Economy Picking

[bannedlawl]

Could someone please explain to me, in detail, what exactly ecomnomy picking is, and all it's uses.
I've heard it's one of the 'best' ways to play, and I may learn it.

[Alive]

Alternate picking - Strictly using a down pick followed by an up pick, constantly.
Sweep picking - Using rakes across multiple strings to increase speed

Economy Picking is a sort of mixture of both. Take this for example:


--------7------
-7-8-10------

If this was alternate picked, it would be DUDU and you would have to cross over the high e string.

To use economy picking, pick it DUDD so that you follow through and don't have to waste any picking motion on changing direction.

[bannedlawl]

Oh right I usually just do that naturally.

[Hutch306]

Exactly what the second post said, it is simply what it's name states--Economical picking. It is just any other picking variation besides DUDU that makes it easier to play any song. So instead of being strictly alt. picking, it is just the easiest way for YOU to play it. It is "economical."

[poita]

Economy picking is just alternate picking but if you hit an upstroke and the next string is above then you continue the upstroke and vice versa.

It's a rather difficult technique to learn. Most people would just do strict alternate picking for scalar runs and most other playing and only use economy picking when doing sweeps over 3 or more strings.

[EDIT] For practicing economy picking. Try the start of Eugenes Trick Bag by Steve Vai, it has some nice arpeggios that lend themselves to economy picking.

[judge_gideon]

Yes, all of these explanations are correct. The way I try to teach my students is by considering adjacent strings.

Economy Picking On Adjacent Strings

If the note is ascending to an adjacent string, and the alternate pick pattern calls for an upstroke, then I would use two consecutive downstrokes.
┌───────────────────────────────┐
├───────────────────────────────┤
├───────────4───────────────────┤
├────4─5─7──d───────────────────┤
├────d─u─d──────────────────────┤
└───────────────────────────────┘

If the note is ascending to an adjacent string, and the alternate pick pattern calls for a downstroke, then I change nothing.
┌───────────────────────────────┐
├───────────────────────────────┤
├───────────4───────────────────┤
├──────5─7──d───────────────────┤
├──────d─u──────────────────────┤
└───────────────────────────────┘

If the note is descending to an adjacent string, and the alternate pick pattern calls for a downstroke, then I would use two consecutive upstrokes.
┌───────────────────────────────┐
├───────────────────────────────┤
├────5─4────────────────────────┤
├────d─u──7─────────────────────┤
├─────────u─────────────────────┤
└───────────────────────────────┘

If the note is descending to an adjacent string, and the alternate pick pattern calls for an upstroke, then I change nothing.
┌───────────────────────────────┐
├───────────────────────────────┤
├────7─5─4──────────────────────┤
├────d─u─d──7───────────────────┤
├───────────u───────────────────┤
└───────────────────────────────┘

Oh right I usually just do that naturally.
Yep, it's natural. But, sometimes you have to plan out a difficult phrase, because your pick lands in the wrong position. Plus, practicing this can dramatically increase your speed.
♪ ♫♫♪

[poita]

I'd just like to add that economy picking is incredibly effective on 3 notes per string scalar runs.

[Animus Light]

Exactly what the second post said, it is simply what it's name states--Economical picking. It is just any other picking variation besides DUDU that makes it easier to play any song. So instead of being strictly alt. picking, it is just the easiest way for YOU to play it. It is "economical."

It is NOT the easiest way for "you" to play it. It is the easiest way for anyone to play it, once they've gotten used to it. Someone could be most comfortable with straight down-picking. That is NOT economical.

Downstroke to a higher string, upstroke to a lower string, alt. picking inbetween. That's economy.

[Darkwing Duck]

economy picking + me = <3