then up: that’s the simplest way to turn around.

At the intermediate level, G major with three notes per string in triplets: three strings going up (D U D, D U D, D U D), a B held on the G string, then the way down (U D U, U D U…) to the low G. One beat, one string: every string change lands on the beat.

e|-----------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------|
G|-------------------4-7-5-4---------------|
D|-------------4-5-7---------7-5-4---------|
A|-------3-5-7---------------------7-5-3---|
E|-3-5-7---------------------------------3-|

At the advanced level, A minor over two octaves, in sixteenth notes. To turn around at the top, the B string gets four notes (D U D U): the last U carries straight on to the G string, and the way down starts with U D U. Nothing stops at the top.

e|----------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------6-8-10-8-------------------------|
G|-------------------5-7-9----------9-7-5-------------------|
D|-------------5-7-9----------------------9-7-5-------------|
A|-------5-7-8----------------------------------8-7-5-------|
E|-5-7-8----------------------------------------------8-7-5-|

Licks

Neoclassical. A harmonic minor, with its G# and the wide gap between F and G# on the B string: that’s the color of neoclassical rock. Three notes per string in triplets, up, turn around, down, and the G# resolving to A.

Loop it in the Studio →
e|-----------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------6-9-10-10-9-6---------------|
G|-------------5-7-9---------------9-7-5---------|
D|-------6-7-9---------------------------9-7-6-7-|
A|-5-7-8-----------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------|

Fusion. D Dorian with two chromatic passing notes, G# on the D string and C# on the G string. The triplets go up D U D, come down U D U and land on D. Clean tone, fusion style.

Loop it in the Studio →
e|-------------------------------------|
B|-------------------10-10-8-6---------|
G|-------------5-7-9-----------9-7-6-7-|
D|-------5-6-7-------------------------|
A|-5-7-8-------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------|

Rock. E minor, distorted tone: a run up three strings in triplets, a held B with vibrato, then one last push up to the high E, with vibrato too.

Loop it in the Studio →
e|--------------------------------8-10-12~-|
B|----------------------12~-10-12----------|
G|---------------7-9-11--------------------|
D|--------7-9-10---------------------------|
A|-7-9-10----------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------|

Practice routine

Start with the example at the top of the page, metronome at 60 bpm, one note per click. Say the directions out loud: “down, up, down, down, up, down.”

  • Two notes per click, once every move from one string to the next sounds as clean as the other notes;
  • then the intermediate example, three notes per click (triplets), still at 60;
  • then the advanced example, four notes per click, checking the turnaround on the B string.

Go up 5 bpm after every clean minute. Goal: the triplets at 100 bpm, then the two-octave scale in sixteenths at 100 bpm. Record yourself: the notes picked in the same direction should land just as evenly as the others.

Common mistakes

The two notes at the string change come out together? You’re sweeping in one swipe, without stopping: it sounds like a chord or a flam. Let the pick rest on the next string for a split second before playing it.

Notes bleeding into each other? Your fretting finger stays down on the previous string. Lift it right after the note, and mute the lower strings with your palm.

Getting stuck at the top of the scale? You haven’t planned the turnaround. Decide ahead of time: either play the top note again (down then up), or give the last string four notes.

Mixing economy and alternate picking without noticing? Both work, but not at random. Pick one approach for each passage and stick with it, playing slowly.

Variations

Sweep picking. The same idea taken all the way: one note per string, and the pick goes down or up three to six strings in a single motion. See sweep picking.

Two notes per string. On the pentatonic, with two notes per string, there’s nothing to save: alternate picking already lines up. Unless you slur one of the two notes with a hammer-on or a pull-off: then there’s only one pick attack per string, and the pick can sweep. That’s legato mixed with economy picking.

One direction only. Some players use economy picking going up and switch back to alternate picking going down. Try both and keep whatever sounds most even under your fingers.

Acoustic or electric

On an electric, light strings and low action let the pick glide from one string to the next with almost no effort. With distortion, watch out for notes bleeding at the string change: your palm and the free fingers of your fretting hand mute everything that isn’t playing.

On an acoustic, the strings push back more. A slightly stiffer pick (0.8 to 1 mm) gets through the string without bending. The little rest on the next string gives a round, strong attack that sounds great on a steel-string.

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