The Cracking the Code Pickslanting Primer is the essential introduction to guitar picking technique.

We teach you the technical concepts that underlie fast and accurate picking — and we break down the actual techniques of legendary players like Yngwie Malmsteen, Eric Johnson, Michael Angelo Batio, and more.

Your purchase includes video lessons, detailed “how-to” tutorial chapters, dozens of example clips in ultra-revealing 120fps slow-motion video, and complete tablature in PDF and Guitar Pro.

The complete package includes 30 video tutorial chapters, 5 hours of lessons, and over 75 slow-mo video tablature examples.

Introduction to Picking Motion

Why are there so many ways to move a guitar pick? And why do so many of them actually work? We sort out the confusion with a two-hour overview of the most fundamental motions in picking, and how to create them. In the process, we look at footage of Michael Angelo Batio, Albert Lee, Mike Stern, Andy Wood, John McLaughlin, and more, to determine what elite-level pickstrokes are even supposed to look like in the first place.

Downward Pickslanting

Learn about the incredible power of downward pickslanting — with complete blueprints of Yngwie’s and Eric Johnson’s picking techniques.

Upward Pickslanting

Learn about the legendary accuracy of John McLaughlin’s picking technique, and step through the fundamentals of upward pickslanting mechanics with the awesome Strunz & Farah.

Two-Way Pickslanting

Learn how two-way pickslanting enables you to play alternate-picked scales across the strings.

Here's an overview of what's included with the download. For more detail, check out the platform page!

Videos

• Episode - Talking the Code - Introduction to Picking Motion
• Lesson - Getting Started - Chapter 1 - The Problem with Picking
• Lesson - Getting Started - Chapter 2 - String Switching
• Lesson - Getting Started - Chapter 3 - What is Stringhopping?
• Lesson - Getting Started - Chapter 4 - What is Pickslanting?
• Lesson - Getting Started - Chapter 5 - Playing by the New Rules
• Lesson - Downward Pickslanting - Achieving Downward Pickslanting
• Lesson - Yngwie Malmsteen - Chapter 1 - Downward Pickslanting
• Lesson - Yngwie Malmsteen - Chapter 2 - Building Speed with the Six-Note Pattern
• Lesson - Yngwie Malmsteen - Chapter 3 - Switching Strings
• Lesson - Yngwie Malmsteen - Chapter 4 - Changing Direction
• Lesson - Yngwie Malmsteen - Chapter 5 - The Black Star Lick
• Lesson - Yngwie Malmsteen - Chapter 6 - The Volcano Pattern
• Lesson - Yngwie Malmsteen - Chapter 7 - Scalar Sweeping
• Lesson - Yngwie Malmsteen - Chapter 8 - Arpeggios
• Lesson - Eric Johnson - Chapter 1 - The Five-Note Pattern
• Lesson - Eric Johnson - Chapter 2 - Pentatonic Sweeping
• Lesson - Eric Johnson - Chapter 3 - Five Notes Ascending
• Lesson - Eric Johnson - Chapter 4 - Pentatonic Sixes
• Lesson - Eric Johnson - Chapter 5 - String Tracking
• Lesson - Eric Johnson - Chapter 6 - The Straight Pentatonic Scale
• Lesson - Eric Johnson - Chapter 7 - Classic Fives
• Lesson - Eric Johnson - Chapter 8 - Pentatonic Pickups
• Lesson - Eric Johnson - Chapter 9 - Neoclassical Fives
• Lesson - Upward Pickslanting - Achieving Upward Pickslanting
• Lesson - Strunz & Farah - Chapter 1 - Ardeshir's Upward Pickslant
• Lesson - Strunz & Farah - Chapter 2 - Ascending Sixes
• Lesson - Strunz & Farah - Chapter 3 - Ascending Eights
• Lesson - Strunz & Farah - Chapter 4 - Rules of Upward Pickslanting
• Lesson - John McLaughlin - Chapter 1 - The McLaughlin Four-Note Pattern
• Lesson - John McLaughlin - Chapter 2 - Two-Note-Per-String Patterns
• Lesson - John McLaughlin - Chapter 3 - John's Upward Pickslant
• Lesson - Michael Angelo Batio - Chapter 1 - Intro
• Lesson - Michael Angelo Batio - Chapter 2 - Achieving Downward Pickslanting
• Lesson - Michael Angelo Batio - Chapter 3 - Achieving Upward Pickslanting
• Lesson - Michael Angelo Batio - Chapter 4 - Achieving Two-Way Pickslanting
• Lesson - Michael Angelo Batio - Chapter 5 - Down Up Rotate
• Lesson - Michael Angelo Batio - Chapter 6 - The Scale Chunk
• Lesson - Michael Angelo Batio - Chapter 7 - Beyond the Octave
• Lesson - Michael Angelo Batio - Chapter 8 - The Speed Kills Scale
• Lesson - Michael Angelo Batio - Chapter 9 - Position-Shifting Scales
• Lesson - Michael Angelo Batio - Chapter 10 - Circular Scales

Musical Examples - Video

• Pickslanting Primer - Batio Style Clips.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Batio Style Clips - Slow.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - EJ Style Clips.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - EJ Style Clips - Slow.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Getting Started Clips.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Getting Started Clips - Slow.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - John McLaughlin Style Clips.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - John McLaughlin Style Clips - Slow.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Strunz and Farah Style Clips.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Strunz and Farah Style Clips - Slow.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Yngwie Style Clips.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Yngwie Style Clips - Slow.zip

Musical Examples - Tablature

• Pickslanting Primer - Batio Style Clips - Tablature - GPX.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Batio Style Clips - Tablature - PDF.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - EJ Style Clips - Tablature - GPX.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - EJ Style Clips - Tablature - PDF.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Getting Started Clips - Tablature - GPX.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Getting Started Clips - Tablature - PDF.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - John McLaughlin Style Clips - Tablature - GPX.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - John McLaughlin Style Clips - Tablature - PDF.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Strunz and Farah Style Clips - Tablature - GPX.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Strunz and Farah Style Clips - Tablature - PDF.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Yngwie Style Clips - Tablature - GPX.zip
• Pickslanting Primer - Yngwie Style Clips - Tablature - PDF.zip