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Hey tommo/anyone viewing! Last TC, Tommo guided me to practice the 65-note challenge to check and see if my right-hand chunking was working prior to moving to string changes. Here is my current progress report on that task. I have two versions, one where I intentionally attempted to expose more of the pick. How is it coming along? Should i get more repetitions before moving on to the next sections, or proceed forward to the next ones? Any constructive recommendations are welcome
Thanks,
Theo
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The last couple of weeks, I’ve been focusing mainly on working on my alternate picking by blasting some DSX versions of the Yngwie licks from the Volcano Seminar.
Despite being an elbow player, starting with an upstroke is something I’m still getting used to, especially when playing across multiple strings. My main focus right now is to get the least amount of tension possible while performing the motion.
In this video, I’m playing the first part of the Ping-Pong Sixes, and I can’t help but notice some noise during the string-switching parts, along with some weird shifts in my hand/arm setup. Maybe this is an issue with tracking or my arm position on the guitar?
I’d really appreciate any feedback on what might be causing these issues and what I should focus on improving.
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Starting this with my usual standing posture since as it turns out I DO anchor differently standing than seating and this seems a lot cleaner than last night’s effort, though still far from perfect.
Thanks all in advance!
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I’ve started and stopped this course several times and I’m ready to finally get to it. My background. I’ve played for years and still consider myself a mediocre player although I would say I’m better than 87% of other players. Speed is great but it can wait. I want to focus on and develop accuracy. Where do I start?
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Hey all - Thanks to previous TCs, my mixed escape/two-way pickslanting is pretty decent. I was recently very inspired by the interview with Dimitri Miles Baker and wanted to work on phrases where you have to do multiple inside picking escapes. See Dimitri Escapes vid.
my biggest problem is, once i hit that last note on the higher-pitched string, my wrist refuses to simply move left to hit the lower-pitched string without it feeling like big, conscious effort is involved. it’s like some invisible force is pushing back on it. and when i do hit that string, the pickstroke feels unnaturally short with delayed timing and that i have to get back to the higher-pitched string asap. and on the low e, forget about it, it’s like my wrist is pretending to hit the string and it feels v awkward. the rest of the lick feels easy.
see “regular sixes” as this isn’t much of a problem with normal 3NPS scales.
that “regular sixes” lick is much more natural though. just one escape in the middle of the beat. based on my review of the Synchronicity seminar, I’m wondering if there’s a chunking issue here, as the escape in the Miles-type lick is in a pretty random part of the sextuplet.
this is at a measly 80bpm too! it’s not the tightest against the click because i feel like there’s a hiccup or glitch when moving left. like zoolander, i can’t turn (my wrist) left!
what am i missing?
thanks all!
UPDATE: If I just play 10-9-7-9-7 on the high e and then 10 on the B, it’s super easy and i can play it cleanly quite fast. but if i know i have to go back to the high e, then hitting that 10 fret on the b string all of a sudden turns into the “can’t turn left” problem….
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Hi team,
I came across a sort of USX rotation-ish motion that I really like but it comes and goes and could use some help understanding and developing it. Quite frankly, I'm not even sure it really is wrist/foream rotation but that's how it feels. Also, the USX string changes feel pretty natural when I get the motion right.
Thank you,
Steve
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How should i go about playing gypsy jazz but using Dsx technique?
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It blows my mind to 'finally' see inside my pick technique. I've just received my 1st magnet and already feel like I've learned a lot. I'm a 64yr old 'has-been' still trying to get my right hand fixed BEFORE I go knocking on Heaven's Door. I positioned my grip in various styles because I'm still wrestling with what feels most comfortable and ergonimic. I've recently discovered the EVH 3 finger grip works an absolute treat for 'rhythm' playing, and I'm in the process of trying to re-program my action. However, even though this feels very natural for strumming, when picking, it still feels kinda comfortable, but erratic in terms of accuracy.
I still don't quite know which direction I should be focused on, because my other grip has developed into a smoother tremelo.
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I’m looking for feedback on my picking motion, mainly from a pain-prevention standpoint.
I’ve been dealing with pain on the ulnar side of my picking hand — the pinky side of the hand, around the 5th metacarpal / “boxer’s fracture” area. The pain tends to flare up after a few minutes of picking exercises. I saw a hand specialist and had an X-ray. The doctor did not see any major red flags or bone issue. He thought it may be related to old scar tissue from a previous break being irritated by certain movements. He said I probably won’t do damage by playing, but recommended occupational therapy and possibly further imaging later if the pain persists.
The pain mostly went away when I stopped playing guitar for about two weeks, but it has started to come back slowly now that I’ve resumed playing. The motion that seemed to set it off was a slightly outward-rotated picking motion, almost like turning a doorknob away from the body of the guitar. That motion felt faster and more efficient at first, but after a few minutes of exercises it seemed to irritate the pinky-side area of my picking hand.
I’ve completed the Pickslanting Primer and uploaded a few clips. I included three licks from the Primer, plus a short solo clip to show how I naturally pick when I’m not thinking too much about mechanics. I can alternate pick around 175 bpm, but I’m not trying to become a shredder. My main goal is to find a reliable primary motion that lets me play country / chicken-pickin’ type lines, light rhythm, and general lead parts without irritating my hand.
What I’m hoping someone can help me with:
Do you see anything in my motion that could be contributing to ulnar-side hand pain?
Am I using too much wrist rotation, deviation, finger motion, anchoring, or pick grip tension?
Which motion family does my playing seem closest to?
What primary motion would you suggest I try instead?
Are there any obvious setup changes I should test, such as pick grip, edge picking, wrist position, arm position, or pick depth?
How would you recommend I rebuild this without flaring the pain back up?
I’m mainly looking for a second opinion on whether my current motion looks mechanically stressful, and what lower-stress alternatives I should try.
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Hi, my first post here. I'm trying to evaluate my motion, i'mtryng to use wirst motion but I can't achieve speed, relax and consistency. There is some tension in the arm and the wrist is kind of locked! Can you give me your opinion about this movement and how can solve that problems ? Thank you very much
Alessandro
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