Newbie - concrete boots

Introduce Yourself
#1

Newbie here. Chris, based in Zurich, Switzerland. I’ve been playing for 8 years, but just bought the pickslanting primer because of obvious speed limit issues. I clearly have issues with mechanics - for instance, i often here the pick tip bashing the middle pickup, which seems like a big string hopping indicator.

A couple of early issues.

  • I really struggle with the usx method. Feels weird. Dsx by contrast feels good.
  • i wouldn’t worry too much about that, but. If i understand correctly, dsx ONLY (or usx ONLY for that matter) means you must play licks with an even number of picks per string. So for instance, the common 3 note per string licks you find in metal don’t work. So i find I’m second guessing a lot of stuff i thought i could play.

Basically, I feel like I’m rebuilding my picking technique from the ground up. Not easy after all these years.

Anyway, those are my first reflections. Persevering. Happy playing all.

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#2

Hi there and welcome!

What about lowering your middle pickup? I think Al di Meola, Paul Gilbert, Andy James, etc. would argue about DSX being useless. And I’d argue with you too as I’m doomed to use DSX as well :sweat_smile:

#3

Thanks to @gabrielthorn for kindly correcting me, I updated accordingly!!

With USX: If you are ascending from thicker to thinner strings, you can economy pick and pluck every note with no thought or problem. However, if you are descending from thinner to thicker strings, then it is true that you might potentially HO/PO one note to make the number of picked stokes become even. It’s not a big deal because people like Yngwie sound pretty metal to me, but naturally your needs might be different than his!

With DSX: If you are descending, you can economy pick and pluck every note with no thought or problem. However, if you are ascending, then it is true that you might potentially HO/PO one note to make the number of picked strokes become even.

There is a huge symmetry between them, and either system is basically powerful enough by itself for most needs subject to HO/PO being musically appropriate.

(Also look at rest strokes, pre-CtC I thought they were sloppy and that only tasteless people did them, but now my eyes have been opened… a rest stroke makes a lot of economy picking absolutely trivial.)

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#4

I think there might be a confusion here. DSX means downstroke escape, so string changes after a downstroke are easy as they clear the strings “automatically”.

Economy picking on ascending runs and the mixed legato approach on descending runs is USX territory, like Yngwie.

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#5

I think DSX isn’t bad, I did a good amount of 3 note stuff with it (I think I just swiped through strings).

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#6

Point stands, i think - for odd numbered picks, you have to ‘do something’ to make it work.

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#7

Here’s some odd number/string stuff I’ve experimented with today. I’m a DSX player. Odd number stuff

#8

And what i did. was to stringhop. I go with a flexion / extension motion to compensate. That seems to be the main issue to overcome at present

#9

Yes, but only in one direction, and that “do something” is usually HO/PO, as you argue.

#10

Or swiping. Or a helper motion.

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#11

Good points - i guess there’s no law that every note must be picked, and economy picking is a good workaround anyway. Is there any future in attempting to switch motions from dsx to usx in the same picking run? If that’s seen as too difficult, the best approach seems to be to improve the motion one is best at (dsx in my case) and then use the suggested strategies where required.

I wasn’t clear so far whether it was necessary to master all the motions, but it seems not.

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#12

How I understood things in that brief time since I’ve joined the forum is that all the fastest players have one primary picking motion (DSX in your case) and use some helper motion/swiping on the other string changes.

#13

That is sort-of correct.
But as far as I understand it, if you use writst/forearm rotation your pick will naturally switch to USX when changing strings on a downstroke. At least that’s how it works for me. I’m not the fastest player out there however.

#14

Any link that you know of that introduces swiping or helper motion concepts? I haven’t come across those terms until now.

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#15

I could link any of my videos, all of them are full of swiping, but maybe that would not be the most useful :joy: I think if you check the Vinnie Moore pepsi lick video and the Michael Angelo stuff, Troy talks a lot about these concepts there.