Picking Accuracy and Single-Note Playing

When to read this: Session 4 assigns this handout. Read it after the session: the reading is not part of the session’s 50 minutes. Read “Pick Grip for Single-Note Picking”, “The Picking Motion” and “Level 1 — Single-String Picking (From Session 4)” (about 5 minutes).

What You’ll Learn

This handout covers the mechanics of picking individual strings accurately with a pick — targeting a specific string without hitting adjacent strings. You will learn alternate picking (down-up-down-up on single strings), string crossing (moving the pick between strings), and exercises that build the precision needed for playing melodies, riffs, and scale runs.

Why This Matters

Strumming hits all (or most) strings at once. Picking targets one string at a time. Melodies, riffs like “Come As You Are,” scale passages, and all single-note playing depend on your ability to land the pick on exactly the right string. Poor picking accuracy means accidentally sounding wrong notes, skipping strings, or producing a messy jumble of sound. Clean picking is what separates playing a recognisable melody from playing noise.

The Technique Explained

Pick Grip for Single-Note Picking

The grip is the same as for strumming — thumb pad on one side, side of index finger on the other, 5-8mm of pick tip exposed. However, for picking accuracy:

1. Your grip can be slightly firmer than for strumming. The pick should not flex or twist when it strikes a single string.
2. The pick tip strikes the string with a slight angle — about 10-15 degrees, so the pick glides through rather than catching.
3. Only the very tip of the pick passes through the string. If you dig in too deep, the pick gets trapped between strings.

The Picking Motion

Single-note picking uses a much smaller motion than strumming:

1. The motion comes from the wrist and thumb-index fingers, and it is far smaller than a strum. Think of turning a doorknob by just 1-2cm.
2. Your hand hovers close to the target string. For string 1 (high e) it sits nearer the floor; for string 6 (low E) it sits nearer the ceiling. Your forearm rests on the top edge of the guitar’s body. For single notes the heel of your hand may touch the bridge lightly behind the saddle, never on the strings. (The bridge is the wooden piece on the body where the strings are fixed; the saddle is the thin strip on it that the strings pass over.) Do not press down or lock the hand in place. If notes sound dull, your hand has crept onto the strings.
3. Rest stroke vs free stroke: In a rest stroke, after a downstroke the pick comes to rest against the next thinner string (towards the floor). On string 1 there is no next string: let the pick stop just past it. In a free stroke, the pick passes through and stops in the air. Use rest strokes only for slow downstroke practice; when you alternate down and up, the pick swings free.

Alternate Picking

Alternate picking means strictly alternating between downstrokes and upstrokes: down, up, down, up — regardless of which string you are on. This is the foundation of efficient picking.

• Downstroke (marked “D” in the Pick row under a TAB): The pick moves toward the floor.
• Upstroke (marked “U” in the Pick row): The pick moves toward the ceiling.
• The rule: always alternate. Even if you skip a beat, the next pick stroke follows the alternating pattern.

Exercises

Level 1 — Single-String Picking (From Session 4)

Goal: Develop accurate, even alternate picking on one string at a time.

String: Start on string 1 (high e), open Fret: None (open string) Fingers: Picking hand only Tempo: Start at 60 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes), and raise it 5 BPM at a time to 80 BPM. Then two notes per click (eighth notes) at 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 BPM. Duration: About 3 minutes (two rounds of the six strings at 60 BPM)

1. Set your metronome to 60 BPM.
2. Pick string 1: down, up, down, up — one stroke per click. Each stroke should be equal in volume and tone.
3. After 8 beats (2 measures), move to string 2. Repeat 8 beats.
4. Continue through all 6 strings, then reverse back: string 6 to string 1.

e|------0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0---|
B|----------------------|-------------------|
G|----------------------|-------------------|
D|----------------------|-------------------|
A|----------------------|-------------------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|
Pick:   D   U   D   U       D   U   D   U

e|----------------------|-------------------|
B|------0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0---|
G|----------------------|-------------------|
D|----------------------|-------------------|
A|----------------------|-------------------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|
Pick:   D   U   D   U       D   U   D   U

(Continue in the same way on strings 3, 4, 5 and 6.)

What it should feel like: The motion is tiny — barely visible to someone watching. Your wrist rotates just enough for the pick tip to pass through the string. There should be zero tension in your forearm. If your arm feels tight, your motion is too big or your grip too tight. If your hand cramps, stop for today.

What it should sound like: Every note should have the same volume and attack. Down and up strokes should sound identical. If upstrokes are weaker or thinner, you are angling the pick differently on the upstroke — keep the angle consistent in both directions.

Level 2 — String Crossing (From Session 4)

Goal: Move the pick accurately between adjacent strings without hitting the wrong string.

Strings: Pairs — 1st and 2nd, then 2nd and 3rd, then 3rd and 4th, etc. Fret: Open strings (no fretting hand) Tempo: Start at 50 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes). Course target: 60 BPM, raised 5 BPM at a time. After the course: up to 70 BPM. Duration: 5 minutes

Pattern 1 — Adjacent string pairs:

e|------0-------0-------|---0-------0-------|
B|----------0-------0---|-------0-------0---|
G|----------------------|-------------------|
D|----------------------|-------------------|
A|----------------------|-------------------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|
Pick:   D   U   D   U       D   U   D   U

Pick the 1st string (down), then the 2nd string (up), then the 1st (down), then the 2nd (up). Maintain strict alternate picking. The challenge is keeping the pick accurate as it moves between strings.

Pattern 2 — Skip a string:

e|------0-------0-------|---0-------0-------|
B|----------------------|-------------------|
G|----------0-------0---|-------0-------0---|
D|----------------------|-------------------|
A|----------------------|-------------------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|
Pick:   D   U   D   U       D   U   D   U

Picking the 1st string then skipping the 2nd to pick the 3rd string. This is harder because the pick must travel farther without accidentally hitting the 2nd string.

What it should feel like: Your hand shifts slightly up or down to reach the target string. The motion is smooth and controlled. String crossing should feel like guiding the pick to a target, not jumping or lunging. If you overshoot and hit wrong strings, slow down — accuracy beats speed.

What it should sound like: Only the target string sounds. No accidental notes from adjacent strings. Each note is clean and distinct. If you hear two strings ringing at once, you are not targeting precisely enough — slow down and focus on landing on exactly one string.

Level 3 — Melody Picking with Fretting (From Session 4)

Goal: Combine picking accuracy with fretting hand coordination to play simple melodies.

The exercise below is a four-note run (open, fret 1, fret 2, fret 3) up and back down on the 1st string, then the same on the 2nd string.

Strings: 1st and 2nd Frets: Open, 1, 2, 3 Fingers (fretting hand): 1 on fret 1, 2 on fret 2, 3 on fret 3 Tempo: Start at 50 BPM, one note per click (quarter notes). Course target: 60 BPM, raised 5 BPM at a time. After the course: up to 70 BPM. Duration: 5 minutes

e|------0---1---2---3---|---3---2---1---0---|
B|----------------------|-------------------|
G|----------------------|-------------------|
D|----------------------|-------------------|
A|----------------------|-------------------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|
Pick:   D   U   D   U       D   U   D   U

e|----------------------|-------------------|
B|------0---1---2---3---|---3---2---1---0---|
G|----------------------|-------------------|
D|----------------------|-------------------|
A|----------------------|-------------------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|
Pick:   D   U   D   U       D   U   D   U

1. Pick the 1st string open (down). Then fret 1 with finger 1, pick (up). Fret 2 with finger 2, pick (down). Fret 3 with finger 3, pick (up).
2. Descend: fret 3 (down), fret 2 (up), fret 1 (down), open (up).
3. Move to the 2nd string and repeat.
4. Maintain strict alternate picking throughout.

What it should feel like: Both hands work together — the fretting finger lands just before (or simultaneously with) the pick stroke. If the fret finger lands after the pick, you hear a brief open-string note before the fretted note. Synchronise by slowing down until both hands move as one.

What it should sound like: A smooth run up and back down with each note ringing clearly. No open-string bleed between fretted notes. No buzzing: if a note buzzes, move the fingertip right up behind the fret wire before you add any pressure. The rhythm should be even — no note shorter or longer than the others.

Bonus — “Come As You Are” Riff Picking Exercise (From Session 4)

The Session 4 riff is a perfect real-world picking accuracy exercise.

Excerpt, slowed down: the two-measure guitar riff that opens the song, on the same strings and frets as the published transcription (the notes are not simplified). Played far slower than the record and, in standard tuning, a whole step higher. Not yet play-tested.

Credits: Written by Kurt Cobain. Recorded by Nirvana on Nevermind (1991).

Strings: 6th and 5th Frets: 0, 1, 2 Fingers: 1 on fret 1, 2 on fret 2 Tempo: the Session 4 tempo ladder; course target 60 BPM, two notes per click (the record is at 120 BPM)

"Come As You Are" - intro riff (three pick-up notes, then 2 measures that repeat)
e|------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G|------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|------------------|-----------0-------0---------------|-------2---------------2-----------|
E|------0---0---1---|---2-----------2-------2---2---1---|---0-------0---0-----------0---1---|
Count:  &   4   &       1  (&)  2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &  (3)  &   4   &
Pick:   U   D   U       D       D   U   D   U   D   U       D   U   D   U       U   D   U

The three pick-up notes are played once only, at the very start; after them, repeat the two measures. On the two counts in brackets, (&) in measure 1 and (3) in measure 2, do not pick: say the count and let the note before it keep ringing. Focus on crossing cleanly between the 6th and 5th strings without striking the 4th.

What it should feel like: Your picking hand hovers steadily over the 6th and 5th strings. The fret hand presses lightly — only minimum pressure. Both hands are relaxed.

What it should sound like: The riff, slowly; in standard tuning it sounds a whole step higher than the recording. Each note is distinct and clean. No adjacent strings ringing accidentally.

Common Mistakes

1. Using too much pick depth. If the pick digs more than 2-3mm past the string, it gets caught between strings and produces a clunky sound. Let just the tip pass through the string.
2. Inconsistent down and up volumes. Upstrokes are naturally weaker for most beginners. Consciously practise making upstrokes the same volume as downstrokes. This takes weeks — keep at it.
3. Moving the entire arm to change strings. String crossing should come from a small hand/wrist adjustment, not an arm movement. Keep your forearm resting on the top edge of the guitar’s body.
4. Fretting and picking out of sync. If you hear a brief open-string note before each fretted note, your fretting finger is landing late. Practise very slowly and focus on both hands moving simultaneously.
5. Neglecting the thicker strings (4, 5 and 6). Many exercises focus on the thinner strings because they are easier to pick. Make sure you practise on the 4th, 5th, and 6th strings equally — these are used for bass lines, riffs, and power chords.
6. Tensing the picking hand. If your hand tenses up after a few minutes, you are gripping too hard or your motion is too large. Reset: loosen the grip, make the motion smaller, slow down.

Injury Prevention

• Picking exercises concentrate the work in the thumb and index finger. If the fleshy area between your thumb and index finger feels tired, take a break; if it aches, stop for today. This area tires quickly with intensive single-note work.
• Alternate picking at high speed strains the wrist. Only increase tempo by 5 BPM at a time. If your wrist starts to feel tight at a new tempo, drop back 10 BPM and stay there for a few more practice sessions before trying again.
• Rest strokes suit slow downstroke practice because the pick is stopped by the next string instead of by your hand. Use rest strokes only for slow downstroke practice; when you alternate down and up, the pick swings free.
• Steel-string consideration: The Saga SF-600C-BK’s steel strings have more tension than nylon strings. Picking through steel strings requires slightly more force, which means fatigue arrives sooner. Keep single-note picking practice to 10-minute blocks with breaks.
• Watch for “pick grip cramp.” If the muscles of your thumb seize up, you are holding the pick too tightly. Set the pick down: a hand that cramps means stop for today. Next time, hold the pick more loosely.
• Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.

Equipment Notes

• Pick thickness for single-note playing: Your medium pick (0.71 to 0.88 mm) is fine for single-note picking. If you also own a heavier pick (about 1.0 mm), try it here: it flexes less and gives a cleaner attack.
• Pick tip shape: A pointed or sharp-tipped pick crosses strings more easily than a rounded tip. For single-note accuracy, a standard teardrop with a moderately pointed tip works well.
• String condition: Old, corroded steel strings feel rough under the pick and resist smooth picking. If your strings feel gritty or produce a dull tone, fresh strings will improve pick response noticeably. Wipe your strings with a dry cloth after every practice session to extend their life.
• Intonation check: When you fret a note and it sounds slightly “off” compared to the same open string, the guitar’s intonation may need adjustment. This is common on beginner acoustics. A professional setup can address this. For now, if notes sound slightly off at higher frets, focus exercises on the first 5 frets where intonation is more reliable.