Exercises for improving DBX and crosspicking?

Playing Technique
#1

After months of experimenting with DWPS and 2WPS, I feel like I’ve “found my brand” with double-escape motion. It seems to be the most versatile and it doesn’t require the the kind of strategizing that pure Yngwie-style pickslanting does – though you do sacrifice a bit of speed. And it just feels more musical, if that makes sense.

Right now I’m trying to model my right hand technique after Andy Wood’s. That is, DBX/crosspick everything using strict alternate picking, occasionally snapping into DWPS for fast scalar runs. I’m wondering if anyone has come across (or invented) any dynamite exercises for this kind of approach. Or just general tips?

I’ve been practicing 3-string “banjo roll” patterns and your standard chromatic drills, but I feel like I’m missing something. Granted it’s a very difficult motion to master (keeping the curve shallow enough that you’re not string-hopping while catching enough air to avoid hitting the other strings is extremely challenging), so the answer might just be brute force practicing until I git gud, but I wanted to check with the community to see if anyone’s found any DBX lifehacks. :wink:

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#2

I’ve been working on it, too. Actually, I’ve gone back to the woodshed and have been working on each of the wrist motions individually, USX, DSX, working up to speed on a single string, and double-escape with the one-way rolls. I agree that getting the pick path right so you don’t smash into strings you don’t want to is tricky. I’m in no way a master at it and the elusive smoothness at speed isn’t there, yet.

What I find is my hand/wrist gets lazy and doesn’t make the escape path steep enough. It’s frustrating.

What I’ve been playing with is switching between USX and DSX on a single string. What I’ll do is starting on a downstroke, drill on a single string DSX. Then, I’ll switch to USX via a randomly-selected upstroke. I’ll drill a single string DSX and then switch on another randomly-selected downstroke.

Then I’ll go a group of six DSX and then switch to a set of six USX. Actually, what you really do is five strokes DSX, switch to five strokes USX, then switch back, and continue ad nauseum. Then I’ll do triplets, or two strokes DSX, switch, two strokes USX, switch, repeat. If you work out the escapes, you’ll see what I mean. I focus on getting over the adjacent string, so if DSX, getting over the lower string; USX, getting over the upper string.

The next step is two sets of strings. And then three. Et cetera.

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