Honestly Don't Know what I am doing Wrong

Technique Critique
#1

Here’s a link to me playing - it’s a dropbox link. I am focused on the Poptart chunking stuff and two note per string DWPS style playing at this point. I can tremolo up to about 200. I have good hand coordination up to about 170 bpm. I just cannot seem to DWPS pentatonics past 140 BPM. I just don’t know what the deal is.

I can’t pick up any speed. I used to use my forearm to pick fast (I have been playing for about 22 years now) and only really discovered my poor technique about 1.5 years ago. I am a DWPS but I am just not understanding what my issue is here and I have been playing long enough that this issue really frustrates me (I am great at tapping string skipped arpeggios, tom quayle-style legato, etc, etc) and I am not really sure what I am doing wrong. Please help! Feeling like I am getting no where.

#2

That sounds fine.

What’s wrong with using your forearm if you need to for added speed?

#3

Hi @evancoley!

My first impression is that you are using different motions in the different examples.

The fast tremolo around 17 seconds looks great, and looks like wrist+forearm, most probably upstroke escape (USX). So this is a motion that should work well for changing strings after upstrokes. I would try to use this for the pop tarts lick and pentatonics (starting on a downstroke).

The picking motions you use in the pop tarts and pentatonic examples look quite different: my best guess is wrist motion with a tendency for downstroke escape (DSX). So this would work better when switching strings after a down. You could try to simply start the pentas and pop tarts lick with an up, and see if it feels better. Or you could directly try some licks that switch strings on a down (when starting with down).

Give these ideas a try and let me know!