Economy Picking

[CandidoParticipant]

Hi Rick

My question is about economy picking.
When I’m playing the guitar I use alternate picking,
but I would like to learn economy picking.
Can you do a lesson on economy picking ?
That would be great.

Thank You
Candido

[Rick StoneKeymaster]

Candido,

Thanks. Good suggestion. I first learned about economy picking from a clinic with Tommy Tedesco at Wurlitzer Music in Boston around 1979 or 80. He just talked about this concept of playing three notes on a string “down-up-down, down-up-down, down-up-down” or “up-down-up, up-down-up, up-down-up” etc. You could play scales very fast this way, but that was pretty limiting. But I started applying it to different licks and phrases and working things out. And then in talking to Mark Elf, Augustino DiGorgio (who wrote those books with Chuck Wayne) and some other guitarists I was playing with in the early 90s, I started learning more about this approach. What most of them told me they were doing was alternating as long as they stayed on the same string, but whenever they had to change strings, they would pick in the direction of the new string.

Easier said than done I know, but once you get the hang of it, it feels very natural and you stop thinking about it. It’s pretty much my default way of picking most of the time now. I wrote a blog post with a few examples a little while ago which you can read here: https://www.jazzguitarlessons.com/sweep-picking-versus-economy-picking/

But yes, this would be a good subject for a video. I’m preparing to play my 60th Birthday gig in NYC at the Bar Next Door in less than a week and then going out to Ohio to play at Nighttown, but let me see what I can do before I go.

Musically Yours,
~ Rick Stone

[JeffParticipant]

Hi, just thought I’d add that I started out as a self-taught rock player and used economy picking as a default without even knowing that it was a particular approach. I didn’t even think about how to pick, like you don’t think about how to breathe. Much later when I started playing jazz I learned about alternate picking, and I still do alternate picking exercises to develop the dexterity and timing. Then when I am actually playing with a group I just let it happen and try not to think about it.

Also from your blog: “picking every single note can start to sound a bit tiresome” I generally agree with this statement although Pat Martino has made it work for him.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by  Jeff.

[Rick StoneKeymaster]

Jeff,

I too started off as a rock player (about 50 years ago) and was largely self-taught (but I did have some lessons in the beginning, enough to get through the first couple Mel Bay books anyway). But the first right-hand technique I learned for eighth-notes was alternate picking, so for me anyway, economy picking felt foreign to my hand and required a bit of conscious retraining.

I agree, and I certainly don’t “think” about my picking when I’m playing (OMG, I can’t even imagine how awful that would sound). And yes, I’ve run into students who used economy picking by default without even realizing it. But then sometimes they’d have problems with certain passages, rhythms, etc., and didn’t always know how to solve them. I’ve also run into students who do some rather “odd” things with their picking (like one guy who picks every single note with up-strokes and it really doesn’t sound or work very well). So sometimes at certain points in your development, it does pay to actually think a little bit about what your right-hand is doing. Not to get totally anal about it or anything (I’ve seen people go down that road and it’s a dead end). But to consider the choices and find what feels best for the situation.

Over the years I’ve practiced and used a number right-hand techniques:

All down-strokes
Alternate (strict down-up, down-up)
Sweep picking (basically just economy picking applied to an arpeggio across the strings)
Economy Picking (always picking into the direction of a new string)
Classical Fingerstyle
Pick and Fingers
Probably a whole bunch of others that I’ve forgotten to mention

I still use them all when I play, but definitely don’t “think” about it (by the time you’re playing, you should already have your technique internalized and your body will usually make the right decisions). When I was learning though, I definitely spent time considering the differences. Particularly the sound and phrasing that each produced. Over time I made decisions (some conscious, but many unconscious) about which felt “best” in the moment.

BTW: I’ve listened to Pat for years, transcribed a bunch of his solos, and hung out with him. I can tell you for sure that contrary to what a lot of people seem to think, Pat definitely doesn’t pick everything. He does pick a lot of notes, but many others result from the judicious use of well-placed hammer-ons, pull-offs and finger slides. The thing is, when you’re using these techniques well, the difference can be very subtle.

So anyway, that’s my (somewhat more than) two-cents worth . . . .

Musically Yours,
~ Rick

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by  Rick Stone.

[JeffParticipant]

Thanks for your thoughts Rick. I am sure you’re right about Pat’s playing but plays so evenly that maybe it just seems like he picks every note. I’ve only seen him live once and never met him.

As with just about everything else, the complete guitarist has to have a full tool box so over the years I have worked on (not mastered) all the techniques you listed. I think some players do not fully appreciate the subtle difference in phrasing you get when playing the same notes with alt picking vs. economy, for example.

Here’s one alt picking exercise I picked up from Guitar Player Magazine about 30 years ago.
http://seiglefamily.com/data/altpicking.jpg
Pick the notes in the order shown, strict alternate picking. This exercise requires a series of downward string skips (that is, in the direction of 1st string to 6th string), which I find the hardest thing to do when alternate picking. This really helps your right hand find out where the strings are.

On a related note, perhaps you’ve seen Tuck Andress’s lengthy essay on picking technique. He has really given this some thought!
http://www.tuckandpatti.com/pick-finger_tech.html

[Rick StoneKeymaster]

Jeff,

Thanks. I checked out the thing from Guitar Player. My one comment about that is; when would you ever do that in music? I know that some guitarists practice very mechanical things like that, but I personally don’t find it very useful. We’ve all got limited time and have to choose our battles. I think it’s better to practice something that sounds musical that will have some sort of real-world application. Practicing melodies, bebop heads, scales & arpeggios, IIm7 V7 I licks and phrases, etc. will ultimately lead you to a more musical way of playing. The ears and the hands “remember.” Why spend time teaching them to remember something that doesn’t sound good?

I’ve seen the Tuck Andress stuff and he does an excellent job of sorting it out.

I also just realized that I discuss picking technique a bit in this video on my scale studies. It’s on the blog https://www.jazzguitarlessons.com/scale-studies-for-jazz-guitar-part-1/

Check it out (if you haven’t already) as I think it will give some insight into technique and also how to build good lines using scales.

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