Alternating Picking

what is the point in this? it doesnt give anything a different sound, or does it?

as opposed to what?

u neeeeeeeeed it lol, u use it for lots name a song...

when ur soloing u always use alternate picking, unless its legato, tapping, or sweeping.. alternate picking is much faster than just downpicking

you must economy pick, or you just plain suck. do it. don't question it; do it. you ALWAYS move the pick the shortest distance possible.

Or he's a beginner who's trying to learn something new that could make him a better player? I agree that you should alternate pick whenever possible (which is most of the time). It will be much easier to play quickly, and accurately.

It's the best route in almost any case imaginable, but there are some instances where pure downstroking is the best idea. Some punk songs come to mind. Personally, I really don't like alternate picking on "Black Dog," why, I don't know-it just doesn't feel right. Taking that into consideration, your own feeling might be a good indicator of what you should do in a tricky situation.

I think this may be the first time I totally agree with you.

when i started i played all down strokes, then started learning alt picking. Now i learned about directional picking a while back and realized that I naturally do it. Mind i'm not super fast because i never cared about that but i do the directional picking thing.

...quick check hell, I think it just froze over!

When I started learning guitar I was dead set on only playing down strokes, but you actually make it more difficult on yourself in the long run... Like Tele says, It becomes natural.

ok thanks guys I was just under the impression it change the sound or
Something for some reason but it's a more suffient way of picking for speed.

Actually it does change the sound slightly if you listen very carefully. The down stroke appears to have more clarity. Anyone else notice this?

I said this in the economy picking topic...

Learn them both!!! Seriously.

Learn to change between them at anytime properly, it'll seriously help you.

economy picking is alternate picking + speed.

alternate picking is economy picking, only it's slower.