if it feels weird then maybe you need to practice it
alternate picking is not used all the time 
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Thanks for clarifying it
Will do!
To be honest, I’ve been using alternate picking all the time.
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its just like strumming you need to practice different patterns
practice what you re not good at , not what you ve already mastered
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I feel like putting the tab up on screen would also help me understand better than just explaining it and showing the finger placements. Good explanation tough.
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The TAB Bill2009 posted sounds like the recording, and if you play Justin’s TAB, you’ll have no problem with Bill’s. I love this song, always have. Got to see Cream April 6, 1968 at the Commodore Ballroom in Lowell, Mass. I remember it like it was yesterday, doesn’t seem so long ago. If you aren’t familiar with the song, put it on a loop in YouTube and you’ll quickly get the rhythm in your head.
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This doesn’t really work with alternate picking as the rhythm of the notes in the riff do not follow a consistent pattern. They are syncopated.
Also, you want to play it with all Downs to get an aggressive attack on every note.
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My arm/wrist hurts putting it in the position I do in order to play this and I’m unsure if I picked up a bad habit somewhere or if it’s normal. My wrist feels like it’s bending severely how do I relax it more?
If yo could post a picture of your hand and arm holding your guitar, this could help to determine the problem.
Your wrist shouldn’t hurt. Try experimenting with the position of your arm and your guitar to find a position that allows you to keep your wrist in a straighter, more comfortable position: moving your elbow closer or further away from your body, lifting the neck of the guitar, moving the neck of the guitar more forward, so your guitar sits at a bit of an angle to your body could all help.
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I am having trouble making out what you are freetting there and correlating that with Sunshine of Your Love.
It looks like you are fretting three fingers on frets 4,5,6 of string 5 which isn’t making sense.
– i see another message…
Now it looks like fretting string 6 frets 3, 4, and 5 again not making sense.
If this is the power chord section during the lyrics “Ive been waiting so long…”, then you need to review power chords. You will want to fret strings 4,3 at fret 2 for the A, then string 5 at fret 3, and string 4 and (maybe) 3 at fret 5 for the C, then move that up one string for the G.
Let me know if I am off target on my guess and I’ll see if I can add more for you.
i was referencing this video https://youtu.be/Li4urYsFbHQ
not the whole song, just riff
thanks! now I see why it is odd. I’ve been learning the advanced version and I know where that one is played. 
My hand is set up with fingers coming in at about a 20-30 degree angle to the frets and my thumb closer to behind the frist finger. I also have the palm of my hand closer to the neck bottom. One word of caution there is that it is really easy to be sloppy and let your hand be a part of the neck grip at the bottom there and you can easily mute the little e string which is trouble on some songs.
I can’t see your whole arm and shoulder, but given the angle your arm is coming in at, think about if the guitar body is comfortably centered for you. It looks like the neck may be out a bit far past comfortable fretting position. Another thing to consider is maybe swinging the body around toward your pickinghand so the neck sticks out front a bit. Both of those changes can help with the sharp angle on your wrist.
the last I cannot see at all. Make sure the neck is not too low. Parallel to the floor generates a lot of wrist bend and you will find it hard to reach very far with pinky later on.somewhere between parallel to the floor and at the shoulder (classical position) seems a good compromise to me. Too far up and I have some trouble moving fast enough, but that may just be me.
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i think i’ve been keeping the guitar kind of parallel to the floor now that i think about it, i’ll make an effort to keep it a bit angled up or down (if that’s what you mean) 
what do you mean by “centered for you?” I’m new to this stuff is all, I didn’t know you could alter a guitar that significantly? was i supposed to have it altered at the time of purchase? is there some equivalent of a guitar luthier i’m supposed to see for this?
thank you for the advice!
neck UP! don’t try to look like Metallica.
You are altering where you hold the guitar and at what angle (neck up). If you swing the guitar so it is parallel to your shoulders, you will ease some tension on your back and shoulders but need more flexibility in your wrist and hand. If you swing the body around toward your picking hand hip, then you sacrifice some shoulder balance because you are reaching forward a little, but you relax the wrist bend and can easily have fingers come in at a bit of an angle letting them reach further.
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i think i sort of get it, kind of like shifting the whole guitar one way or another?
my model looks like this, and my sitting position has just been putting my thigh right on the ridge middle so i think if i move kinda like i’ve drawn in the image below (give or take) it should work? [blue pen is current position, red is what i’m thinking)
i’m more of a visual learner for this sort of thing so I’m trying to make sure i grasp what you’re saying right.
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half accurate.
the blue leg position is typically correct. for classical position, you’d be on the other leg with the red neck arrow far higher.
the other angle is referenced to the line across shoulders. if the guitar is parallel to your shoulders, you may need to pull back with shoulders and elbows and position your wrist a little awkwardly. I prefer to let the guitar rotate around my torso a little so the bridge is more under my natural arm position for picking. this forces the neck away from parallel to the shoulders and I need to reach a little with the fretting hand. Try to ‘see’ this by imagining looking down on the top of your head.
Sorry, don’t have a fast way to make a good picture.
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Ahhhh i see thank you! That clarifies a lot!
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Hi Mars, Just wondering…did you see the Grade 1 Module 0 lesson on holding your guitar? I’ve been at this a few years, and I still review some of these basics from time to time.
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i don’t know/remember i should probably look at it again then haha
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