PlayJazzGuitar.com Forum

[gibson175]

When saxophonists blow they rarely tongue their notes unless they are deliberately playing staccato (at least in the jazz world). Slurred legato style is the norm. Lovely. So I guess the most similar thing for us is to pick light and slur our notes as much as possible - maybe sweep also.
Trouble is sweeping does not always give us what we need for certain lines. It seems fine but alternating has some advantages.
1. Alternating is simple and uncluttered.
2. Alternating provides a strong rhythmic framework.
and disadvantages:
Notes have a more percussive attack than slurred/slid/hammered notes. Possibly leading to a mechanical feel - very different to most saxophone lines.
Sweeping has these advantages:
1. It allows more legato style playing.
2. Some passages or play can be played smoother/faster than alternating.
And disadvantages:
Not every passage can be slurred. Causing an incosistent technique.

Well, I would like some thoughts from you guys about how you practice this stuff for arpeggios, scales etc.

[wynnphillips]

I'd say you need a third category in there for people like me who mix it up. I find that diferent tunes, different emotions, different sounds, different guitars change the balance between alternate and sweep picking for me.

[dirtylobster]

Both approaches should be mastered if you're even half serious about playing the guitar.

Actually there's more; alternating, economy picking, legato (hammerons/pulloffs), sweeps etc... and stuff like sliding.

I'm finally starting to get fluent in all those areas.

I suggest you start working on them all. If you concentrate on just one technique you'll be forced to change that technique slightly (which can be troublesome) once you decide to incorporate another. Trust me, I've been there. I started out only alternating. Then it took a great while to get used to economy picking (once I realized just alternating was stupid). Sweeping required another type of technique which again forced me to make adjustments in my previous techniques to make them all blend together. Now however I don't think about it anymore, I play most stuff pretty efficiently in terms of right hand technique.

[Tung]

A good 75% of the time, I use economy picking. Sweep and alternate is important too for me. when I play rock or fusion I also exploit a lot more legato playing, especially tapping and Holdsworth style legato.
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[sunflower]

Interestingly Pat Martino's take on this is something like
'my left hand went to college , my right hand does whatever it wants'
Pats right is pretty good too !

I've noticed I'm mainly just downstrokes
with hammers/pulloffs slurs etc

I never could do the Benson alt picking thing
I love it tho , just can't do it

[Generic Sobriquet]

Erm, wrong. Saxophonists, including jazz players, tongue a lot more than you assume. Indeed, it is the norm, not the exception. There are various methods/types of tonguing. Moreover, tonguing is in fact used to produce legato.

Perhaps you don't know what tonguing actually involves. You also may be confusing some of that slurring you hear with glissando—a separate technique entirely, also not accomplished by changing fingerings while not tonguing.
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[Volume Swell]

I mostly use economy. I guess that's a form of sweeping.

[JakeJew]

I use a combo and wish my alternate picking were a lot better. I think when the time comes and you have to play something you just have to go with what works.

Although I was a die hard alternator for a while, I've realized that there are so many things I can pull off at almost twice the speed if I use a combo of hammer ons, pull offs, economy picking, sweeping, and some slides.

I'm going to make a youtube video of a technique warmup I've been doing for a few months that I feel is useful. Stay tuned!
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"Inspiration may be a form of superconsciousness, or perhaps of subconciousness - I wouldn't know. But I am sure that it is the antithesis of self-consciousness." - Aaron Copland

[JakeJew]

Another thing is that I think it's important to pay attention to the tone, articulation, accents, and rhythms produced by these various techniques. Some say that the strict-alternate pickers are too stiff for jazz and can't swing as well...i see that as somewhat valid, but it's just an issue of what you're going for and what you think of as swing.

Ex, compare Pat Martino's general time feel and articulation to Coltrane. The former is much stiffer. But there's a lot of McCoy Tyner stuff that is very staccato and even, and I think that sound can be replicated by a guitarist alternate picking.
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"Inspiration may be a form of superconsciousness, or perhaps of subconciousness - I wouldn't know. But I am sure that it is the antithesis of self-consciousness." - Aaron Copland

[JakeJew]