Alternate Picking

from: Irish Flatpicking Guitar with Flynn Cohen

This lesson is part of the course Irish Flatpicking Guitar with Flynn Cohen.

Get immediate access to this lesson and all of the lessons in this course when you subscribe.

Start Course
Browse Courses

About This Course

Learn to play traditional Irish dance tunes such as reels, jigs, and hornpipes on the guitar in the style of Paul Brady, John Doyle, Arty McGlynn, and others. With technique lessons on jig picking, triplets, and other techniques derived from traditional Irish tenor banjo playing.

Try a Sample Lesson

Tuamgraney Castle

The B part of “Tuamgraney Castle” starts with a slide up to third position. Flynn walks you through the second part of “Tuamgraney Castle” in this video.

Try a sample lesson

The Irish Flatpicking Guitar Subscription Includes:

Detailed instruction on playing Irish dance tunes in a traditional style, with advice on ornamentation, picking, and phrasing
A variety of tunes, including reels, jigs, slip jigs, hornpipes and O’Carolan tunes, with Irish-style ornamentation
New lessons added every month
High-quality video with multiple camera angles so you can see close-ups of both hands in action
Detailed notation and tablature for each lesson
Play-Along Track videos and audio downloads of Flynn playing the melodies so you can play along
Rhythm Play-Along Track videos and audio downloads of Flynn playing rhythm guitar in an Irish backup style

$20/Month For One Course

Additional courses only $10/month each! • Save 20% with an annual subscription

Start Course

Get started now!
Use promo code FlynnLand at checkout

and get your first month free or $20 off an annual subscription.

Alternate Picking

Flynn talks about the basic flatpicking technique used in 4/4, 3/4, and 2/4 time (reels, waltzes, and hornpipes) in Irish music: alternate picking, which involves alternating down- and upstrokes in a regular manner. It’s also the basic pick technique used in bluegrass, old-time music, etc. Flynn also shows you the most common scales you’ll use in Irish music: D Dorian, D Mixolydian, and D major, all played in open position. You can use these scales to practice alternate picking.

Alternate Picking Notation/Tab (Available to subscribers)

Guitar Articles

Molly Tuttle, “Good Enough” | Huss & Dalton

The songwriter, guitarist, and singer plays an original song from her new album “Rise.”

Joe K. Walsh, Jake Howard, Ethan Setiawan, Grant Gordy, and Darol Anger: “Ricochet”

Joe K. Walsh gathered mandolin compatriots together with his Mr Sun bandmates for a fun take on David Grisman’s tune “Ricochet” at the Great Lakes Music Camp this fall.

Alternate Picking

About This Course

Guitar Articles

Guitar Videos