“The Music Never Stopped” is one of the funkier Grateful Dead songs, and the lick that Garcia plays through the first part of the verse is particularly stanky. I’m not sure if Garcia was as strict about alternate picking as I personally tend to be, but this lick makes for a great opportunity to practice the concept.

This one has a kind of disco-ish beat to it, and most of the time disco music is pretty strong on the downbeats. Consequently, Garcia’s lick here does largely fall on the downbeats, but has a few upbeats in there to give it a great syncopated bounce. So really try to feel your picking hand snapping downward on each beat (even those you’re not actually playing on). And be careful not to rush the hammer-ons and pull-offs.