Hey guys! This is another addition to a long line of posts concerning Vinnie Moore’s “Pepsi Lick” along with the descending six pattern.
Recently, I’ve been trying to improve my overall mechanics by taking a look at the Pepsi Lick:
One of the most interesting problems I had with this is premature exit. As Troy pointed out, there are times in my playing where I only pick twice then switch strings — or only once, if that — and then hammer on the notes, hiding the issue. I discovered this when I recorded a slowed video directly of my picking:
So after hearing some great advice from a number of comments, I really tried to feel out the motion instead of drilling in practice that doesn’t feel right. I think I’m really on to the “right” motion that doesn’t get caught on the strings, or switches too early:
After studying Troy’s picking on the Vinnie Moore vid, I noted that it looked almost like a paintbrush: just smooth, angled strokes that don’t get caught on the strings. Currently I’m practicing relaxation, and trying to mime this paintbrush-like motion, instead of metronome timing. Also, I’m looking more into getting an upward pickslant on the high E string, and a downward pickslant on the B string.
In your experiences with similar problems of “exiting too early” or even missing/getting caught on the strings, how did you guys solve it? Was it a matter of rushing an unlearned/uncomfortable motion instead of slow practice, or did it come after altering technique? Thanks!