Alternate Picking

from: Old-Time Mandolin with John Reischman

This lesson is part of the course Old-Time Mandolin with John Reischman.

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 old-time fiddle tunes and song melodies with mandolin master John Reischman. Includes advice on picking technique and playing old-time rhythm on the mandolin.

Try a Sample Lesson

Little Liza Jane

John adds a drone string to much of the melody of the B part of “Little Liza Jane,” and the first phrase begins with a clawhammer-style rhythm. John walks you through it phrase by phrase and then shows you how to find the melody of the A part an octave up the neck.

Try a sample lesson

The Old-Time Mandolin Subscription Includes:

• In-depth lessons on playing mandolin in an old-time style
• New lessons added every month
• Right- and left-hand technique lessons
• High-quality video with multiple camera angles so you can see close-ups of both hands in action
• Detailed notation and tablature for each tune
• Play-Along videos so you can play along with John
• Downloadable audio MP3s of each tune

$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 JohnLand at checkout

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

Alternate Picking

John explains the basic picking technique you’ll use to play the tunes in his Old-Time Mandolin course: alternate picking. In this technique, you play downstrokes on the beats (1, 2, 3, 4) and “alternate” them with upstrokes on the “ands” of the beat.