Off-Beat in Alternate Picking Example:

Please watch video above for detailed info:

Hi Guys,

Today, just a quick look at alternate picking phrases on the off-beat.

In this short example, we will pick in 16th’s and cross the string on the off-beat as we do.

So, if we look at the example below we can see the notes in red on the “a”. The last note of each 4 note [tetrachord] grouping.

I am starting this phrase with an anacrusis/up-beat and an “Up” stroke.

This means, that the first beat will be on a down stroke and so the phrase will cross on the last 16th off-beat note.

This makes the phrase easy to pluck and the off beat pushes the music along.

I set this little phrase up with a couple 7sus4 chords. These being F/G and G/A

To round off this line, I finished with a fragment of basic major scale descending starting on a downstroke.

And cadenced with G/A A7 D/E as a ii V I.