I’ve been playing for 4 years now. My first 3 years I had bad teachers, the first taught me a couple chords in a years time, the second taught me terrible bouncing pick technique. The only thing I can do with a pick is strum. I know that I’m a DSX player, but here is my problem: I have the angle and pick hold down, but my thumb pad touches the string(s) and I don’t have an ergonomic mouse form. When I attempt ergonomic mouse form it feels uncomfortable and doesn’t seem to work. I can only do tremolo quickly with my thumb pad touching the lower strings. By my thumb pad I mean the fleshy part beneath the thumb’s 2nd knuckle (going down from the fingernail). As soon as I attempt to play alternate picking lines across the strings I lose my speed and my consistent angle (even without fretting anything). My wrist has to stay, it seems, near the Low E and D string when picking I cannot move the pisiform position up and down the saddles seamlessly; as a result, picking on the low E through D strings is easier than the G through high E strings. I don’t have the magnet to show a picture, but my form looks just like Troy Grady’s form in the motions mechanic video. The one where he talks about avoiding thumb pad contact with the strings, as a solution to fix a non-vertical pick angle. Lastly, my pick hold is always a trigger past the first knuckle. I have my pick turned about 10 degrees to the left to achieve my angle. Any help or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Two ideas:
- Post video! You don’t need a magnet.
- Find a better teacher for you…
It will not let me upload a video because my phone only uploads mp4 videos. This only takes that type in the format mp3.
The CTC forum doesn’t host videos. Upload to youtube and post a link.
You might be a bit more radially deviated than is optimal, but it would be easier to tell from a front-facing view. Otherwise, you are successfully doing DSX.
@Riffdiculous
Thanks for your response, when you say I might have more radial deviation than optimal what does that mean? I’m sorry for all the questions I’m kind of a noob. Is a new motion just going to feel odd for awhile? I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to help me Thank You!
Your hand might be angled a little too far thumb-side - I can’t say with total certainty, so a front view vid would be good.
Here is Guthrie - unquestionably awesome, but demonstrating that “more radial than optimal” hand position. For most people, there is much greater range of motion on the ulnar (pinky) side, so finding a neutral point that’s less radial could be beneficial.
My pleasure!
Thank you! Yeah that picture looks just like my hand from front view, no joke. Also, to your advice, I adjusted to a slightly more neutral point. I think I’m going to experiment with a different pick type too. Thanks again!
So watching the video - keeping your wrist locked so firmly in one place to the body like that is going to limit your range across the strings, and also how and at which angle you can attack the higher strings. It also could be part of what is producing that more radial than normal position you have because it is so flatly tethered to the body in that one place. It may be worth playing around with that wrist anchoring to see how lightly you can get away anchoring that part, and still be able to play reasonably comfortably. Ideally you would want to be able to have some freedom of movement there even if it’s just a teeny tiny bit. It also looks like that more stringently anchored wrist may be adding some tension.
And look at that British smile to boot.
@Fossegrim Thank you for your advice as well. I’ll incorporate that as well as @Riffdiculous advice. Your right in saying that my wrist is locked firmly in one place. I’m altering my pisiform position currently and I’m altering my picking angle/pick that I use (for experimentation). I also bought on Sweetwater Dunlop variety pack picks; light through medium, and medium through Heavy; Some sharp some round. I’ll experiment with those to see what works best. Once I can get it working nicely, I’ll post a second video. Thanks @Fossegrim !
Well what does it look like currently when you cross strings. Are you glued down like you are above and use an obvious arch when crossing from low to high with a sharper degree of edge picking when going for the higher strings?
@Fossegrim Yes, I am glued down like above when crossing strings; and yes I am using sharper degree of edge picking on higher strings.
I’m a DSX guy myself, can’t play worth crap when my picking arm is stuck to the body like yours is; BUT my setup is different also. I am quite a bit more pronated and use a trailing edge grip.
For referencing, it’s my palm on my RH, the thumb meat part by my thumb knuckle that kind of references the guitar body. My fore arm sometimes/usually floats, which seems counterproductive, but it’s not - it’s just the way my arm goes for some reason. Maybe try pronating just a bit more and before you pick any notes, vigorously polish your guitar body with your thumb lol 
@Scottulus I’ll try that too. It’s interesting you mention trailing edge, because trailing edge is easy for me; albeit only with downstrokes. Probably because when I started I wanted to emulate James Hetfeild. Could you post a video of what your picking looks like so that I can try it as well?
Sure, here’s a clip - but I would say that while I can “get 'er done” I’m not sure that it’s exactly ummm “good” hahaha so check it out, but be afraid, very afraid…
Anyways, when I try to play faster passages my forearm lifts off the body of the guitar. This works for me, but perhaps you can find a better way that works for you! Good luck!
Wow! Interesting I’m going to try that out because I feel most comfortable picking near the saddles like you are here. I’ll post a video with your approach and the other guys’s suggestions. Thanks @Scottulus!
@Riffdiculous @Scottulus @Fossegrim Okay, so taking into account all of your guys’s advice here is my 2nd attempt. It’s not perfect, but it feels a lot better. If any of you could comment on how it looks now, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank y’all again!
So my question is: Does that feel comfortable to you?
Second: Do you like the sound of it when you are plugged in? Third noisy is it?
Third: Can you play with the roughly the same with no forearm tethering at all?
@Truffles the new vid definitely seems better than the first! If it feels good, work with it for now - I’m sure there are things to optimize still, but getting started with some single string patterns to build hand sync would be a good idea.