Hi @Jacklr , sorry I missed this comment.
You can introduce open strings, and it can be done without any inefficiency.
It’s not immediately easy though in all cases, for a couple of reasons. Including an open string changes the repeating cycle rhythm, so sequences involving open strings must be chunked individually.
Placing the open string at the beginning or end of the digital cycle, as in (0 1 2 3) or (1 2 3 0) is relatively simple. However, including the open string in the middle of the cycle, as in (1 0 2 3) or (1 2 0 3) might require you to incorporate a rocking motion of the fretting hand for assistance.
Essentially, this would be a case by case situation, rather than a generic form as in the original post.
Hey thanks @AustinK .
I should say that I have a much more complete understanding of this subject now. I have a much better understanding of the relevant anatomy and motor learning. There are some mistakes in the analysis here. I wrote this more than 6 years ago with the best information I had at the time.
Most importantly, the high cost of (3 4) transitions in Shawn’s playing (as in Eric Johnson’s and my own) is likely caused by the anatomy of our extensor digiti minimi (EDM) tendons.
There is significant, progressive anatomical variation in EDM within populations. Everybody has a “bad” combination, for some it will be (3 4) and for others it will be (2 3).
The big picture stuff stays the same. You identify your bad (anatomically disadvantaged) combination. You train some sequences based on (1 2 4) with forward or reverse cycles, and you can substitute (1 2 3) or (1 3 4) depending on your anatomy.
More than that, I’ve developed much more practical experience with these ideas.
Back in 2019, I could play a few of Shawn’s patterns from Power Licks. It wasn’t totally clean, but I could move my hands that fast. The speed did not transfer to the rest of my playing. This was my theory as to why that was the case.
Now, in 2026, it’s not just theory. I’ve developed my own vocabulary of lines and patterns based on these ideas. I can generate as many of them as I want to, and I can train them quickly.
I have a better understanding of how this system interacts with the situationally efficient movements (the rock, the roll, and the reveal) and with other concepts (fretting hand flow, synchronisation, etc).
I’ve also learned the dart-thrower and shoulder/elbow USX motions that Shawn used. I’ve found how to optimise the use of these movements and how to incorporate hybrid picking to solve any bad cases.
There are people here who have seen me do these things live. I’ve demonstrated all of this stuff in lessons.