I made notes for the crux of the pick slanting primer. Please help me verify them

Playing Technique
#1

Hi there,

I joined the membership since December but just started with the entire site just because of life :sweat_smile:.

I have ADHD and the barrage of information is sometimes really overwhelming for me and I was hoping if someone can just double check my understanding of the pickslanting primer and let me know if my understanding is fine? Thank you so much if you do take out the time to help me. I appreciate it.

  • Picking inaccuracy happens cause the pick gets stuck in certain patterns when crossing the strings
  • There are 3 escape motions
    • USX where the pick is bent downwards great for 2nps and even patterns
    • DSX where the pick is bent slightly upwards great for 3nps
    • DBX Where the pick escapes both sides with the pick lead strongly with the edge.
  • DBX is great for ONPS and patterns with a lot of random string crossing but otherwise isn’t the best for warp speed.
  • Speed is trained by learning and speeding up certain chunking patterns at high speeds that are optimal for the pick style.
  • For eg. USX it is Yngwie and Eric johnson and learning those patterns and licks and high speeds will help cement the motion more accurately in my brain.
  • One has to be good eventually at all 3 and practice intentionally with the pick but let it happen sub conciously while improvising or just playing. They are just tools to help solve problems.
  • You practice them so that eventually you don’t have to think about them and can accelerate the learning process.
  • Picking can be done by several picking motions, like elbow, reverse dart wrist motion, arm motion.
  • The picking motion test that you pick isn’t necessarily the fastest one but the one that you can last for a long time comfortably at a high speed without your muscle straining/tiring/gassing out?
#2

Yes, pick your fastest/easiest motion and bring to guitar. Learning chunking then hand sync on one string then to adjacent strings. Once you have that motion mastered like this you can try other motions. Ethos: take easy wins like easiest/fastest motion to guitar, chunking on upstroke or downstroke, then finding easiest patterns to build sync through testing through reviewing Synchronicity

#3

So arm motion is my fastest on my motion test. But at high speeds when doing a tremolo, my arm freezes up and gets locked.

Whereas my reverse dart motion, I can just go endlessly but not as fast. Feels more stable.

But idk which one to pick

#4

Make a technique critique with videos of elbow and wrist motions for single string tremolo, and Troy, Tommo, or Joao will give you feedback

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#5

Remember, the trick is to chase easy. Sounds like RDT is a better starting place. But yeah, a TC isn’t a bad idea if you’re not sure.

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#6

Just a quick clarification; my understanding of it as it is now… Alternate picking = USX is simply when the pick escapes on an upstroke. DSX is the mirror of this, the pick escapes on downstrokes. For either of these, lines that have an even number of notes per string are going to “always” work. So USX will start on a downstroke and end up escaping (perfect for string changes) on an upstroke. DSX will start on an upstroke and escape on downstrokes. So 2, 4, 6 NPS will work great. As will single string stuff - ie never leave the string, never have an issue… So basically, either escape can easily do even number of notes per string!

“Odd NPS” stuff needs something “different” ie a legato note, hybrid picked note, something to get us back to the “escaping pick stroke”. For instance, I am a DSX player, and in order to do a 3nps scale ascending I have to hybrid pick the sucker ascending, and then sweep it descending. Because along with my default DSX I have a directional sweep (upstroke sweeping “works” for me… Downstroke sweeping, not so much…)

Hopefully that’s helpful?

Quick edit here;

:grinning:I felt compelled to comment on this - No, I don’t think this is true. I politely disagree. Some folks just don’t stumble across how to do DBX, or it would be easily teachable and everyone and their dog would be able to do it. Many people who are “just” a single escape player can’t or don’t do the opposite escape. Single escape might seem limiting, but really - and I learned this over time - that’s where the magic is, because you are then forced to get creative as all get out to solve the things one “can’t” do with your particular escape. I used to think I needed DBX in the worst way, but really what I needed to do was reframe the question and instead of asking “How do I DBX?” I needed to be asking “How do I do this line (that isn’t compatible with my motion/escape) but use my motion/escape?” I am not afraid to practice something to death, but at some point the results need to be equal to the effort, and the nice thing about understanding your escape is that one can really build a unique playing style around the strategy use to sidestep certain weaknesses in whatever one’s escape/motion might be.

if it IS the expectation that in order to be considered a half decent guitarist that one has to be able to do those three things, then I for one have failed at guitar - but thankfully that is not the expectation, certainly not from me! My take-away from Troy’s site is “find a motion and escape that works for you, and lean into it”. Correct me if I’m am wrong…

I would suggest we take a look at the players who are specifically one escape, and wildly successful at it; it’s okay and just because one is a single escape player doesn’t make them any less musical! Yngwie Malmsteen. Eric Johnson. Vinnie Moore. George Lynch. And then there’s Frank Gambale with his awesome 2-directional sweep stuff… And what about guys who DON’T pick as much? Joe Satriani, Reb Beach? All very, very good players.

At the same time, of course it’s fun to try and learn new things and see if one can’t train DBX or the opposite single escape or 2WPS. Myself, I just approach that as a sort of side quest guitar “hobby” with minimal expectations lol

Also hopefully helpful?

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