Stick with what works?

Playing Technique
#1

Ever just come to the conclusion that you should stick with whichever string switching strategy you are already proficient at and just develop tons of lines around it and be done with it? I feel like spending all this time trying to become good at dwps, uwps, sweeping both ways and crosspicking is becoming very frustrating and taking away from time spent making actual music. When a non-musician hears a lick, they aren’t thinking, “Yeah, that was cool, but he probably couldn’t crosspick that swept passage.” I was listenening to an entrepreneur named Gary Vaynerchek, and he was talking about how his success derives from never focusing on what he can’t do or what he isn’t good at; being honest with himself and playing to his strengths. I feel like we could all take a lesson from this in the guitar world.

On the other hand, the ego really gets in the way of making a good decision. As someone who has been a pure dwps guy for over 15 years, it’s very unsettling to my ego to know that I have trouble doing something as simple as performing an inside string change on a descending run. It seems so elementary, and kids who are 8 on YouTube are ripping through this stuff! To be a professional guitarist or even a legend like Eric, Marty or Yngwie and to literally not be capable of performing what is essentially one half of rudimentary movement while also being able to play exceptionally utilizing the other half, is something that would drive me insane and make me feel inadequate (almost like a guy who can bench 500 but can’t squat 225). Also, I feel like deep down some of these guys know this (not saying Yngwie, Marty or Eric in particular) and in interviews they always say they make these choices because of the way they sound as opposed to it being easier for them to do. I feel like the same intuitive genius that led them to play to their strengths was also in some way capable enough to allow them to identify their weaknesses.

I, and I am sure many of us here, seem to struggle with this Jekyll and Hyde technique complex where part of us feels content with mastering one strategy and then the other half says, “no, you need to be able to play anything in any way using any technique! At that point, you can make a choice of which technique to use from a place of what sounds best for the situation over necessity of what you can or cannot perform.” This is quite a struggle for me. So anyone else feel like we should pick one technique and just run with it?

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#2

I think it ultimately boils down to: “Is there stuff you want to play, but can’t yet?” Note that this is a different question from “Is there stuff you might want to play someday, but can’t yet?” I think the “ego driven” aspect you’re talking about is concerned more with the second question. I think the test about “should” boils down to your goals and priorities. Clearly, there are lots of guys (the majority of famous players even) who have achieved great acclaim and creative output without aspiring to learn every possible technique. Does that mean it’s bad to want to learn those techiques? Maybe, maybe not. Is the pursuit of “all the techniques” hampering your progress in other areas that are important to you? If yes, then maybe it’s a bad thing. But if you’re enjoying what you’re doing and achieving what you want to achieve, then I’m not sure there’s a problem.

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#3

Great question!

In your case I’d say there’s nothing to worry, simply bcause you asked, which means you asked yourself before.

Thi occurs in many parts of life, pracicing to practice can be a problem.
On the other hand without practicing - how far could you go?
The funny part is that exactly the same question comes up in theory and classical playing.

I for myself answered it this way:
Practice can and should ne part of music, the key is that you should never stop to listen.
There’s a wonderful moment in the Oz Noy interview, when he plays something and then stops and says, hey that’s cool you can make something out of it.
To me that is how it works - no matter what you, even when picking patterns on muted strings, there might be music in it, just you have to find it.

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#4

There’s a podcast Justinguitar did with Troy. Somewhere in there he talks about how Bluegrass flat-pickers do things a certain way that won’t work for Rock. Rock players have the same thing. DWPS is nearly universal, but not entirely.

Eric Johnson’s technique works extremely well for what his style needs. Yngwie, Paul Gilbert, EVH… etc… Each have their own methods that let them play what they want. But they aren’t good at everything.

The insight I took was “No one, absolutely no one, is good at every technique.” Develop the techniques that allow you to play what you want to. If cross-picking has no real application for you…screw it. If UWPS doesn’t apply…don’t bother. If it feels wrong or a waste of time to you, it probably is.

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