Economy Picking

Combine alternate picking with sweep picking for efficient string crossing—the best of both worlds.

Economy picking: Use alternate picking on the same string, but sweep (one continuous motion) when changing strings. More efficient than strict alternate picking.

Economy Picking vs. Alternate Picking

Alternate Picking (Strict):

e|---5-6-7-8------------|
B|-----------5-6-7-8----|
    ∏ V ∏ V   ∏ V ∏ V

Downstroke on string change = inefficient

Economy Picking:

e|---5-6-7-8------------|
B|-----------5-6-7-8----|
    ∏ V ∏ ∏   V ∏ V ∏

Continue downstroke motion across strings = efficient

Three-Note-Per-String with Economy

G major scale (3NPS):
e|---12-14-15-------------|
B|------------12-13-15----|
    ∏  V  ∏    ∏  V  ∏

Sweep on string changes for speed

Practice Tips

• Practice slowly to build muscle memory

• Use metronome, increase speed gradually

• Study Frank Gambale, Eric Johnson for economy picking technique