# Paul Gilbert picking a 2NPS pentatonic scale USX
**URL:** https://forum.troygrady.com/t/paul-gilbert-picking-a-2nps-pentatonic-scale-usx/101330
**Category:** General Music Discussion
**Created:** [November 13, 2026, 8:20pm UTC](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/paul-gilbert-picking-a-2nps-pentatonic-scale-usx/101330 "2026-11-13T20:20:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Riffdiculous](https://forum.troygrady.com/u/Riffdiculous)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2026, 8:20pm UTC](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/paul-gilbert-picking-a-2nps-pentatonic-scale-usx/101330/1 "2026-11-13T20:20:10Z")
This is a super low quality video, but it features the only evidence I’ve ever seen of Paul doing something like this, and I _have_ looked! lol Cued up, he plays a descending E minor pentatonic scale, all picked, USX. Not super fast, around 16ths at 160bpm, but he doesn’t look like he’s trying, either.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hux7r7FlXk&t=21)
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### Author:  [@lukasgraesslin](https://forum.troygrady.com/u/lukasgraesslin)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2026, 10:39pm UTC](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/paul-gilbert-picking-a-2nps-pentatonic-scale-usx/101330/2 "2026-11-14T22:39:04Z")
I’m confused by the USX, I thought Gilbert is pretty much DSX?
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### Author:  [@Riffdiculous](https://forum.troygrady.com/u/Riffdiculous)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://forum.troygrady.com/t/paul-gilbert-picking-a-2nps-pentatonic-scale-usx/101330/3 "2026-11-14T22:54:11Z")
Right, that’s why I shared this. I’ve long suspected Gilbert of being capable of either continuous DSX _or_ USX, especially back in the day, so he might be using two slightly different wrist motions to do this. I also think, no matter which one he does, his escape is pretty shallow, and this is probably why there aren’t a lot of examples of him playing 2nps things where all the notes are picked: the shallow escape leads to a higher likelihood of error in those sorts of licks. They are tricky, but not impossible.
But besides this example of USX capability, he always plays stuff like the half-legato/half-picked ascending six patterns (think of the end of Technical Difficulties) _favoring_ USX: down hammer hammer, up down up, repeat. And there is also an old video of him, which I’ve posted here before, where he demonstrates economy picked scales, both ascending and descending. That is not something a DSX player would be able to do.
Long story short: Paul rules.