USX Technique Critique Requested - Struggling

Technique Critique
#1

Hi all,

I bought Pickslanting Primer last winter and have been slowly working through it. Working on the Yngwie section right now. But I’m struggling with USX technique. It’s the most comfortable/natural feeling for me, but I’m having a really hard time with accuracy, and mainly with a weak upstroke that I miss all the time.

I posted a few videos below (tremolo, a Zakk Wylde style lick, and a few ascending/descending pentatonic licks). In all of them you can see I struggle with accuracy. I was also playing particularly bad - it’s amazing how the camera makes me playing 50% worse. Still, the issues I struggle with are evident. Looking for any feedback you all may have.

Filmed at 240 fps on an iPhone with a Magnet.

Thank you!

#2

I do dsx a different way, at least at the start. I learnt this full usx style with the nails and I can do it in many other ways from this.

Usx
https://youtube.com/shorts/pCsqJ3okSkM?feature=share

And this

https://youtube.com/shorts/UkdhCnyC9oU?feature=share

Having my nails on the body helped me lock in the usx movement.

My palm is not touching the bridge at all, it floating.

The reason I say this is you are anchored on the bridge, I learnt so much lifting my palm away and doing a full floating motion. Just the nails touching the lower body, and then after a while going back to anchor on the bridge.

It’s basically the same movement, but I had to do the floating method for a few weeks to feel it.

The nail guide may help with accuracy, it did for me. Sorry if this doesn’t help.

If you try it it should help with the upstroke?

#3

I’m not the OP, but your tip with the nails grazing the pick guard was a break through for me. Thank you so much for sharing that with us.

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#4

Troy has way more info on this stuff than I could ever post. He’s a legitimate expert.

And @Bill_hall is unbelievable.

Troy’s most recent vid is about usx

Les Paul shedding using usx?

https://youtube.com/shorts/hVandLF-DkM?si=16_KOw7t8knmcfN6

There is probably a bunch of overlay in that, but look at the technique, it’s the same as we are talking about.

He could of been in megadeth. The gal almost sounds like Dave…

I am wondering, we only recently have videos to record, and I’m sure many have thought about this before, but shredding is probably a thing that’s always been here, way before video, like juggling or any skill. Only recently we can see it in video.

Juggling is probably a good example as that’s something that’s been going on for thousands of years, I apologize if this has already been mentioned on the forum, came across my mind.

#5

Thank you for the tip! That exercise definitely helped me lock in the feel of USX more. I’ve been trying to more consciously push the pick into the guitar body at a steeper angle to allow for a steeper escape angle. It seems to help some.

Here’s a fast and slow version of a pentatonic lick. The slowed video really shows my mistakes and you can see several (barely) missed upstrokes.

Am I on the right track? Should I just slow down some and really lock in the feel to get the upstrokes consistent? The slowed video really shows my escape angle isn’t consistent.

Looking for any tips. Just don’t want to spend time building bad habits.

#6

Bad video, I’d honestly look to getting a sub on the site and you can see professionals explain rather then me.

Sometimes when I post I see this

image
image1920×2560 347 KB

Jason Becker - J.S. Bach (1987) #guitar #jasonbecker #jsbach #classical | Shred Music TV | Facebook

5 to 11?

This is sped up I’m going on

#7

That was a dynamite lesson once again. Not OP but that video helped me tremendously.

#8

Thank you, could you post something to show how it works for you? Most the time I feel I’m full of shit so love to see if it works

#9

I’m sure my opinion will differ from a lot of people, and this isn’t exactly what you asked for, but I hope that it could maybe be helpful. I think at this stage the best thing to do is learn songs that are just outside of or within your current technique. Reasoning being it will be a lot less boring and more rewarding and get you progress pretty fast. It seems like you understand a good amount about technique but you just need a bunch of material to practice it. I used to keep a folder of clips / songs / solos and just play along through them every day, and that bruteforced my technique to a decent place without overthinking it. I think it builds up a lot of coordination that you wouldn’t get by focusing too hard on technique too early and it may make it easier to dissect / improve upon later

1 Like