ALTERNATE PICKING
Utilisation of ALL skills learned within the modules to connect all the strings together along with advanced string slipping sequences
This content is exclusive to My Method.
1. Opening Up The Whole Neck With G Major
Ben explains that all this detailed alternate picking work is about building a solid foundation, connecting the pick and fretting hand while learning scale positions across the neck. By practising efficiently and linking positions, Ben shows you can develop technique, memorise the fretboard, and eventually play more freely and musically.
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2. Applying It to All G Major
Ben says the next step is to stop seeing scales as one fixed box and start learning all seven three-note-per-string positions across the neck. The goal is to connect them, recognise where the root notes are in each shape, and practise moving between positions so Ben can use them both for technique and for real musical phrasing. It takes time, but once those shapes are memorised, they can be moved to any key and become a foundation for faster playing, improvisation and understanding the whole fretboard.
This content is exclusive to My Method.
3. Static 7 Positions
Ben says this stage is about learning all seven three-note-per-string positions as individual shapes, not just as one long pattern. The aim is to practise them statically, memorise how each shape feels under the fingers, and understand how they connect across the neck. Ben explains that this groundwork can feel repetitive, but it is what builds the freedom to move around the fretboard, improvise, write melodies, and eventually play over changes without getting lost.
This content is exclusive to My Method.
4. Free Roaming and Universal Exercise
Ben introduces a free-roaming practice exercise where the goal is to keep alternate picking going continuously while moving around the neck through three-note-per-string shapes. Rather than repeating fixed patterns, Ben uses this to connect positions, expose weak spots, and build real control between both hands. It is not about sounding polished. It is about staying in key, recovering when mistakes happen, and gradually learning to move freely across the fretboard without stopping.
This content is exclusive to My Method.
5. The Forbidden Excercise
Ben ends this section with the “perfect crossover” exercise, a tough but useful pattern that links three-note-per-string playing into two-note-per-string ideas. He sees it as an important final building block because it develops string crossing, picking control, and rhythmic feel, even if it is a cliché pattern. The goal is not just speed, but using these sequences to expose weak spots and build the technical foundation needed for more advanced playing.
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