Lesson 1: Alternate Picking
Down-up picking for speed without effort ·
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- I can alternate-pick eighth notes on one string.
- I can keep alternating across string changes.
- I can play 'Commuter Line'.
🕸Alternate Picking Drill3 min
- On open string 1, pick down-up-down-up in even eighths.
- Move to strings 2 and 3 without changing the motion.
- Tiny motions — the pick barely clears the string each way.
✋The Alternate Rule5 min
- Downstrokes on the beat, upstrokes on the 'and' — no exceptions yet.
- If you stop, restart on a down. The hand learns the map fast.
- Speed comes from small motions, not fast muscles.
🥁Count It3 min
- Count the rhythm out loud before you play.
- Turn on Counts or the metronome and lock in with it.
- Loop it slowly first; speed comes on its own.
📖Play It7 min
- Read it slowly and cleanly the first time through.
- Drag-select any tricky spot and loop it.
- Use the tempo slider — move up only when it's clean.
🎵Commuter Line7 min
- Play 'Commuter Line' at 70% tempo, strict picking.
- The slider up 5 BPM per clean pass — the Tempo Ladder does this automatically.
👂Train Your Ear2 min
- Press play on any line above, look away, and listen once through.
- Hum the first bar back, then find it on the guitar by ear.
✨Make It Yours3 min
- Take one idea from this lesson and bend it — change a rhythm, reorder the chords.
- Play your version twice so it sticks.
MY ENDING (write or describe it):
⭐Practice Tracker
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 |
|---|
| Commuter Lineonce through, daily | | | | | |
| Alternate Pickingclean & steady | | | | | |
| Metronome onat least one exercise | | | | | |
| My own variationmake one up | | | | | |
★ Check off each day you play — ten focused minutes counts. Consistency beats marathon sessions.
🍎Teacher Guide
PREP
- Alternate Picking: Down-up picking for speed without effort
COMMON MISTAKES & FIXES
- Rushing ahead of the beat. → Fix: Turn the metronome on and drop the tempo until it feels easy.
- Buzzing or muted notes. → Fix: Press just behind the fret with the fingertip, thumb relaxed behind the neck.
IF STRUGGLING
- Drop the tempo well below comfortable and loop one bar.
- Play just the chord changes (or just the rhythm) before combining.
IF ADVANCED
- Bring it to full tempo with the metronome.
- Add your own variation — a different rhythm, an extra chord.
EXTENSIONS
- Apply tonight's skill to a song you already love.
TALKING POINTS
- You're building real technique — the same fundamentals every guitarist runs on.
✅Assessment
Tap one level per skill — saved on this device.
AccuracyPlays the right notes and chords.
TimingKeeps a steady beat.
ToneNotes and strums ring clean and clear.