[Niels]

Hi @Jack_B

Using upstrokes is a question of economy.
Try to play with only downstrokes, and you will realise that most of the time (such as when you are staying on the same string) you are doing an upstroke between every downstroke anyway – just to get the pick in place for the next downstroke.
So by playing on upstrokes as well you can double your picking speed.
That you cannot hear a tonal difference between the up and down stroke is just an advantage.

Wikipedia quote:

“Crosspicking is a technique for playing the mandolin or guitar using a plectrum or flatpick in a rolling, syncopated style across three strings. This style is probably best known as one element of the flatpicking style in bluegrass music, and it closely resembles a banjo roll, the main difference being that the banjo roll is fingerpicked rather than flatpicked.”

Crosspicking is often, but not necessarily, done using alternate picking,.
In this week’s daily practices Tony often use the down-down-up crosspicking technique, which is not alternate picking.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by  Niels.