I’m struggling to understand the actual practical / mechanical difference between DBX and stringhopping - is it literally just a case of lower height on the escape so it’s not inefficient. If I wanted to practise DBX as a good foundation for improvisation where I’m not sure how many notes are gonna be played on each string until I’m already part way through it (i.e. I’m not rehearsing specific note-per-string phrases) then how do I ‘practice’ my DBX? Just looking at my hand trying to lower the height of the DBX so it doesn’t look like stringhopping? I’m really REALLY struggling to understand how to turn any of the lessons on the site into practical improvements, it’s just so much info without any recommended practice
I think how a technique feels is important. With that in mind, it’s important to discover what efficient picking feels like and this is easier to discover with a single escape mechanic, which can act as a benchmark for learning DBX.
At a certain tempo it’s moot whether what you’re doing is string hopping or DBX. I think you should concentrate more on whether something feels like string hopping rather than what it looks like.
It is difficult though… Personally I use economy picking which is also difficult but seems more appropriate for lines where you might only have one note per string. Not that that entirely avoids the issues of alternate picking.
The difference is that stringhopping uses the same muscles for the upstroke and the downstroke, which as James said, you can feel. Stringhopping is a subset of DBX. Efficient DBX escapes on both strokes but doesn’t use the same muscles, so you get twice as many notes per contraction cycle.
It sounds like you’re looking for a difference in mechanics, not escapes. In that case, you’ll probably need to work by feel, or better, upload a video and let people coach you through it. There is no general efficient DBX recipe. There are multiple ways to achieve it. The details matter a lot.