Basic Picking Exercises

Picking is a fundamental skill for anyone who wants to play guitar. Picking is the way we actually get to create sound with our instrument, and an essential component of building good guitar technique.
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By developing good picking mechanics, you will set yourself up for success in your guitar playing down the line. The motions used in picking will also apply to strumming down the line.

The basic principles of picking technique will apply whether you are actually using a pick, or playing with your thumb and fingers. 

In this lesson, we will cover 4 fundamental picking patterns: 

• Down Stroke/Rest Stroke
• Up Stroke/Free Stroke
• Alternate Picking
• Reversed Alternate Picking​

Exercise 1: Down Stroke/Rest Stroke

The down stroke title can be a little bit misleading. Instead of picking straight down, you want to pick diagonally - down and in towards the guitar, as if you are picking towards the seat of your chair.

Try to do this 4 to 8 times on each string. 
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Whenever possible, make sure that your pick is landing on the next string. This is the part that makes it a rest stroke - your pick is “resting” on the next string in between strokes.

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Exercise 2: Up Stroke/Free Stroke

The up stroke is the opposite of the down stroke. Instead of picking diagonally down and in towards the guitar, you are going to pick up and out - away from the guitar.

Try to do this  4 to 8 times on each string.
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Don’t try to land on the next string with this one - just pick up and out. This is what makes it a free stroke - the pick is “free” - not resting anywhere.

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Exercise 3: Alternate Picking

Alternate picking is a standard approach to making your picking more efficient. Instead of returning to your starting position after a down stroke, you simply play the next note with an up stroke. 

Each picking direction puts you in the starting position for the opposite picking direction. Down leads to up, up leads to down.

A down stroke followed by an up stroke makes one repetition. Do this for 4 to 8 repetitions on each string.
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Remember to use a rest stroke for each down (land on the next string), and a free stroke for each up (don’t land on the next string).

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Exercise 4: Reverse Alternate Picking

Reverse alternate picking is exactly what it sounds like - Alternate picking, backwards. Start with an up stroke, followed by a downstroke. 
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Each picking direction puts you in the starting position for the opposite picking direction. Up leads to down, down leads to up.

An up stroke followed by a down stroke makes one repetition. Do this for 4 to 8 repetitions on each string.​

Remember to use a free stroke for each up (don’t land on the next string), and a rest stroke for each down (land on the next string).

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Things To Think About

These picking exercises will help you build a solid foundation for your guitar technique. While they may appear simple at first, they will be applied to nearly every area of your guitar playing.
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Practice each of the four picking patterns regularly and you will see noticeable improvements in your guitar playing.
As a reminder, the four basic picking patterns are:

• Down/Rest Stroke
• Up/Free Stroke
• Alternate Picking
• Reversed Alternate Picking

Keep practicing these and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me here. I’m always happy to help.