Help me with descending twoway pickslanting

[AGTG]

I’d like to preface this by saying that a lifetime of improper mechanics (literally 25 years) were turned upside down about 6 weeks ago when I did some research on right hand technique. My research eventually led me to CTC.

I found out I wasn’t even holding the pick properly in order to generate speed, but ultimately my research led me to CTC. My mechanics have had a dramatic shift in less than two months, and I’ve made a lot of progress, but I’ve had to clear the foundation and start fresh with a variety of new pick mechanics.

Anyhow, before CTC I never, ever pickslanted. I literally held my pick perfectly straight, which is why I stalled out in my attempts to generate speed using the diatonic scales over the years.

All that being said, the most challenging issue I’m facing right now is descending scales. With my new approach to holding the pick, I have been able to generate some speed economy picking ascending scales. Descending economy is choppy, though I’m working at it. TWPS has been frustrating and also choppy/sloppy. The descent just feels very alien to me.

Troy wanted to see if I’ve even got dwps at any level, so I’ve made a quick descending 6’s clip to show that dwps is progressing decently. You can see that here:

This clip starts with economy ascending and then my twoway pickslanting descent:

Here is a closer look at my twoway pickslanting mechanics:

[Judmeister]

well if you are doing overlapping 6s meaning 3 on the high E then 6 notes on the next string and so forth all you need is upward pick slanting in lieu of two way pick slanting.So all you have to do is make sure the downstroke clears the string plane and the upstrokes rest stroke against the next lower string.

[AGTG]

well if you are doing overlapping 6s meaning 3 on the high E then 6 notes on the next string and so forth all you need is upward pick slanting in lieu of two way pick slanting.So all you have to do is make sure the downstroke clears the string plane and the upstrokes rest stroke against the next lower string.

I use downward pickslanting on descending 6’s. It’s not as fast as I hope to get it, but it’s not a huge issue.

My difficulty is with twoway pickslanting descending scales.

[AGTG]

So here’s what I’ve tried to master descending scales over the last few weeks:

• twps starting with down/up/down rotate
• twps starting with up/down/up rotate
• economy picking, but with a sharp attack with the edge of my pick seems to be the most effective (not very, though)
• uwps

And then I come across someone’s “minimal pickslanting” approach for twps:

http://pickroar.com/1290/minimal-pickslanting-the-fastest-easiest-way-to-do-it/

It seems the blogger is an upward pickslanter, but insists his method will work in reverse. Every time I try it, I end up falling into the twps mechanic I’ve been practicing, though.

[Bluedude2000]

So here’s what I’ve tried to master descending scales over the last few weeks:

twps starting with down/up/down rotate
twps starting with up/down/up rotate
economy picking, but with a sharp attack with the edge of my pick seems to be the most effective (not very, though)
uwps

And then I come across someone’s “minimal pickslanting” approach for twps:

http://pickroar.com/1290/minimal-pickslanting-the-fastest-easiest-way-to-do-it/

It seems the blogger is an upward pickslanter, but insists his method will work in reverse. Every time I try it, I end up falling into the twps mechanic I’ve been practicing, though.

Wow, never tried this minimal approach of pick slanting with only changing on the 6th. Do most people do this or is this approach pretty rare?

[Troy]

Wow, never tried this minimal approach of pick slanting with only changing on the 6th. Do most people do this or is this approach pretty rare?

Most people we film tend to have a default orientation, which we call “Primary Pickslant”. You can learn all about it here:

https://troygrady.com/seminars/antigravity/chapter-12-primary-pickslant/

I also responded to the blog post, which I hadn’t seen before today!

http://pickroar.com/1290/minimal-pickslanting-the-fastest-easiest-way-to-do-it/

[Tahoebrian5]

The last video it looks like your hand is completely unanchored. Is this the way you pick all the time? You might experiment with anchoring on the bridge which will enable muting too.

The second thing I notice is your string tracking for some reason looks awkward. Have you experimented with using arm motion instead of wrist? Do your runs feel easier when confined to two or 3 strings?

My advice is to stick with one thing for a little while until you develop some good speed. Which is your best motion? As mentioned above, if you line up sixes properly you can pick them with a one direction slant. This was the first and easiest thing for me to develop speed.

Lastly, thanks for posting the video. I know it can be frustrating learning new motions. I’m trying to get forearm rotation and also EVH style tremolo up to speed. Both feel extremely awkward to me. I just keep at it, maybe five minutes at a time, 4 times a day. It’s taken me about a week and I finally feel a tiny bit of improvement. These things take time.