Clockface 902 Crosspicking - Undesired Swiping

Technique Critique
#1

Hello everyone!

This is my first post here and I am new to the forum environment in general as well so I am kind of excited but I think it will be great to get some feedback and discuss!

I am trying to implement the clockface 9-0-2 crosspicking technique in order to be able to play fast neo-classical songs (not up to Malmsteen speeds but around 150-160bpm 16th notes). My goal would be to reach the speeds in Eugene’s Trick Bag and have complete freedom with pure alternate picking.

I try to use a mostly wrist based motion with a slight downward pickslant to get the upstrokes out and the wrist extension for getting the downstrokes out.

I was unsure if I was doing the wrist extension movement properly in the downstrokes. I feel like as I increase the speed it becomes closer to a USX downward pickslant pure wrist deviation with some elbow motion mixed in.

I noticed while recording myself playing in slow motion that I sometimes touch the higher string, similar to a reststroke during downstrokes. This causes me to swipe while doing outside string changes after a downstroke.

I recorded 3 videos of me all just tremelo picking on a single string at 144bpm in 16th notes. This is my speed limit with crosspicking and if I incorporate string changes it becomes really messy.

Would this be considered an efficient motion for the speed range I am going for?

Would it be undesirable to have too shallow of an escape path with downstrokes as I do? As soon as I noticed I was swiping I thought I have to fix it since I wasn’t really getting the escape path I was going for.

I don’t think I am stringhopping but I don’t see another reason why my speed is limited so I would be happy to hear any critique or comment!

The first is the up to speed version with the down the strings view:

And the slowed down version of it:

And finally the audience view, I didn’t take a slo-mo video of it but I can record it ASAP if need be:

Thank you everyone for your critique and feedback in advance!

P.S. I just uploaded the videos to youtube and it seems the videos are stuck in SD, I hope in time the HD versions will be uploaded :smile:

#2

I’m interested to see what it looks like when you do change strings! It might give people more to comment on. Like, there’s a slight ‘leave’ of the plane here but doesn’t look high enough to leave strings, but things might look very different if even doing a pattern across 2 or 3 strings or so.