Eric Johnson Fives in DSX

Technique Critique
#1

Yo,

I’m working on some Eric Johnson inspired bits and pieces but I use DSX rather than USX and so I’m looking for some advice with my approach.

I’ve got a little speed with it, and with simple runs I can make it work, but when I try longer runs and during performance I run into issues with the pick jamming on the upstroke change and generally the attack feeling a bit “weak” or “woolly”. I’ve highlighted the problem notes.

image

Here’s some video:

To me it looks like the string contact isn’t very “strong” on the upstroke, like it just gently brushes the strings rather than giving a really solid contact.

I’ve noticed sometimes in other videos that the pick touches the string but doesn’t continue through, it sort of moves up to the string above, touches it but fails to go through.

Is there something about my form that isn’t right here or a change I can try that might address that?

Thanks!

#2

I can’t see the videos because I don’t have an active subscription at the moment but the way you’ve tabbed out your fives is using a USX approach which favours changes after upstrokes and downward sweeps which would be difficult for a DSX player. Instead try changing the approach to a DSX one and you should find a lot more success:

2 Likes
#3

Cool stuff, and sounds pretty good! This isn’t strict DSX, though, which I think might be causing some of the issues you’re experiencing - the last note in each pattern you play an escaped upstroke. So, some of the time you are sweeping on ups, sometimes escaping - this is more complicated than EJ’s all USX way, or the all DSX way Jack linked.

#4

I would change the fingering and make it more of an economy lick which will work better with DSX as follows _

E string - 8 - 5 (down - up)
B string - 8 (up stroke i.e continue sweep)
G string - 9 - 7 (up stroke continuing sweep + downstroke)

You can then repeat this pattern starting on the B string. This gives you an upward sweep and 5 notes for the price 3 (or technically two once the pattern repeats)

1 Like
#5

OK guys thanks for the feedback. I forgot that I use a forearm roll to switch slant at the tops of the pattern, I notice that I do that in 3NPS playing too. I’ve been thinking about it since I posted and it occurs to me that I seem to only be able to play fast lines that incorporate that motion, so I think that’s my preferred way to switch strings and all other switching motions are comparatively slow for me.

It’s interesting that trying the sequences from the youtube video I find those very cumbersome and basically unplayable even at low speeds, I actually find the eric johnson USX versions easier (though the motion at speed comes from the elbow - the hand locks into position and I sort of “bounce” from the elbow).

Troy asked me to try gilbert sixes recently and I couldn’t figure out why it’s so slow - playing those patterns with either slant is very hard and feels unreliable. But now it occurs to me that it’s because it doesn’t incorporate that forearm roll motion, that’s why I can’t do it.

I can play some sequences fast but I think they tend to centre around that forearm roll I do to switch strings, and the other changes get brute-forced through and when the pick jams/picking arm locks up, it’s on the changes that aren’t the forearm roll. I was going through patterns yesterday looking at which ones are easy and which aren’t, and the only thing I can play 100% reliably at high speeds is that gilbert pattern that has 3 notes on one string and 1 note on the higher string, played starting on an upstroke with an upward slant, so that the string change happens from the forearm roll.

So I suppose what I need to do is figure out why all the other changes are slow/unreliable and fix that. If I could make the upward sweep more reliable that would probably get me there as I’d have two working string switching motions. My first theory is that the upward sweep is only problematic when done shortly after a forearm roll - maybe the arm hasn’t reset into the upward slant correctly to get the right position to not get stuck on the string above when the sweep comes (garage spikes problem?)

I’m away over the weekend but I’ll try to make a video next week as that’d probably help explain it better.