Free alternate picking lick PDF

Sometimes you need a little boost to really kick those chops in the keister; and homie G, Iʼve got just the lick for you! Grab your guitar, turn off your late 50ʼs anti-communist propaganda, and get ready to move your hand up and down more times than me on an average Friday night!

Before we get on with it, letʼs get one thing straight; this lick is meant to be played with strict alternate picking technique. That means down-up-down-up for the right hand, even when crossing strings. Of course, the lick can be played with legato or a combination of a pick and legato, but for the sake of this lesson and building picking chops: use alternate picking. Once you have the licked fiercely mastered, then you c-n experiment, but NOT before.

Okay, on with the show.

The first thing we need to talk about is the timing of this lick. The run is played in sextuplets, or 16th note triplets, whichever term you prefer using. For those that arenʼt sure what that means, itʼs simply 6 notes per beat. This also determines how the notes can be grouped and visualized; as you learn the lick, take each beat and visualize the 6 note group as a tiny module. Over time youʼll see how the modules interlock with each other. Once at that point of scaler understanding, youʼll have infinite licks at your disposal.

The first section of this lick is the most tricky because it moves diagonally across the fretboard. The fingering for beat one can be done with either your pinky finger or ring finger on the 10th fret of the E and A strings; whichever suits you best is the right choice. From there, simply move the six-note groupings up to the 5th of the scale: F# on the A string. After the next 6 note grouping, jump another 5th to the C# on the D string. This is where the pattern changes, and we get a hint of the famous “Paul Gilbert” speed building lick. This is a little tricky at first, but practice everything slowly and youʼll see how the alternate picking really comes in handy when playing lines like this, and also this minor interruption in the pattern is good because it helps develop the right hand even further.

The second half of the ascending section is the exact same picking pattern for the right hand until we get to the top 2 strings. Observant students will notice how the right-hand pattern covers the bottom 4 strings and then repeats said pattern on the middle string set while moving to the highest strings. The ide- in the left hand is the same, except the pattern now starts on the D of the D string. We run into one area that needs to be mentioned when the pattern can no longer jump up a 5th, so instead, everything moves up a semitone to the next scale position where the “Paul Gilbert” idea is repeated.

The descending section is far easier in terms of right-hand execution, and fretboard visualization. Just keep chugging along with your pick and you should be fine. However, 2 things need to be mentioned. 1) If youʼre having trouble transitioning into this section, the problem could lie within your execution of the previous section and therefore needs to be corrected. 2) Although this section is more “straightforward,” take the time to practice it and similar ideas individually to make sure your hand is ready for this kind of movement.

While playing a lick such as this, make sure to highlight all of the position changes; let every moduleʼs sonic shape be heard. As always, when you master the lick, change it up! Add to it, shorten it, put it in different keys, etc. Be as creative as you possibly can; pretend youʼre a vampire and you need the information-blood from the neck of this lick.

Happy practicing, everybody! Also, wear some garlic to ward off actual vampires.