Why Do I Have To Use Alternate Picking?

Question: You have asked me to practice "strict" alternate picking. Well, it seems that I have a habit of always using a down stroke when moving to a higher string (like 6 to 5) and an upstroke when moving to a lower string. Not sure where I picked this up but it is proving very difficult to change. I would rather not spend the time to un-learn this given all the new things I really want to work on. What are your thoughts on this? Is it critical for me to break this habit now? Will it lead to a roadblock later on if I don't?

Answer: The issue you mention is a common one with players just starting to build their technique. I believe strict alternate picking should be the primary picking style utilized. Although it may seem counter-intuitive to not just fall through the next string when crossing over, this creates problems with the "feel" of the playing.

We perceive music to have a natural downbeat and upbeat, just like when you tap your foot to music: the foot goes down, the foot goes up, etc. There is a natural emphasis on the downbeat and de-emphasis on the upbeat due to gravity. You are going against the natural order of things when you don't use alternate picking. It is also very hard to play with a balanced, even sound and to develop speed when using an irregular picking pattern. There are times you might choose to use a "sweep picking" approach, but they require special left hand fingerings. You will need to slow your practicing way down to focus the necessary attention to change the habits you have ingrained. I highly recommend you say "down-up" out loud while practicing scales to facilitate the change. If you concentrate that way for a week or two, the habit should start to fall away. The sooner you are able to break the habit, the sooner you can start building a technique with a solid foundation.

Is Learning To Read Music Really Important?

Question: Why do I have to bother with learning to sightread traditional music notation? I have been using TAB for years and am comfortable with that…

Answer: Learning to read music is beneficial in several ways that may not be readily apparent to the non-reader. In my teaching practice, one of my goals is to help you become a musician, not just a guitar player. I want you to be able to speak the language of music with pianists, horn players, bass players, drummers, etc. For instance, if you have a band and you want the keyboard player to work with the same piece of music, he will look at you cross-eyed if you hand him a piece of tablature to learn. There is nothing inherently wrong with TAB as a device for communicating how to finger a piece of guitar music, but that's all it can do.

Learning to read music notation is one of the basic skills of musicianship and it reinforces many other skills you use as you play, as well as providing additional perks:

• Memorization of the fingerboard: Learning the fingerboard helps to quicken all music-making processes that require you to play the "right" notes!
• Musical fluency: When you become a proficient reader, you no longer read just one note, then the next note, etc. You notice groups of notes and automatically relate them to each other. For instance, you think to yourself: "Ah, these notes constitute a Cmaj7 chord." Or, "this measure contains A dorian scale." This ability to analyse and categorize as you read improves the quickness with which you can finger the notes. If you already know how to play the chord or scale, your fingers will jump to that place on the neck. Here's a non-musical analogy: When you see a car driving down the road, you don't think to yourself C - A - R, or wheels, rims, fenders, bumper, hood, motor, etc. You just perceive CAR, categorize it automatically and then interact with it, i.e. get out of its way or open the door, etc. without mulling it over!
• Improves soloing: I believe good sightreading skills improves one's soloing skills. It works like this: When sightreading, the first thing you do is analyse the note or structure, then you find it on the fingerboard and play. When you improvise, the first thing you do is listen to the melody in your head and then intuitively locate it on the fingerboard and play. The process is not much different - just that the inspiration for the notes comes from your inner ear rather than a piece of sheetmusic. You still have to correctly analyse what it is you are reading or hearing in order to play it accurately. Thus, the better your sightreading skills are, the faster you can translate your solo ideas to the guitar.
• Improves the ability to jam and interact with others: This time, the inspiration for what you play comes from the other players. As you listen to your bandmates play, you absorb the sound, analyse it and then interact with your own musical response. Again, many of the same skills used in interpreting written music are used here. Of course, basic eartraining is another inter-related skill you are employing in this live situation.
• Provides an entree into the sheet music repertoire of all instruments: When you walk into a music store, there is suddenly a huge library of music available to you, and not just music written for guitar! Music written for flute, brass, clarinet, strings or keyboard music. Any instrument that uses the treble clef is fair game. We guitarists have a smaller catalog available to us because composers did not start taking classical guitar seriously until the earlier part of the 20th century, when master guitarist Andres Segovia encouraged composers to write compositions for guitar which he then championed around the world. Other instruments have centuries of repertoire available. Now you can take better advantage of it!

On Developing Speed...

Question: How do I get to be a faster player?

Answer: This is a common student question. In reply, I say I don't consider myself to be a "fast" player, however my mind is VERY nimble. I have practiced in all 12 keys, I can spell chords easily. I know my chord scales, formulas, arpeggios, key signatures, etc. and my ears are well-trained. Like a well-written computer program, my mind can negotiate fast changing chord progressions and react quickly to fellow improvisers in the band. This is a kind of speed that is so valuable and often misunderstood. Sure, I recommend practicing finger exercises and scales too, (and have a battery of them I give to my students) but make sure you have programmed your own "computer" and minimized "bugs" by practicing musical ideas through all twelve keys.

To help students with the programming task, I have them write out theory ideas and important chord progressions in all 12 keys. Here are a few worksheets I have created for my students to that end. Help yourself! (More to come...)

Go to free harmony worksheets

Nylon or Steel?

Question: I want to buy my first guitar, should I buy one with nylon or steel strings?

Answer: Choosing a nylon or steel string guitar is an important decision. The nylon string guitar is really appropriate for classical music, but in my opinion, is not the right way to go for most other styles. It's possible to play classical music on a steel string but steel strings do not have the flexibility or tonal range needed for serious classical right hand technique. Conversely, the sound produced by the nylon-stringed classical guitar is not what we associate with traditional popular styles such as folk, blues, jazz, rock, pop etc. Also, string bending techniques and fingerings common to pop music styles aren't accessible on the wider classical fingerboard. So, you should buy a steel string folk guitar if you are mostly interested in popular styles and might want to dabble a bit in the classical realm, or buy a nylon string classical guitar if the reverse is true. I would not worry about whether steel or nylon strings are "easier" to play. I believe that idea to be a false concern.

Recommended Recordings

Question: Who do you like to listen to?

Answer: Listening is a huge part of developing musicianship. Listening to all kinds of music and instrumentalists, not just guitarists is very helpful. I myself am a music omnivore and like to draw influences from many sources. Here are a few of my favorites...

• Jazz

The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery

Smokin' At The Half Note - Wes Montgomery

Footprints - Pat Martino (orig. release title "The Visit")

Portraits of Ellington - Joe Pass

Return to Forever - Chick Corea

Light As a Feather - Chick Corea with Return to Forever

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

read about the making of Kind Of Blue

Tribute to Jack Johnson - Miles Davis

In a Silent Way - Miles Davis

Jazz Winds From a New Direction - Hank Garland (with a 17 year old Gary Burton!)