Honestly, these are the best exercises ever. I've been applying them for couple months and I definitely can see a progress in my precision nad speed. Thank you Jens, hats off! 👏🏻
Indeed. After 45 years of playing classical guitar I’m finally making time to learn jazz guitar. Your videos are inspirational. Love your technique. Thanks, again.
Yes! I had actually come up with an idea for a tune recently that was an alternate picked drop 2 voicing, and noticed it would be pretty hard to play, and it would be good to just sit and practice alternate picking one not per string like that. I've spent alot of time working through my picking, changing techniques etc, and I think working on this kind of stuff would be a great next step for me. Great video man, Cheers!
Thank you very much! I am glad you found it useful! If you have any suggestions for topics or things you are looking for the feel free to let me know 👍
really great lesson on the cross picking part of alt. picking. for me I start by warming my hand up with a metal riff like slayer or something. then I try picking trills and sequences that go back and forth between strings. then I saw Steve Morse and Albert Lee on Troy Grady's channel and cross picking is my far the hardest part. this is a really good video on that.
Paul Gilbert has a good one that changes different number of notes on a string and has a little string skip inbetween. it's a part of a song called the echo song and he does that dotted eighth note thing.
it's at 1:49 in the video he plays a white ibanez sg. but he actually shows you how to play it in a lesson he does with Marty Friedman at 5:28 for young guitar in the second part of the video
Great tips! A trick I use to help develop speed is to use small bursts of speeds (mixing eighth and sixteenth notes), rather than blazing through 3 octaves.
Thanks Gregory! That is indeed a good tip. It also helps you keep the original feel if you are working on double timing stuff :) You're btw sort of featured in my next Q&A :D
Jens-I have just discovered your wonderful empire of lessons. You are filling in so many blanks in my guitar performance knowledge bank. Do you have anything like a chronological list of how to progress through your videos? In other words, a preferred order of how to view them. Thank you for your terrific contribution to the music community.
Thank you John Nordstrand I am glad you found it useful! 👍 I don't really have an order of the lessons. They are not in that way thought of as a method, and no two students take the same path. The best I can offer is this playlist that you can browse and see if there is something you want to start working on: th-cam.com/video/PyHXN3Vxhz4/w-d-xo.html And you can of course leave a comment if you want some suggestions! 🙂
Do you recommend practicing scales and arpeggios with a metronome? I was taught that you practice scales and arpeggios so that your timing with a pick becomes perfect. Are there any well known guitarists that you would say are weak in this area to the extent that it throws off their phrasing?
I would certainly recommend practicing anything that is in time with a metronome! Don't worry about other peoples phrasing, when you get better at it you will be able to hear how precise they are and can decide for yourself if you like it or not :)
Jens, these videos are extremely helpful; have you ever considered publishing a book on technical studies in likes of Rich Cochrane or Martino for example? I would pay to see your name on the bookshelf!
I've always played loud during practice and soft during shows to build strength. I have fibromyalgia and arthritis and if I don't go a little harder than usual during practice, I tend to freeze up a bit (not nerves, physical pain).
Drop2 voicings are of course really chords, but we can use them as arpeggios as well. Here's a video where I talk about that th-cam.com/video/xnNEwNgFZiw/w-d-xo.html
Ah, alternate picking. Luckily I picked this up pretty quickly, so I'm happy with my current skill level. But if I'm asked about it, I have no idea how to explain my technique, or how I got good, but this video is a good lesson that's worth a recommendation for those in trouble. I'm going to give these exercises a shot as well. However, if I try to play anything with speed while I'm standing, I'm still quite hopeless. I guess it's because I spent 99% of my 4 years of guitar playing sitting down
That's true. It does depend, guitarist to guitarist. For me, I like to curl my index finger a bit, place the pick perpendicular to my first knuckle (from my fingertips). I try to grip hard because I go kind of hard on my strings and I don't want my pick to go flying in the middle of a show. That probably wouldn't be cute since I'm not slash from guns n roses ha. Hope the helps a bit. Let us all know what works for you.
Dominique Does Life well, before enter to a jazz conservatory, I played like 3 years with the palm of my hand supported on the guitar bridge with my guitar pick almost paralel to the strings. Nowdays, a teacher explained me that I wasn't working some muscles with my technique. Now my pick Its almost perpendicular to the strings and I lean a little on my little finger. The movement of my wrist was like greeting, now It's like a circular movement. I feel fine right now but sometimes I wonder if there is a better way...
Abdo Rodríguez I lean a little on my little finger too. That’s okay! There are very talented musicians out there who do that. It sounds like you have lots of natural talent.
You can aways go Paul Gilbert level and learn how to play on different grips... But I sugest find one thats is confortable, and going with that. Meaning you dont feel strong disconfort after playing for too long.
Great lesson. In general I don't use arternate picking, because I play finger style. Exercieses you have shown are not so easy even for finger picking in this tempo. I mean to play separately each individual note.
Hey Jens, thanks for these exercises. I'm just wondering how you think about the positioning of your right hand in relation to the strings and even the position of the pick between your fingers. I think I might have an issue there. You seem at times to have your pinky extended towards the guitar's body, which is familiar to me from some country and blues players. Is that deliberate?
Hi Jens, amazing video, great exercises! However I don't understand why for the first exercise, you say "do alternate picking for each voicing"? Isn't it better to just do downstroke on the 5th string everytime? Could you explain please?
No, it isn't better if you want to develop your ability to play alternate picking freely for anything you want to play. I would think that was fairly obvious?
Hi jens. I have been playing guitar for 20 years and I guess I have intermediate level. I have been using economy picking but now I am trying to learn alternate picking. It feels like I have to learn how to walk all over again. I am unable to do anything with it besides go super slow and when I speed up I revert to my old way fast and then I get very frustrated and start swearing like a sailor. What amount of time do you advice to learn this and incorporate it in my daily practise routine? Thanks a lot for all your lessons, everything is really helpfull...kind regards Rogier
Thanks Rogier! That is difficult to say. I would start with more basic scale and diatonic 3rds and triad exercises, and then just be patient. Work on it in a tempo where you have control and then it will eventually become more natural and a lot easier to do. From there it will probably make it into your playing by itself.
@@JensLarsen thanks for the advice, I think I will start with some basic scales . I can really see the advantage from alternate picking once you get it down. Thanks again man, I really appreciate..:)
+marcus fernandez If you are only playing guitar for 7 weeks you should find some other exercises that fit where you are now. You can always return to this later ☺️ Have fun on the guitar journey!
Jens Larsen Yeah😊 I said it because the exercise reminded me of his picking pattern or his way of doing solos in a few TheStrokes songs. Great lesson btw!
I might be an intuitive musician since i can't play by structure, i know it sounds weird to others , but it is music for me . does this qualify as a bad mentality?
th-cam.com/video/h7Vrhi8am_U/w-d-xo.html - Does it seem to you that Joe picks each note separately here (at 0:53 in the clip) - or does some pulling-off and hammering-on help him out? I often play this little run - still slower than Joe...
@@JensLarsen Please tell me how you play 3 notes per string (alternate picking) what is your right hand doin when you go from 6 to 5,from 5 to 4 string, etc. Pick slanting or something else? Thanx!
@@birdybutch I don't really know. I just play it, and these exercises made me a lot faster, be more precise, and have a better tone. And that is also what I see in my (real-life) students that are working on it. Are you sure that you are not getting lost in trying to find an easy formula instead of actually doing the work?
Wow... I am done with beginning 1234 picking lesson... I am gonna try this... Thanks for this lovely lesson 🎸
You're very welcome! I was never a fan of the 1234 type exercises. Scales and more musical things are way more efficient in the long run!
Honestly, these are the best exercises ever. I've been applying them for couple months and I definitely can see a progress in my precision nad speed. Thank you Jens, hats off! 👏🏻
Thank you Piotr! They are also the ones that worked the best for me :)
No tension at all in your right hand Jens. Beautiful!
Thank you 🙂
Man, your a Bad Dude, Excellent musician bar none. I always learn something from you and enjoy your lessons. God Bless You Sir!
You're welcome and much too kind!
You are my guru. Thanks for taking the time to make these videos.
Glad you find the videos useful, Graeme! 🙂
Indeed. After 45 years of playing classical guitar I’m finally making time to learn jazz guitar. Your videos are inspirational. Love your technique. Thanks, again.
Jens, you are awesome. Thank you!
Glad you like it 🙂
Thanks. Just what I need. Good teaching.
You are very welcome Anthony! I am glad you like it!
Thank you Jens!
You're very welcome! I am glad you like it! 🙂
Fantastic lesson. Straight into my daily routine. You got a subscriber.
Thank you ! Glad you like it!
@@JensLarsen Same here!
You are a fantastic teacher . Thanks so much
You're very welcome, Geoff! I am glad you like it! 🙂
These are great! Playing them slowly. Adding speed as I go. Thanks!
Glad you like them!
So glad I just discovered your channel! Fantastic! Thank you for sharing.
+jmounce50 You are very welcome! I hope you find something you can use! ☺️
THIS is exactly what I needed, thank you so much, best (online) teacher ever!
+E Funes Glad you can use it! Thanks for checking it out! ☺️
Great exercises, thank you for providing such melodically rich drills.
You're welcome Joao! Glad to hear you like them :)
Great advice. This is what I need now! Thanks, My Man. My Main Man!
Go for it 🙂
Thanks! Very nice and interesting lesson and exercises. It's amazing because it's not so obvious to show something really usefull via TH-cam at all.
Thank you Rado! Glad you like the exercises!
Just excellent. Thanks for the very informative Video!
You are very welcome 🙂
Thanks for this exercises 👍
You're very welcome!
Thank you
You're welcome
Merci Jens.
+Gérard Létang De rien!
Thanks for your work Jens. For anyone that plays classical too I found Villa Lobos Etude 1 good practise for alternate picking.
You're very welcome! True, that Villa Lobos etude is a supreme string skipping exercise 👍👍
Thanks for your great contribution to music education Jens..
awesome. Difficult exercise but awesome.
Thank you Pritesh!
great exercise! i've finished with another video about scales and i've started this one. thank you very much for sharing your knowledge!
Thank you nicolás caresano I am glad you found it useful! 👍
Great lesson!
Thank you, Steven
Very nice. Thx!
Awesome!
Thanks a lot!!!!
+Duvaldo Frias You're welcome Duvaldo
Thank you, this are some great exercises. Very well explained :)
You're so welcome!
2:02. 5:02. 7:05
U sir are a legend
This is excellent , thanks .
You're very welcome!
great lesson, I'll be giving these exercises a try
Thank you Niki! Glad you like them :)
Yes! I had actually come up with an idea for a tune recently that was an alternate picked drop 2 voicing, and noticed it would be pretty hard to play, and it would be good to just sit and practice alternate picking one not per string like that. I've spent alot of time working through my picking, changing techniques etc, and I think working on this kind of stuff would be a great next step for me.
Great video man, Cheers!
You're very welcome Adam!Let me know how it works out! :)
Thank you for this
Glad you like it 🙂
Awesome lesson I subscribed
Thank you very much! I am glad you found it useful! If you have any suggestions for topics or things you are looking for the feel free to let me know 👍
It is the first time I've seen one of your lessons and I did subscribed😊
Thank you! Glad you like the videos!
really great lesson on the cross picking part of alt. picking. for me I start by warming my hand up with a metal riff like slayer or something. then I try picking trills and sequences that go back and forth between strings. then I saw Steve Morse and Albert Lee on Troy Grady's channel and cross picking is my far the hardest part. this is a really good video on that.
Thank you Bradley! I did check some Steve Morse stuff as well. His exercises are great!
Paul Gilbert has a good one that changes different number of notes on a string and has a little string skip inbetween. it's a part of a song called the echo song and he does that dotted eighth note thing.
with a delay
Ok, I'll check that out some time :)
it's at 1:49 in the video he plays a white ibanez sg. but he actually shows you how to play it in a lesson he does with Marty Friedman at 5:28 for young guitar in the second part of the video
Muy bueno maestro!
Gracias Nestor!
Great tips! A trick I use to help develop speed is to use small bursts of speeds (mixing eighth and sixteenth notes), rather than blazing through 3 octaves.
Thanks Gregory! That is indeed a good tip. It also helps you keep the original feel if you are working on double timing stuff :)
You're btw sort of featured in my next Q&A :D
Uh-oh!
good stuff!
Thank you 🙂👍
Cool right hand position and mechanics;)
Thank you! Gald you find it useful! 👍
Jens-I have just discovered your wonderful empire of lessons. You are filling in so many blanks in my guitar performance knowledge bank. Do you have anything like a chronological list of how to progress through your videos? In other words, a preferred order of how to view them. Thank you for your terrific contribution to the music community.
Thank you John Nordstrand I am glad you found it useful! 👍
I don't really have an order of the lessons. They are not in that way thought of as a method, and no two students take the same path.
The best I can offer is this playlist that you can browse and see if there is something you want to start working on: th-cam.com/video/PyHXN3Vxhz4/w-d-xo.html
And you can of course leave a comment if you want some suggestions! 🙂
I need this information 😎
Thanks for Sharing... sorry my bad english whats pattern you use on 9:20?
best regards from brasil
You're welcome! C major scale in triads moving up a diatonic 4ths so Dm G C F
thanks my friend!!!! best regards
These are great exercises. I thought I would try them high to low string as well.
Thank you! 🙂
Do you recommend practicing scales and arpeggios with a metronome? I was taught that you practice scales and arpeggios so that your timing with a pick becomes perfect.
Are there any well known guitarists that you would say are weak in this area to the extent that it throws off their phrasing?
I would certainly recommend practicing anything that is in time with a metronome!
Don't worry about other peoples phrasing, when you get better at it you will be able to hear how precise they are and can decide for yourself if you like it or not :)
Jens, these videos are extremely helpful; have you ever considered publishing a book on technical studies in likes of Rich Cochrane or Martino for example? I would pay to see your name on the bookshelf!
Thank you Benjamin! I have thought about it, but haven't really had the time to do something about it yet
super mas tecnica master
Gracias!
I've always played loud during practice and soft during shows to build strength. I have fibromyalgia and arthritis and if I don't go a little harder than usual during practice, I tend to freeze up a bit (not nerves, physical pain).
That sounds like a good way to compensate! Great that you find a way to manage, it sounds quite serious!
Jens Larsen Thank you! I can’t not manage it. Music means so much to me.
Hi Jens, why are the arpeggios in example 2 called "drop 2 voicings"? I thought drop 2s were inversions
Drop2 voicings are of course really chords, but we can use them as arpeggios as well. Here's a video where I talk about that th-cam.com/video/xnNEwNgFZiw/w-d-xo.html
Ah, Thanks Jens! I was mistakenly thinking that for a shape to be called a "drop 2 voicing" it could not be in root position.
Ah ok. No problem 🙂
Ah, alternate picking. Luckily I picked this up pretty quickly, so I'm happy with my current skill level. But if I'm asked about it, I have no idea how to explain my technique, or how I got good, but this video is a good lesson that's worth a recommendation for those in trouble. I'm going to give these exercises a shot as well.
However, if I try to play anything with speed while I'm standing, I'm still quite hopeless. I guess it's because I spent 99% of my 4 years of guitar playing sitting down
Good to hear! Let me know how it works out. I think the exercises are good as builiding blocks of material for lines as well.
Hola Jens, the pick angle should be like perpendicular to the strings? And for you whats the best way to grab the pick? Thanks for the lesson (:
Thank you Abdo! I don't think there is a best way, it depends on so many things!
That's true. It does depend, guitarist to guitarist. For me, I like to curl my index finger a bit, place the pick perpendicular to my first knuckle (from my fingertips). I try to grip hard because I go kind of hard on my strings and I don't want my pick to go flying in the middle of a show. That probably wouldn't be cute since I'm not slash from guns n roses ha. Hope the helps a bit. Let us all know what works for you.
Dominique Does Life well, before enter to a jazz conservatory, I played like 3 years with the palm of my hand supported on the guitar bridge with my guitar pick almost paralel to the strings.
Nowdays, a teacher explained me that I wasn't working some muscles with my technique. Now my pick Its almost perpendicular to the strings and I lean a little on my little finger. The movement of my wrist was like greeting, now It's like a circular movement.
I feel fine right now but sometimes I wonder if there is a better way...
Abdo Rodríguez I lean a little on my little finger too. That’s okay! There are very talented musicians out there who do that. It sounds like you have lots of natural talent.
You can aways go Paul Gilbert level and learn how to play on different grips... But I sugest find one thats is confortable, and going with that. Meaning you dont feel strong disconfort after playing for too long.
Great lesson. In general I don't use arternate picking, because I play finger style. Exercieses you have shown are not so easy even for finger picking in this tempo. I mean to play separately each individual note.
Thank you 🙂 they are very difficult with alternate picking
Which fingers do you use for fingerpicking ? Thumb and index?
@@captainkoo Usually for alternate picking I use index and middle, but sometimes even all fingers except pinkie :)
Hey Jens, thanks for these exercises. I'm just wondering how you think about the positioning of your right hand in relation to the strings and even the position of the pick between your fingers. I think I might have an issue there. You seem at times to have your pinky extended towards the guitar's body, which is familiar to me from some country and blues players. Is that deliberate?
I don't really know, sorry. It certainly isn't deliberate.
You hold the pick more flat not edging like metal shredders right?I mean it s hard with flat picking.Playing with straight thumb is hard isn t it?
I don't know? That's just the way I do that :)
@@JensLarsen ok.Your channel is so good for everyone every level.Rick beato and you.
@@merttalay9702 Thank you very much! :) Glad to hear it (and to be mentioned together with Rick)
Hi Jens, amazing video, great exercises! However I don't understand why for the first exercise, you say "do alternate picking for each voicing"? Isn't it better to just do downstroke on the 5th string everytime? Could you explain please?
No, it isn't better if you want to develop your ability to play alternate picking freely for anything you want to play. I would think that was fairly obvious?
Yes, I'm laughing at myself because it was quite obvious. Thanks for your reply!
Hi jens. I have been playing guitar for 20 years and I guess I have intermediate level. I have been using economy picking but now I am trying to learn alternate picking. It feels like I have to learn how to walk all over again. I am unable to do anything with it besides go super slow and when I speed up I revert to my old way fast and then I get very frustrated and start swearing like a sailor. What amount of time do you advice to learn this and incorporate it in my daily practise routine? Thanks a lot for all your lessons, everything is really helpfull...kind regards Rogier
Thanks Rogier! That is difficult to say. I would start with more basic scale and diatonic 3rds and triad exercises, and then just be patient. Work on it in a tempo where you have control and then it will eventually become more natural and a lot easier to do. From there it will probably make it into your playing by itself.
@@JensLarsen thanks for the advice, I think I will start with some basic scales . I can really see the advantage from alternate picking once you get it down. Thanks again man, I really appreciate..:)
In Jazz, what do you end up using more often: economy picking or alternate picking?
I want to focus on one type of picking first
Then focus on alternate picking, that is more flexible for phrasing
@@JensLarsen I appreciate your response! I naturally economy pick when I am not thinking. Should I unlearn that first?
Is the picking in exercise 1:
Down up down - down up down - etc
Or
Down up down - up down up - etc
It is alternate picking, so down up down up down up ☺️
Very good lesson Jens!, but where can I play really cool edgy melodic E Phrygian dominant scales or lead solo guitar 🎸 Tabs ?? 😨😰
+Bub7*7*7 T. On an E7? 😁
Jens Larsen Hmmm 🤔 perhaps so ? 😰
Does the blue material at the top of the neck perform any function, specifically muting of the strings, or is it purely decorative?
If he needs a hair tie, it's very handy.
what fingers go where?? Im lost with that.. Just starting, about 7 weeks in.
+marcus fernandez If you are only playing guitar for 7 weeks you should find some other exercises that fit where you are now. You can always return to this later ☺️ Have fun on the guitar journey!
do you angle or slant your pick?
+Rodolfo Amaral Not consequently in one direction as fat as I know ☺️
@7:20 Nick Valensi anyone ?
The strokes? Haha! That's a first! Thanks! 🙂
Jens Larsen Yeah😊 I said it because the exercise reminded me of his picking pattern or his way of doing solos in a few TheStrokes songs. Great lesson btw!
Jens , do you find it easier to improvise with your eyes closed?
No, but it doesn't really matter 🙂
I might be an intuitive musician since i can't play by structure, i know it sounds weird to others , but it is music for me . does this qualify as a bad mentality?
I have no idea what you are trying to say?
Do i see a srv inspired strat in the back!!???? That lefty gold trem niiiiiice
Indeed! a '92 SRV strat :)
when john campbell teach about guitar technique...btw great lesson!!
Thank you! Would you rather I made lessons on Economics?!
yess sir..i would like if u talk about it n show how its work..im working on it now..thanks!
Ok, but I am a guitarist, not a Professor in Economy like John Campbell 😁 If I get a degree in that I will start a YT channel I promise!
haha..okay..we'll waiting for that..keep it up for a great lesson video..😀
sir,your lessons is very good,but tab is not clear
Do you mean hard to read? Because that sounds like you are not watching in HD?
That was a drop 3 maj 7 not drop 2
+Matt Burns what are you referring to?
They put a "jazz guitar tutorial add" in front of your video. Doesn't seem right..
They know what you are looking for :)
Why 18 stupid people don’t like this?it’s also free!!In Italy we say:”It’s like giving pearls to pigs”
Thank you 🙂 Don't worry too much about it
th-cam.com/video/h7Vrhi8am_U/w-d-xo.html - Does it seem to you that Joe picks each note separately here (at 0:53 in the clip) - or does some pulling-off and hammering-on help him out? I often play this little run - still slower than Joe...
alternate is all about right hand. and you show nothin` about it.
These exercises worked for me and I did not need to see any close up of the right hand. They also work for my students, but maybe they are not for you
@@JensLarsen Please tell me how you play 3 notes per string (alternate picking) what is your right hand doin when you go from 6 to 5,from 5 to 4 string, etc. Pick slanting or something else? Thanx!
@@birdybutch I don't really know. I just play it, and these exercises made me a lot faster, be more precise, and have a better tone. And that is also what I see in my (real-life) students that are working on it.
Are you sure that you are not getting lost in trying to find an easy formula instead of actually doing the work?
@@JensLarsen Sure. After of 15 years of bad playing I just wanna know the most efficient ways
@@birdybutch I can't tell how or how much you practice, so that's difficult for me to comment on