Tremolo picking is a fairly simple technique. But we’ve shown several times in this series of guitar articles published on Associated Content that simple techniques can be catapulted into the difficult and extreme range simply by approaching them in a different way. Let’s do the same thing with tremolo picking.
First, what is it exactly? Well, to execute tremolo picking you simply pick a certain note as fast as possible without hitting any other notes. Tremolo picking is also called “double picking” on occasion. To tremolo pick a note you should rapidly hit it anywhere from 16 to 32 times, I would guess, although there aren’t any hard and fast rules. In most tablature, ‘///’ is the symbol for tremolo picking and that’s the one we’ll be using as well. If you can already perform speed picking, then tremolo picking should be simple. All that is required is to pick one note as fast as possible on a single guitar string. Of course you can change to other notes whenever you want, but for it to qualify as tremolo picking you should pick a note numerous times before switching to another one. Tremolo picking is employed for a few different reasons in music but mainly it is to generate a ‘speedy’ sound; and it can also be used to sustain notes that would normally stop sounding out or that wouldn’t normally be heard over many other instruments.
Gypsy music and flamenco music are both types of music that employ tremolo picking (mandolin players use it frequently also, but I am dealing mainly with guitar music in this article so mandolins won’t be discussed); but tremolo picking is a technique that turns up in many different styles of music, usually Latin in origin, but also Eastern European and American as well – many bluegrass players employ tremolo picking, and of course rock-n-roll and heavy metal players use it also.
Before we get to our first lick, I want to tell you how Eddie Van Halen sometimes performs tremolo picking. Even though most often it is performed by simply picking the string in the normal way with one’s wrist close to the bridge in the normal position, Edward Van Halen would (occasionally – he also performed it in the normal way) arch his wrist over the strings with the pick clamped into his stationary fingers, then flick his wrist back and forth as quickly as possible while hitting only one string and muting the others with his fretting hand. It was sort of a flamenco method, I believe. Again, he also did tremolo picking the normal way at times, but when he arched his wrist above the guitar it would sound a lot faster. You can try that method if you like, but for my tremolo picking I just pick it in the normal fashion, which is alternate picking rapidly back and forth and up and down.
Moving down (or up) a single string while of course following a particular scale is one way to do tremolo picking effectively. Try to maintain a consistent volume and rhythm to the notes, meaning, do not emphasize one note over any of the others. Below is a tremolo picking lick that uses the A Aeolian mode and ascends the B string.
B String: {-5-6-8-|-12-13-15-17-20-22-}
(Notice the ‘///’ symbol which is traditionally used to indicate tremolo picking. Also note that one or two notes of the true A Aeolian mode are skipped.) Another thing you can do to make tremolo picking more challenging is to play various triads on different strings. Switching back and forth between strings while tremolo picking is harder than simply remaining on one string the entire time; and it will also help create more interesting harmonies in your solos. Here is a simple E minor 7th triad tremolo picked:
D string: |-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-| G string: |-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-| B string: |-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-|-8s10~-|
I didn’t use the /// symbol to denote tremolo picking above, instead I just listed 12 notes per bar, when in reality you should pick much faster to get 16th notes or higher.
Try tremolo picking the triads and chords below. (The first may not qualify as actual “triads,” I just took three main notes from the chord.) These do have the /// symbol.
E major (triad?):
D string: |-14-///–| G string: |–13-///–| B string:|-12-///-|-12s16~–|
You can also tremolo pick entire chords, such as a F# ninth:
A string: |-9-///–| D string:-8-///–| G string:|–9-///–| B String:|–9-///–| High E string:|–9-///-7-|
Now we’ll have a more traditional tremolo picking lick. This one sticks to one string and sounds quite speedy.
High E string: |-17-///-18-17-15-17-///-17-///-18-17-15-17-///-|
This one is in G minor. You tremolo pick the 17th fret for a while with your middle finger, then play the descending 18-17-15 with ring, middle, and index fingers. You can move this lick around to any other key, of course. Concerning the descending triplet in the middle of the tremolo picking, you don’t have to worry about hitting the single notes only one time. Just cram them in as fast as your fingers will move.
Speaking of cramming in notes. Here is another lick that is one of my favorites, although it is not a true tremolo picking lick, yet it’s similar in nature:
A string, with palm muting: |-3-4-5-3-4-5-4-5-6-4-5-6-|-5-6-7-5-6-7-6-7-8-6-7-8-| Still on A string: |-7-8-9-7-8-9-8-9-10-8-9-10-|-9-10-11-9-10-11-10-11-12-10-11-12-|
This example requires a little explanation. Even though I have tabulated it as if you are playing the notes in a 1-2-3 finger pattern and shifting positions up the neck, your true goal with this lick is to play it as fast as possible while moving your fingers and shifting upward but not worrying about hitting every single note. You are going to be muting with your picking hand as your tremolo pick and move your fingers up the neck, but you should really be “cramming” in the notes while playing and not caring about the exact execution of every note. The muting and chromatics will take over most of what you hear when it’s played superfast and the lick will achieve its effect of a tension-building sound.
All kinds of variations are possible with tremolo picking. What other licks can you come up with?
Reference:
On Tremolo Picking,” How to Become a Guitar Player from Hell, Jason Earls, Pleroma Publications, 2007.
