How I went from failing dwps to succeding upws(+Guide)

Playing Technique
#1

I have watched a lot of Troys videos previously and although I understood the concept I was constantly failing to achieve a working dpws. It felt tight and uncontrolable. Then I have stumbled upon a live stream which showed how to achieve picking motions. Still got no clue about dwps but gave upws ps a go. I started with a YJM 6 note pattern on the 2 string starting on a downstroke and was progressing through the bpm increases constantly. Then I started practising Paul Gilbert and Vinnie Moore style of lick where you start with 3 notes on the string and then progress playing this 3 note per string pattern 2 times on each string. It was pretty easy although I struggled with getting the timing on string changes right. Still trying to get my dwps working i started playing even note per string patterns starting on the upstroke and it felt easy. Now I am learning to use exclusively upws and then I wll try to get 2wps going.
So here is my advice for the ones like me who struggle with dwps.

  1. Watch the broadcast which shows the andy wood/paul gilbert style of placing the hand
    Firslty practise the 6 note pattern starting on the downstroke on a single string and try to achieve correct upws.
    U should probably avoid starting it with the upstroke because switching from playing a downstroke on the beat to upws can feel a little tricky if you do it for the first time.
    E|--------------------
    B|–8--5–7--8–7--5
    G|--------------------
    D|--------------------
    A|--------------------
    E|--------------------

  2. Start practicing the paul gilbert style run with upws and listeng carefuly to get the timing and tone constant.
    After getting comfortable with that move to the next step
    E|–8--7–5-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    B|-----------8–7--5–8--7–5-----------------------------------------------------------------
    G|-----------------------------8–7--5–8--7–5-----------------------------------------------
    D|-----------------------------------------------8–7--5–8--7–5-----------------------------
    A|-----------------------------------------------------------------8–7--5–8--7–5-----------
    E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------8–7--5–

  3. Practicing 6 note per string run strating on the upstroke and moving it across the strings and positions.

4)At this point you want to learn how to cross strings automaticaly and with ease so playing pentatonic 16th notes up and down like that will be a good excercise
E|–8--5--------------------------------------------------------
B|--------8–5--8–5--------------------------------------------
G|--------------------7–5--7–5--------------------------------
D|--------------------------------7–5--7–5--------------------
A|--------------------------------------------7–5--7–5--------
E|--------------------------------------------------------8–5--
Down beat misplaced from the string changes hepls to think less about the movement and allows your body to learn the proper way of doing this.

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#2

Also an advice for moving throught the srings. When you need to go from the second string to 1st or back u remain the hand position constant and just change the angle of your wrist. Than moving trom the 2nd to 3rd you change the angle of the wrist again but move the whole hand position slightly up just to retain the same picking motion. Moving onwards you just change the positiong of our hand verticaly. and retaing the same wrist angle.
When ascending you do exactly the same but invert the movement of the hand . This allows you to avoid the string hopping and use all of the benefits of pickslanting. I struggle with this for quite a while so I hope my advice will help someone else with the same problem.

#3

Great post…I’m in the exact same boat as you. I’ve done a couple of the exercise you have posted and I’m pretty comfy with them.
Dwps has been an elusive technique for me as well. It just doesn’t feel natural at all.

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