Trying to USX. I'm losing hope after 4 months

Technique Critique
#22

Here’s Jeff Loomis playing Yngwie with DSX technique and killing it:

The other players you are name-checking are not all USX players either. Joe Stump, yes. Every other person you listed (Blackmore, DeMartini, Moore), no.

As others have said, your core motion seems to be working pretty well. Every minute you spend trying to make a different technique work is a minute you could be spending working on testing your fretting, hand sync, playing across the strings, different patterns, cool vocabulary, etc.

Even then, you can still spend five minutes here and there trying to learn other techniques. This is the big mistake: we’re not saying you have to stop learning other things. We’re just saying, what you shouldn’t do is pause your entire skill development because one technique doesn’t work as well as another one.

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#23

I get you. I’ve just been trying so hard to make something work I want to see it through to the end. I’m guessing at the end of it all I would be able to switch back and forth at ease.

When I play rhythm, smoke on the water for example, USX allows me to just let gravity go through the stings for the verses.

I learned how to play electric guitar from Paul Gilbert. I took lessons from him (video exchanges) at AW when he was there. Before him I did 2 years the same with Bryan Sutton. That might be where I got the dsx from.

#24
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#25

Honestly, I wouldn’t worry about “USX” at all. I assume your goal is good technique in the least amount of time? If so, do what gets you that goal. We only have so much time to work on things – make it count.

A useful metric is whether you can play any fast multi-string lead line with a specific number of notes and no meaningful errors, take after take. This means smooth pick attack, repeatable / intentional hand sync, and no doubled-up notes, no missed notes or vague “spray and pray” noodling. Specific patterns with specific results.

If that’s not obviously a given yet then I’d work on that first, with whatever technique is closest. If you have five spare minutes, by all means, do whatever you want with them. But don’t let it detract from the goal.

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#26

Yes, fluid playing. With USX it’s easier to switch up a string (1-2, etc). Going down if I told it down is just slices through the strings. Same motion backwards for perfect sweep. When doing strict USX I get all caught up on just the first module for about 4 months now.

I haven’t tried to learn any songs in that time either. Just that A harmonic minor run I keep doing.