(Yes,another boring lesson on alternate picking) Alternate picking is very important if you want to play smoothly,fast,and flowing.I have tried many exercises,licks and techniques to improve my alternate picking and what I have found is that short repetitive execises have worked the best to improve my alternate picking.Practice these exercises with a metronome.I suggest starting at a slow tempo,lets say 80.Practice the exercise for 5 or 6 minutes or until you feel very comfortable with it,then increase the speed a little and and play the exercise some more until you feel comfortable and keep doing this until you start getting sloppy,then stop or slow the tempo(speed) down and practice again.Play four notes per beat and accent the first note of each four notes.Keep your wrist relaxed and loose.If you have problems with that just practice keeping your wrist relaxed while you play until you can do that easily and without thinking about it.Even if you don't practice these exercises very long,practice them every day and you will improve, though practicing these longer and every day will produce better results.I find these exercises great for the fingers too.Practice each exercise starting with a downstroke then again with an up stroke.Play these exercises on all pairs of strings and in every position.(this will take alot of work!) Have fun!