Bill finishes the opening performance and describes the long improvised solo sets that keep his picking technique in regular working condition.
Elbow Picking Technique
Bill demonstrates his fast elbow motion, discusses warmth and unnecessary tension, and identifies the pronated arm setup and thumb-side contact point that stabilize the movement.
Motion Elbow Tk1
Pedal Tk1
Pedal Tk2
Wrist And Elbow Motion
At medium speeds Bill’s technique becomes a blend: the elbow helps track across the strings and supplies part of the stroke while the wrist creates the additional string-changing path.
Motion Wrist Forearm
Scale Improv Tk1
Pedal Tk3
Pedal Tk4
Pedal Tk5
Scale Ascending Tk1
Scale Ascending Tk2
Pentatonic Picking
Pentatonic phrases reveal a distinct floating wrist motion and an economy-picked Eric Johnson-style five-note pattern rather than Bill’s pure fast elbow mechanic.
Pentatonic Two String Tk1
Pentatonic Two String Tk2
Pentatonic Triplets Tk1
Pentatonic Fives Tk1
Pentatonic Fives Tk2
Pentatonic Fives Legato
Pentatonic Descending
Pentatonic Two String Tk3
Scale Improv Tk2
One-Note-Per-String Picking
Bill explores the naturally acquired motion he uses for one-note-per-string figures, including four-string shapes, ascending and descending triads, and the role of subtle arm assistance.
Arpeggio Four String Tk1
Arpeggio Four String Tk2
Arpeggio Four String Tk3
Arpeggio Two String
Arpeggio Four String Tk4
Arpeggio Three String Tk1
Arpeggio Three String Tk2
Arpeggio Triplets Tk1
Arpeggio Triplets Tk2 Ascending
Arpeggio Triplets Tk3
Arpeggio Bass Tk1
Arpeggio Bass Tk2
Arpeggio Roll Backward
Arpeggio Four String Tk5 Variations
Arpeggio Six String
Arpeggio Four String Tk6 Speed
Arpeggio Roll Variations
Discovering The Motion
Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Yngwie Malmsteen, and a revealing magazine photograph lead Bill from a trailing-edge grip to the pronated setup that unlocked his tremolo and elbow technique.
Eruption
Pentatonic Triplets Tk2
Scale Improv Tk3
Gilbert Pattern
Teaching Technique
Bill explains how he tests which string-change direction already feels natural to a student, builds vocabulary around that working motion, and adds other techniques only after music is happening.
Scale Improv Tk4
Motion Wrist Tk1
Motion Wrist Tk2
Motion Wrist Tk3
Wrist Versus Elbow
Single-string comparisons distinguish Bill’s wrist and elbow motions, while Vinnie Moore, Yngwie, Mike Stern, and other influences show how different musical demands recruited different mechanics.
Scale Improv Tk5
Motion Elbow Tk2 Hard Attack
Motion Elbow Tk3 Soft Attack
Pedal Tk6
Pedal Tk7
Scale Improv Tk6
Blues Improv
Learning By Feel
Bill describes “faking” the sound and feel of favorite players until a workable movement emerged, and reflects on years of unnecessary warnings about the elbow technique he had already used safely.
Stern Improv
Pedal Yngwie
Mixed Escape Patterns
Six-note groups, ascending scales, repeated two-string figures, and the “Jet to Jet” pattern reveal how wrist motion and occasional forearm turning supplement Bill’s downstroke-escape elbow mechanic.
Sixes Position Shift Tk1
Tens Circular
Sixes Position Shift Tk2
Sixes Descending Tk1
Sixes Descending Tk2
Sixes Descending Tk3
Pentatonic Two String Tk4
Scale Ascending Tk3
Scale Ascending Tk4
Sixes Gilbert Tk1
Scale Ascending Tk5
Scale Ascending Tk7
Scale Ascending
Scale Ascending Tk8 Less Forearm
Scale Ascending Tk9
Sixes Di Meola
Sixes Gilbert Tk2
Jet To Jet Variation Tk1
Scale Improv Tk7
Jet To Jet Variation Tk2 Slow
Dynamics And Pick Grip
Bill demonstrates the elbow motion at both delicate and forceful dynamics, then examines his pick grip, broken index finger, wrist position, and the way his mechanics change across the strings.
Motion Elbow Tk4 Soft Attack
Motion Elbow Tk5 Hard Attack
Outro
Bill closes the session with a final performance after summing up the newly visible details of a technique he had previously understood almost entirely by feel.
