Steve opens with one of his signature wide-string arpeggio figures while the Magnet setup is adjusted and the first picking comparisons begin.
Core Picking Technique
Steve contrasts an unanchored elbow-driven motion for absolute speed with his anchored picking technique, using the palm and fingers for muting and a two-axis rotational motion for precise string switching.
Elbow Chromatic Skip
Signature Steve's Theme
Signature Chuggy Twelfths
Signature Hollow Arps - tk2
Early Influences And Classical Technique
Bach, violin-style voicings, hammer-ons, and classical fingerstyle lead Steve toward the teenage decision to develop a pick technique capable of articulating every note.
Neoclassical Claw
Scale And Chromatic Practice
Steve demonstrates two-octave scales with changing notes per string, practices every fingering from both starting pickstrokes, and applies the same approach to chromatic exercises.
Scale Second Finger Downstroke
Scale Fourth Finger Downstroke
Scale First Finger Upstroke
Scale Second Finger Upstroke
Chromatic Exercise Downstroke
Chromatic Exercise Upstroke
Chromatic Two Strings Upstroke
Chromatic Two Strings Downstroke
Alternate Picking Strategy
Steve identifies the difficult string-change combinations, explains why he wanted the pick to follow any fretting-hand sequence automatically, and compares strict alternation with sweeping between strings.
Neoclassical Inside Etude
Pick Grip And Speed Technique
Steve recalls using the side of a flexible nylon pick before a tour with John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, and Paco de Lucía convinced him to adopt a harder pick, its pointed end, and a more conventional motion for raw speed.
Elbow Single-String Sixes
Signature Hollow Arps - tk3
Arpeggios Six-String - tk1
Arpeggios Six-String - tk2
Arpeggios And String Skipping
Steve’s anchored technique makes single-note-per-string arpeggios and large string jumps feel natural in examples from “Well Dressed Guitar,” “Tumeni Notes,” and his signature hollow arpeggio patterns.
Arpeggios Four-String - tk1
Arpeggios Four-String - tk2
Well Dressed
Well Dressed B Section - tk1
Well Dressed B Section - tk2
Well Dressed B Section - tk3
Tumeni Intro Tk1
Tumeni Intro Tk2
Tumeni Intro Tk3
Tumeni Pedal - tk1
Tumeni Pedal - tk2
Tumeni Pedal - tk3
Mixed Escape Patterns
Two-note pentatonic figures, doubled notes, pull-offs, six-string sequences, and diminished patterns show how Steve combines changing string escapes with occasional legato articulation.
Mixolydian Box - tk1
Mixolydian Box - tk2
Mixolydian and Maj7
Practice And Repertoire
Keyboard-inspired warmups, diminished scales, and the B section of “Tumeni Notes” illustrate Steve’s routine of reinforcing accuracy before pushing slightly beyond a comfortable tempo.
Scale Diminished
Signature Chuggy Keys
Tumeni B Section
Pentatonic Picking
Steve plays pentatonic scales ascending and descending from both starting pickstrokes, revealing why continuous travel across the strings feels easier than repeatedly moving between the same two strings.
Blues Slinky and Clean
Blues Slinky G - tk1
Pentatonic Steve's Stretch
Pentatonic Descending Downstroke
Pentatonic Descending Upstroke
Pentatonic Ascending Downstroke
Pentatonic Ascending Upstroke
Pentatonic Connected
Neoclassical Steve's Fugue
Blues Signature Skip
Pentatonic Two Strings
Scale Sequencing
Three-note-per-string groups, sixes, nines, twelves, fifteens, and string-skipping sequences demonstrate how Steve reorganizes familiar scales into increasingly complex alternate-picked patterns.
Pentatonic Sextuplets
Scale Pattern Sixes and Twelves
Scale Pattern Nine and Fifteen
Scale Pattern Sixes Skip Ascending
Scale Pattern Sixes Skip Descending
Scale Pattern Sixes Skip
Learning To Pick Every Note
Steve recalls abandoning legato at fifteen, spending roughly a year rebuilding his technique around picked articulation, and then improving accuracy and string switching through jazz, classical music, and sight-reading.
Signature Tarkusesque
Technique Maintenance
Steve compares the raw speed of the conventional elbow motion with the string-changing freedom of his regular technique, then explains how slow metronome work and accented landmarks repair coordination problems.
Scale Pattern Weak Beat Scale
Endurance And Physical Wear
Daily maintenance, tendon injuries, carpal tunnel, “Tumeni Notes,” “Child in Time,” and his weaker upstroke illustrate the endurance and physical limitations that still govern Steve’s technique.
Tumeni Intro Clean Tone
Arpeggio Child In Time
Outro
Steve explains why the mechanics remain fascinating to him and why picking every note expanded his vocabulary beyond conventional guitar patterns.
