Alternate Picking
All of the songs you have played so far have involved a downward pick motion. The common symbol for a downstroke looks like this a. Notice that the left side of the picking symbol is thicker than the right side. Do not confuse the picking symbol with the strum symbol O (for strumming chords). With the introduction of eighth notes, the technique of down and up (s) picking is used. This is called alternate picking, and is essential for the development of speed and accuracy. In alternate picking, use a down pick on the beat (the number count) and an up pick off the beat (the 'and' count)
The following exercise combines eighth notes with other note values. Listen to the recording to hear the correct timing for this exercise and give special attention to the suggested pick motion.
You can now try some basic melodies that use the eighth note.
The Eighth Rest
This symbol is an eighth rest.
It indicates half a beat of silence.
If a rest comes after you have played a note, you must stop the note sounding. To do this, lift your finger off the fret but keep it lightly touching the string. To stop an open string sounding, lightly touch it with any finger of your left hand.
In the following melody an eighth rest appears on the first beat of bars 1, 3, 5 and 7.
First and Second Endings
The following melody contains first and second endings. The first time you play through the song, play the first ending, (Z), then go back to the beginning. The second time you play through the song, play the second ending (X) instead of the first.
In the following melody "The William Tell Overture" play the first eight bars, then repeat from the beginning but don't play bar 8 the second time through, but instead go to bar 9. This melody also begins on the fourth beat of a bar with two lead-in notes. This melody also has only three beats in the last bar because the last three beats and the two lead-in notes at the beginning of the song add up to one complete bar (i.e., 4 beats).
