One of the cool things about working on your guitar technique really hard is that you start to gain new insights. And these insights, although they may appear insignificant at times can actually make a huge difference to your playing. In fact, they often can make such a massive difference that you'll kick yourself that you didn't notice them sooner!
One insight in the realm of alternate picking is this...
The speed that the pick moves will not always be the same as the speed of the notes being played.
At first glance the previous sentence might seem completely wrong. I mean...shouldn't the pick move at the same speed as the notes? Many of my less advanced students think that it should...at least initially.
The Two Functions Of A Pick Motion
When you are alternate picking, every single pick motion will serve two functions...
It picks the note you are currently playing. It moves the pick to the new location in preparation for the next note.
Most guitarists are...
