When you say ‘Mexican band’ most people will probably think of guitars, trumpets and big hats. More knowledgeable musicians might fill out the picture with a violin or two, a Requinto – like a small higher-pitched guitar, and a big guitar-shaped acoustic bass called Guitaron. These instruments are part of the Mariachi musical tradition and well known to tourists. ...more

There are many different types of picking technique for guitar players to master and economy picking is a common one used by many top players. Economy picking is a combination of two picking types, the first is alternate picking, where a player plays continuous down and up strokes no matter what string they are playing on. The second is sweep picking, a more advanced technique, where a player will sweep across the strings in one seamless action always changing strings with a pick motion in the direction they are moving. The benefits of economy picking are that it reduces a lot of picking hand movement when playing; you can play fast(er) passages when you want, and it requires little effort to keep up once you have mastered it. ...more