*NOTICE* This is mainly for beginners and slight advanced players that wants definitions and techniques better explained.
Introduction
Hello again MetalHeads if your reading this for a metal practice lesson. This is my second lesson in the Metal Madness series if you read my first one *Thanks* if not I covered so metal basics tips and advice like palm muting, power cords, hammer ons and pull offs, and drop tunings in the style of majority metal music. Some thought I should put more tabs in the new lesson I did this time but further into my series I will but fundamentals first guys. So lets learn the basic picking styles for HEAVY METAL!
Alternate Picking
Alternate picking is basically... (Alternating) your pick strokes on a set of strings or chord. Alternate picking does two great examples that I know of A.It gives the chord or arpeggio <-- a chord broken into a series or notes rather then playing them all at once --> a certain timbre <-- a tone color or a almost voice like part in music --> B. It takes less motion to get the same amount of speed. I will show 2 examples of each advantage.
V=downstroke
^=upstroke
Here is a good example I know of that represents the timbre advantage in a song.
"Living Dead Girl" by Rob Zombie drop D
V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------------------
G---------------------------------------------------------------------------
D---4-4-4\2----4-4-4\2----4-4-4\2---4\7-7-7--0------------------------------
A---4-4-4\2----4-4-4\2----4-4-4\2---4\7-7-7--0------------------------------
D---4-4-4\2----4-4-4\2----4-4-4\2---4\7-7-7--0--------------------REPEAT----
See how you kinda have to like... Twitch your right hand to get it to play the part in the correct speed? Alternate picking is just to occupy the upstroke space when downstokeing to eliminate excessive hand stress. Believe me I knew what it was but I never tried it, it gave me a total ADVANTAGE when playing a speed song in chords or a arpeggio. Try this next one to see how smoothly alternate picking can be.
"
Kashmir"
Led Zeppelin drop d
V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ v ^
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------------------
G----2-2-2--3-3-3--3-3-3--4-4-4--4-4-4--5-5-5--5-5-5--7-7-7-----REPEAT------
D----0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0-----REPEAT------
A----5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5-----REPEAT------
D---------------------------------------------------------------REPEAT------
See Kashmir flows alot smoother then just by playing down strokes. It conserves the wasted motion by filling in the unused part of the upstroke.
Now we go to the B. Advantage (SPEED)
Here is the intro riff to "Enter Sandman" by Metallica
V ^ V ^ V ^ V ^
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------------------
G----------0----------------------------------------------------------------
D---------------------------------PLAY-3-TIMES------------------------------
A--------7------------------------------------------------------------------
E----0-0-----------6-5-----0-0----------------------------------------------
A very simple riff that has made its way unto one of metals greatest songs. The ingenious part of this riff is that how great it goes with alternate picking.
Here is a good one for you if you can play this at correct speed which I believe the tempo is about 160 bpm you have got alternate picking down pretty quick I would say.
"The Trooper" Iron Maiden
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------------------
G---------------------------------------------------------------------------
D---------------------------------------------5-----------------------------
A----7-7-7-5------5-5-5-3------3-3-3-2------5---5-7-------------------------
E-------------7------------5------------3---------------------------REPEAT--
Now to be in my situation like how I mentioned above try playing this using down strokes? I was like wtf how do you do this! Then I realized what to do playing around one day in drop d and I came back up on the upstroke and I didn't think much about it the first time then I was like... Hey. Then I started to do it again and I was amazed how fast I could play with such little effort especially trying to play stuff like that above. When I realized be new technique I played songs that I new before much easier and smoother then I did before alternate picking is a good technique to learn.
Economy Picking
Ah.. My favorite picking style just it is just like alternate picking but you but you bend the rules a little. Lets try the "Living Dead Girl" riff using the pattern listed above it.
V ^ V V V ^ V V V ^ V V V ^ V ^ V
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------------------
G---------------------------------------------------------------------------
D---4-4-4\2----4-4-4\2----4-4-4\2---4\7-7-7--0------------------------------
A---4-4-4\2----4-4-4\2----4-4-4\2---4\7-7-7--0------------------------------
D---4-4-4\2----4-4-4\2----4-4-4\2---4\7-7-7--0--------------------REPEAT----
See the pattern? No? Try the next one.
Here is the "Kashmir" riff with the economy picking patter listed above it. Trust me much easier.
V ^ V V ^ V V ^ V V ^ V V ^ V V ^ V V ^ V V ^ V
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------------------
G----2-2-2--3-3-3--3-3-3--4-4-4--4-4-4--5-5-5--5-5-5--7-7-7-----REPEAT------
D----0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0-----REPEAT------
A----5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5--5-5-5-----REPEAT------
D---------------------------------------------------------------REPEAT------
See how much easier and smoother it plays? Plus the timbre doesn't change much does it? Did you figure out the pattern? No? it's simply every time you start a new section in a riff or lick whatever you want to call it you start with a downstroke. The trooper riff could be played just like this but I didn't tab it just because of a test to see if you could figure it out on your own.
Tremolo Picking
prounounced trem-ah-low
Another major part of metal and well speed guitar in general. It is alternate picking on one note usually in a series on one string picked lighting fast. Its mainly used on scales in solos (try it in a C minor pentonic scale for the solo purpose) its also used in shredding 99% of the time especially if your Eddie Van Halen. Take eruption for example.
"ERUPTION" [tremolo picking part] Van Halen.
Notice I do not expect you to play this easily but it's prime example of tremolo picking. But Please Do Attempt. Plus it's very impressive to most audiences. Good Luck!
(This is all on one string so just to save space the whole tab staff will be labled E and refers to the bottom High E string only)
E--12-12-12-12-12-12-16-16-16-16-16-16-19-19-19-19-19-19-17-17-17-17-17--
E--14-14-14-14-14-17-17-17-17-14-14-14-14-16-16-16-16-12-12-12-12-12-12--
E--12-16-16-16-16-16-16-12-12-12-12-12-12-16-16-16-16-16-16-19-19-19-19--
E--19-19-17-17-17-17-14-14-14-14-17-17-17-17-14-14-14-14-16-16-16-16-12--
E--12-12-12-12-12-14-14-10-10-12-12-9-9-10-10/7-7-9-9/5-5-7-7/3-3-5-5/1--
E--1-3-3-1-1-1-1-1-1-----------------------------------------------------
Whoa that's a lot of numbers for one string if you played that or successfully got it...
Congradulations your probably gonna be the worlds next guitar hero and remember who helped you reach it.
That is one of the most well balanced rock/metal either (way you look at it, it still is bad-A) it combines hammer on and pull offs, alternate picking, tremolo picking, economy, picking, harmonics, all kinds of stuff and when you think you got metal/rock down pretty good open this tab up on Ultimate Guitar (the most accurate one is the one with the most comments) and let it discourage you and send you back to your place and weep.
Well that's all I have in the picking lesson this time. I will be soonly adding more lessons to my collection.
/ my profile 
