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Masters in Mechanics

Technique critiques

Public critiques created by CKSmith96.

Picking analysis and understanding technique

Hello! I had a bit of a break since I was last on the site due to a hand injury. The hand is all healed, so I decided to take the opportunity to come back online, and start fresh. I’m trying to understand which picking style I’m using to help point me in a direction to begin the journey again. Attached are two videos: one of me playing 3-notes per string, and the other of a tremolo. (Not the cleanest technically, but warts and all is probably a good place to start!). I think I’m USX, but maybe the tremolo is DSX? I feel like I have strengths and weaknesses using either technique to achieve speed; neither one feels fluent, but this could be simply a matter of putting in reps.

Player: CCKSmith96
Lesson: Evaluating Your Motion

Status: closed
Privacy: Public

Last Activity:Oct 12, 2025 11:30 PM

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Notes not coming as cleanly.

I’ve been working my way through the early Volcano Seminar to help my playing, but I feel the faster I get, the sloppier my technique gets. Also thrown in for reference is a faster solo “tag” that I wrote in my band that seems to come out effortlessly. I’ve used a similar pattern multiple times in my playing also. I’m pretty sure that I’m using the same grip in both examples, but I am still new to CTC, and maybe the different angles haven’t stuck yet. I understand that the technique you use dictates your playing choices as well, so perhaps I’m not using the correct technique. Also, I threw in my approach to down-picked power chords, which may be a different picking technique also. This speed is comfortable to me.