Economy Picking & Speed
Building clean fast lines
Economy Picking
Economy picking combines alternate picking with sweep picking. The rule: when moving to an adjacent string in the same direction, continue the pick stroke (sweep) instead of reversing (alternating).
Moving from string 5 to string 4 with a downstroke? Continue down. Moving from string 3 to string 4 with an upstroke? Continue up.
This eliminates the "hop" of strict alternate picking when crossing strings in the same direction. The result is fewer wasted motions and higher potential speed.
When to Use Each
Alternate picking: best for patterns that stay on one string or zigzag between non-adjacent strings. Gives even, mechanical precision.
Economy picking: best for scalar passages that move across adjacent strings in one direction. More fluid, slightly less even.
Legato: best for smooth, flowing lines where you want minimal pick attack.
Most advanced players use a combination of all three, choosing based on the musical context. There's no single "right" technique — the goal is to have options.
Tab Examples
Economy picking through a scale
↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ e--5--8------5--8------- B-----------5--8---------- G--------------------5--7- D------------------------- A------------------------- E-------------------------
Tips
- Economy picking = alternate picking + sweeps when crossing adjacent strings
- It feels more natural for scale runs than strict alternate picking
- Combine with legato for maximum speed with minimum effort
- There's no single "right" picking technique — develop all three
Practice Exercises
- Play a major scale using economy picking — sweep when crossing strings in the same direction
- Compare: play the same scale with strict alternate picking, then economy picking — feel the difference
- Practice 3-note-per-string scales with economy picking at slow tempo
- Combine economy picking with legato for maximum speed