Btw is it a regular jazz iii? Or is it a oversized jazz iii? It looks like a regular one. I'm surprised because he lets a big amount of the pick outside the fingers. I'm used to let just the very tip, so I couldn't do pick slanting
I agree!!! He's awesome!!! Great teacher!! This video is going to help me tremendously. Most teachers don't even teach you about picking techniques. Which is so important for the soloist.
This is the exact kind of lessons I have been hoping to find. Ultra specific instructions down to the most nuanced detail. So many people glaze over small details. Thank you.
You and Ben Eller are among the very few online guitar teachers I respect. Straight forward, no nonsense, free of bullshit, clear, intelligible videos and explanations... THANKS A MILLION!!
I grew up learning to play in the 90s and the early 2000s, quit playing about 6 years ago. Unexpectedly got a guitar for xmas, and my god! I wish people like you were around when i was a kid! Utterly amazing
Troy, I have been watching your stuff since I noticed it online about 4 or 5 years ago. As a fellow guitarist, I am so grateful that you have taken the time to create all of these wonderful videos. You have pushed the boundary of guitar technique to it's highest level. You are a master of guitar and you should have a doctorate in guitar - instrumental performance. I too grew up learning to play on my own in the 1960's. I do remember the agonizing process of slowing down an album from 33 and a third rpm to 16 rpms on old record players and trying to retune the guitar very slightly and then trying to hear the note and what string and fret it was played on while listening to the solo an octave below where it was supposed to be. What a nightmare doing that was back then. I slowly got better and better and learned a lot from it. It is a really great way to train your ears. By 1975, having been out of high school for 3 years already, I was playing with different bands in the NY area and even in Florida, where I live now. I had gotten good enough to play Hendrix, Zappa, Santana, Larry Carlton, etc, etc. I had written about 10 to 15 songs by then and was even trying to arrange horns for my originals in my hometown band that summer. But I still couldn't sight read guitar music. I had learned to read music in elementary school and in summer music courses at White Plains County Center. I had learned piano, french horn, mellophone, marimba, and acoustic guitar, as well as sight singing/ear training. But that was way back in the early 1960's. And then, in late December 1963 or early January 1964, I heard The Beatles. What a joy after that dreadful hell of November and December 1963 when all anybody was talking about was JFK's assassination. I remember that the 1st album I ever bought was "Meet the Beatles". I wanted to play the guitar more than ever. I wanted an electric guitar. I learned guitar quickly but painfully. As guitarists got better and better, so did I. I started writing my own music. I played with band after band, mostly put together by me. I went to Woodstock. I went to the Filmore East and every place in NYC I could see live music. I studied all the great guitarists of the late 1960's and early 1970's. By 1971 I had a black 1969 Gibson Les Paul Custom, a white 1971 Fender Strat, an original 50 watt Marshall and Cabinet, and a Wurlitzer Electric Piano with a Fender Pro Reverb powering a Fender Bassman cabinet. But I still wasn't satisfied. I knew some music theory, I had learned some very early on, but then learned nothing more except what I taught myself. By 1975, I was a very good guitarist technically as well as a good soloist with my own original sound. But I still wasn't satisfied. My theory couldn't keep up with my ideas, so in Sept 1975, I went to Berklee College of Music. I learned so much in those years that I still haven't used all of it. Anyway, I still enjoy learning, I've never stopped and probably never will. Finding you was like finding a diamond. Your work and playing really shine. I really want to thank you for following your calling. You undoubtedly will go down in history for your ability to learn, understand, and communicate the world of guitar alternate pickslanting. You have really brought the guitar world further along on its path of development. And I really mean every word that I've said. You're a genius Troy, thank you.
My playing improved drastically after comprehending pick slanting. I think Grady was the first to dissect this technique and then coin the term to facilitate the communication process. I'm a much better guitarist because of it.
Thanks Troy, Your videos helped my playing so much that I decided to apply those same techniques to my love making. I set a camera on my dresser and upon slow motion review, I noticed my hips were bouncing in a double escape with a 10 oclock, 6 oclock, 2 oclock motion. So I started using a strict up and down hip slant and bingo!!! My strokes have doubled in speed and I no longer get leg or hip cramps. You're a genius my friend. PS. My girlfriend sends her "Thanks" and so does my wife. Cheers!
Thank you Troy for uploading a video of the EXACT issue I'm currently dealing with - transitioning from a weird "arm rotation" picking style to solid, wrist-based USX. I didn't even know I was doing it until about a week ago! This video is going in the "rewatch every so often" list, it's immeasurably valuable
There is so much emphasis on theory when it comes to playing guitar. It can be difficult to find good information on technique. Great video. Keep em' comin'.
Technique and ergonomics are totally overlooked! I really enjoy analyzing people's techniques. It gets weird sometimes - like when you look closely to how Tony picks Church Street Blues in that Homespun Tape or Dan Crary's right hand in general
@@vince.inthevoid8158 Drums? Most drummers already know all the necessary rhythm theory. Maybe not harmony, but time signatures, syncopation, polyrhythms, etc. Many guitarists don't even know what a backbeat is. 💀
The lighting is way better than usual. I can clearly see under your _picking hand_ to see how far the tip of your 1st finger is tucked in relation to your thumb & pick. It really helps when trying to mimic your technique (or someone else's).
The best video I’ve found for high speed picking. The close up shots are gold! I’ve maybe watched Troy’s playing 100 times. Having a visual cue for the “standard” helps me fine tune while practicing.
I have been inspired by Troy, I could never really understand what was going on but just playing until it sounded right. That's all I've ever done, I don't theorize because I can't, I just keep playing, adjusting my tone, and playing until it sounds really tight, if I analyse it, it all goes pear shaped, so I just practice with my ear and my fingers (don't use a pick). Thanks Troy for all your inspiration, I don't think I would have got here without it.
Sometimes it can be hard as a self taught to find gems on technique and critique yourself to what feels fluid without a teacher there to tell you what the problem is. Thank you for these close up instructional videos. Has been a game changer for me and sparked my inspiration to play even more with a new goal in mind
I think this is the holy grail for me! Thanks for your great work. Whereas some players seem to quite naturally find an efficient style for them without analyzing it consciously, for me finding an efficient picking style has been a long process of trial and error. Your videos and detailed in-depth analysis to secrets of picking technique have been immensely helpful! It also seems to me that this can be quite nicely combined with two-way pickslanting with adjusting the pickslant angle with slight forearm motions, while executing the actual picking motion from the wrist.
The John McLaughlins and Di Meolas of the world all operate on the ulnar side of the motion. Maybe a simpler way of thinking about it is that the starting point of the motion is more or less a straight wrist, in line with the arm. Then the downstroke goes ulnar, and the upstroke comes back to straight again.
@@troygrady Even after applying the pickslanting and edge picking concepts, my upstrokes always gave me trouble for some unknown reason-I think this may be the key to changing that.
Yep you just described me too a T!! 30 years of string hopping. Spent all day trying to get an account going and try your picking primer course but no luck
I found your channel 3 days ago, and you already made me clicking with so much things, my plateau feels so far away now. Thank you for your high quality content.
The "pick grip" section of the Pickslanting Primer is ten chapters about every grip we could think of. They're not "RUclips-sexy" in their presentation - it's just, here' s a grip, and here's how to do it. So we haven't put any of those chapters up here.
"the problem happens when look down at your hand... and you see this." OMG, I've been seeing this for 30 years and just figured that I needed more practice to be able to do it fast and smooth!!!
Still without doubt, one of the best channels on here. I’ve just gone through the Cracking the Code episodes again to pull out the jems on how to get get my picking issues resolved. Sheer class. This, as an individual video, is nothing short of a slice of fried gold. The picking efforts continue, and it will get cracked...
By far the most comprehensive videos online showing picking and dissecting it. Thanks Troy! My 2 hand syncing is what messes me up as well as the wrist motion. It's a fun challenge though.
BTW, love the quick close up cuts of the masters executing these techniques! I'm sure that took a lot of work and I definitely appreciate it! The theory of Show v Tell is great, but when you take the time and make the effort to Show AND Tell, it covers all the bases and leaves no room for misinterpretation. Well done!!!
Awesome! I discovered the usx by accident many years ago. I had felt like I was bouncing too much and so I started experimenting with different angles of attack and found that I was a lot faster with the usx that I called the "out to in" technique. So I would use it for the top 3 or G, B, e strings and switch to the "in to out" (opposite of out to in) on the D, A, E strings... I did that for awhile, but realized that I didn't always remember to switch and the usx or out to in technique was just as effective on all of the strings. I also found that holding onto just the edge of the pick made me slightly faster, I thought because it allowed the pick "wiggle" in between my thumb and index a little easier creating less tension. So whenever I feel like I'm not as fast as I should be, I roll the pick out most with my thumb and index. I had never actually looked into any of this or spoke with anyone else about it, so I think that it's pretty cool that you did a video about it, that I stumbled upon accidentally. Very cool actually. Thanks guys! You won a new loyal subscriber and I am good at recommending guitar channels to people in an effort to help them grow! Keep up the good work, I'll be sure to check out the rest of your videos!
Thanks Troy. Moved to West Islip from Boston back in the early 80's . Left for South FL 5 years ago. I played and learned with a lot of great Long Island guitarists. I even had John Petrucci as a teacher for a few months at Focus II Guitars in Bellmore. Your work has helped in so many areas of my picking technique. 30 year overnight success. Keep up the great work!
Troy I could never thank you enough. I still don't have it down yet but I'm having those times where I can tell I'll eventually get it. It feels great like a million possibilities are going to start happening. I just keep watching this video over n over to see what I can improve. THANK YOU\../
FINALLY!!!! Someone who truly breaks down all the different methods. I've been playing on/off for 15 years and trying to relearn how to hold the pick properly is very difficult. So easy to fall back into old habits. Crazy how some guys hold it reverse but still get great results. Obviously practice is #1 here but I'm biting the bullet and trying to learn the proper way. My only issue is when playing heavy rock / metal and I constantly palm mute with my right hand (which makes me do the fan / ok sign) which i've seen is not a good habit to have...but I can't really do proper palm mute with my hand closed...not sure what to do here.
I don´t get it. First, most "speed picking" guitar players do NOTHING of what he says here... xDxD (people like malmsteem, marty friedman, paul gilbert, buckethead, etc..) And second, fast picking is not difficult... I literally could do it after 3 or 4 months playing :S:S
I've been following Steve Morse and petrucci's instructional vids for lessons and I developed some serious technique, but I stopped playing for a couple of months because of some personal issues and I ended up with a really poor technique and have been trying to figure out what's wrong with my technique, now I know what I forgot, thanks a lot brother. Much gratitude
Wow talk about freedom. My first instructor taught me the Jazz technique. Keep my arm and wrist stiff and pivot from my elbow. This will definitely help me. Thanks.
Nothing wrong with elbow motion! We teach that too. There's no single "correct" joint to use for picking motion. However, for each joint that you might want to use, it can be tricky to figure out how to actually do the motion. That's really what we're trying to do here, i.e. we're not telling you to use wrist, but we're trying to provide instructions for doing so if that's the joint you want to use.
I've been playing guitar since I was 7 (I'm 61 years old)...my speed is crap....it's a synchronizing hang up with fingering and picking...also speed thing with pick as well as fingering speed...so I watched this video, and did a few things based on observing in this video: one thing I observed was that the Dunlop picks I am using have a rounded pick tip, and when trying the method in this video, I wasn't getting the articulation you were getting, so I got a file out and pointed the pick tip as yours look like they are pointed at the tip...it helped with the articulation...pulled up an online metronome, and even at 100 bpm playing 16th notes on one string attempting to hold the pick as you do, it's not like I can keep it going and it not get sloppy...I do have a bit of arthritis in the knees and it may be effecting my hands some...anyway, based on the video, I developed an exercise that helps to keep the up down picking motion going, and the pattern is designed to change strings, as demonstrated in this video...not using any economy moves...it's really frustrating...makes me feel like I got a physical limitation that causes it all to go to slop...going to put hours into this, though, to see if it isn't just a "more time spent will get results" type of thing...thanks for sharing this video...will continue to give it a go...
I never used these lessons. I would snark at the idea of “picking mechanics”. I thought just practice religiously and your body will adapt and do what it needs to do. At least that’s what worked for me. Out of curiosity I just recorded my picking hand and slowed the video down, and holy shit. My hand is doing things that I didn’t even know it was doing. Wrist rotation, upward escape stokes, and downward pick slanting. I was like no way! I had no idea I was doing any of that! I can definitely see how these lessons would be helpful to someone who’s struggling building speed. Incredible investigative work Mr. Grady
Hi Troy, what you said at 4:03 brings up an observation I’ve had in my own playing. After years of struggling with my picking technique, I’ve improved massively since I found a guitar that suits me. In my technique, that ‘winding back’ of the wrist you mention lowers my elbow position, which in turn pivots my forearm & wrist off the guitar body. As such, I’ve noticed on certain guitars it’s a lot easier to anchor the right hand. I imagine this effect is lessened the bigger your hands are, because your wrist will naturally be sitting nearer to the edge of the body.
Remember how when Steve Morse, Van Halen,were figuring a lot of this stuff out in the 70's?The 80's exploded with shredders,90's brought even more & new techniques and now that Troy's groundbreaking videos are giving all the secrets away,now everyone will be able to play stuff it's taken me 30 years to learn...Troy is nothing short of brilliant using modern technology to explain what's happening and making Van Halen available to the beginner an pros alike...I believe he's entitled to a bunch of $$$ and a nice bro to boot🤘😜🤘
Hi Troy, I really love your videos. I have a request. Can you please turn the camera on the fretting hand? I’d love to see those mechanics in slow motion synced up with the picking hand. Thanks!
Please do a kickstarter for the horseshoe again! I’m sure there are enough fans to push it through now. PS - I’m loving the new content. Great updates.
Wow. I’ve never hit a string like the first motion intentionally, ever. I always keep the pick *parallel* to the strings. Not perpendicular. Thank God I found this video. Already showing me a couple things I’m doing wrong
A lot of people use distorted guitar to demonstrate. Here we have a clean example that demonstrates how useful this technique is according to tone as well as ease of use and speed.
Thank you so much. I banged my head against the wall for an embarrassingly long period of time trying to get this. I still cant believe i can actually do it finally.
I've been trying to upstroke pickslant 2nps pentatonics for years now and just can't stop the pick getting stuck, I'm guna start learning downward pickslanting and invest my time in that, as I've been told from multiple sources that the weight of your wrist/forearm helps with pushing through the strings, and at this point, I'll believe it...
To each it’s own. If I look at the slo mo footage, the first thing I notice is the flexing of the pick, which to me is lack of economy of motion and forces you to make a bigger movement. That’s why I always use thick picks, like jazz or stubby ( 1-3 mm) . What I also notice and which is a result of the latter is the amount of strain in your arm . For me that would be a 100% success rate for repetitive stress injury . So I choose to have a very relaxed arm and wrist, I minimize my movement to the absolute minimum and to compensate for that I use a heavy pick.
Thanks Troy for these videos...there has always been a big hole for information on how to pick those strings! ..guitarist's get sucked into worrying about where to put their fingers on the fret board....which is understandable...but after a while you realize you can't pick comfortably or fast...and so you get forced to pay more attention to your picking...but you still arnt sure where the problems are or how to solve them ...thanks to you that problem has been solved..
I tried to pick with a pick rotation (not slant) like you have, but my rotation is the exact opposite. The pick side closest to my wrists is what i use to cut through the string, not the thumbnail side. Hope that makes sense
I just switched my pecking technique to reverse dart thrower … it has the most relaxed feeling in my picking hand that I’ve ever experienced. I also feel the tone has improved. I don’t see the point of any other picking technique.
Troy is a freaking god-level teacher pioneer! He's a genius! Now I would love him to create a new gadget to observe the fretting hand from the guitar players perspective.. Through their eyes, or just below, looking down from above fretboard. Then we can analyze all of the mysteries of the left hand wrist and fingers in close up glory, speeding and flying all over the place with physics of bends, legato, hammers, pull-offs, chord changes, open strings, squeals, etc.. I want to see the other 50% now ;)
Analyze Takayoshi Ohmura picking technique. Is a really clear interpretation, also great on accents. The best part it has so little motion waste. I havent understand how to accent the notes with an upward pick, and the problem is that it falls on non-par notes. But downward pick, it accent so clear.
@Troy Great lesson, but you're clearly picking from the elbow in the beginning of the video? So are you referring specifically to the plane of movement, i.e. that side to side deviation, rather than actually picking from the wrist?
@@troygrady Ah I see, is that elbow use actually adding to the speed in this case? Is there any case to be made to try to eliminate any extraneous elbow movement if that movement is not actually contributing to the speed?
This is an absolutely game changer for me. The explanation made a lot of sense to me and I gave the video a like, then I took my guitar and in no time I was flying. I just sorry not to have found this video before!
I wish there was some training info on how to help your chord hand keep up with the picking hand as you learn to increase speed. That’s an issue I am having.
Just give it some time my friend. :-) I am running into the same problem. After watching these videos my right hand jumped ahead a few years in just two weeks time. I'll just have to wait on my left hand to catch up. But at least my right hand is finally fast!
Nowhere yet - it's a thing we designed for this type of work. However you can 3D print the parts and assemble your own if you like. Plans on our web site for five bucks. But it's a couple hundred bucks all in for the parts. A mass-produced solution would be massively cheaper and probably work better, so we may give that a shot at some point.
I've tried everything, I just can't get this position (or any non-bouncing wrist motion) to work after 15 years of playing (I primarily play FR bridges). Not sure if my arms are too long, hand/fingers are too long, or what, but if I sit comfortably by puting my guitar on my right leg (I sit just like in this vid), drop my forarm down comfortably where I'm relaixng my shoulder, put my wrist on the strings like in the vid, and angle my wrist down slightly to make my thumb bone in my hand parallel with my forearm, my pick is about 2 inches past all my strings..........down past my volume knob - and I don't even have THAT long of fingers, nothing like Paul Gilbert... The only way I can get my hand, arm, and wrist in place like this, is slouching over my guitar. Also no matter how much I curl my fingers up like a shriveled monkeys paw, my knuckles always scrape my strings - the only way I can trem pick comfortably is the lame "fingers anchored on the bridge pickup" technique which is garbage and essentially is a brick wall for switching strings. The only way I've ever been able to play is twisting and pinching my thumb and index finger, playing all in the fingers. I'm honestly just at a point where I'm about to throw in the towel with guitar because I can't even practice...practicing at this point, without the back of my shoulder and down my shoulder blade, being in extreme agony. I might just take a full month off and attempt coming back, but after 15+ years of playing, if I can't speed trem pick yet, I highly doubt I ever will.
That's why fast pickers use stiff/thick picks. Their tips make the string vibrate without delay and gets more force and definition (often sharper picks) and they don't "bounce" in the hand.
Honestly, I think the "heavy gauge for speed" thing doesn't really hold up to actual testing. I am no faster or slower with a thin guage pick like this .43mm nylon ( instagram.com/p/BxLGSWZHUGo/ ). I also don't have a problem moving my hands fast with no picks at all, in the air! In my experience, speed troubles almost always come down to someone knowing or not knowing how to do the actual motions.
As I'm currently understanding this USX =DWS and DSX = UWS. Anchoring the wrist on the ulnar side with the correct center point will allow me to switch between the two simply ala Andy Wood and anchoring like Yngwie will lock me into that DWS or USX. Am I understanding right? If not, what are the similarities and differences what you talking about in this vid to DWS? Also to not get stuck in theory land here, I have to say, I was against this kind of analysis for quite sometime until I saw your live interview with Andy Wood. I was able to mimic a lot of his mental cues with drastic results on my end, and almost play along with Andy Wood - it was incredibly startling and shocking. I'm not exactly sure why my picking improved so much from that and your analysis is helping me figure out why. Thank you for your work and I apologize for being too critical on your body of work.
That sounds pretty good, nice summary. Also, keep in mind Yngwie is not always a wrist player. When he uses his usual forearm + finger motion, that's exclusively an upstroke escape motion. It's why you don't see him doing 3nps scale type stuff with pure alternate picking. It's just not what that motion does. Wrist players like Andy Wood or McLaughlin use a form more resembling what I'm using here, and that form is capable of both USX and DSX motion types without much or even any change from this arm orientation. It's just a different joint with different capabilities.
As someone who is new to this technique, I am curious if there is any benefit to slightly exaggerating it in these early stages. Doing something like a 20 or 30 degree angle rather than the 10 degree angle shown in the proper form. Just to get used to it and really drill it in as a new technique. Or is that not a good idea and could lead to injury if you push that angle too far? Either way, I am excited to finally be able to switch strings off of upstrokes! I've only ever really been able to switch strings fast, on alternate picking runs, off of downstrokes - I've always played with a downward picking angle (pick tip pointing to the floor) which makes switching strings off of downstrokes very easy. DSX, I think he called it? That was just my default. There is something to be said for limitation breeding creativity, I don't want to get bogged down in technique forever... just wanna be able to switch strings fast off of upstrokes too!
No, don't do that. In fact, I wouldn't specifically try to "do" this technique, or any technique, at first. The best first step in learning picking motion is to go fast with whatever the absolutely easiest/smoothest technique is that you can do. That will ensure your motion is efficient. On a simple tremolo, you should be able to hit 200bpm sixteenth notes or faster right away. If not, it's likely incorrect. Once you have that, you may be surprised to learn that you probably already have an "escaped" (i.e. angled) picking motion, since most picking motions work this way. This fact simply wasn't known back in the day, before we started filming things in slow motion. So it's just a matter of determining * which * type of escape your motion already has. Here's a little free overview of escape motion which we put together that shows the most common varieties. This page and the subsequent ones in the series provide examples ( troygrady.com/primer/picking-motion/escape-motion/ ).
@@troygrady Wow, I wasn't expecting a comment from the man himself, let alone such a valuable comment. Thank you for your time and attention! I did your tremolo test and I can do bursts of 16th notes at that tempo but I can't sustain more than about 8 16th notes in a row. When I intensify the speed of my alternate picking, my thumb tends to arch and get almost a 90 degree angle in it. I have ben experimenting with keeping my thumb more flat (as most players I admire do), and it doesn't feel like that much of a hurdle, it doesn't feel like that much of a shift. I am interested in adjusting to this flatter thumb because when I tremolo pick, it feels like when I flatten the thumb out I have more control over the pick, and it sort of activates the thumb and index fingers, although neither move during the picking motion. I think I get greater economy of motion with this new grip. And yes, my preference is the downward-pointing (pointing towards the floor) pick angle, which makes switching strings off of upstrokes much harder than dong so off of downstrokes. But I have been trying a more upwards angle for switching strings off of upstrokes, and it is helping!
@@troygradyhey troy no matter how much i experiment i cant come up with a motion that puts me at 200 bpm sixteenth notes. Are some people just genetically limited?
Excellent video, Troy, thank you! It's so exciting to be watching this all unfold; coincidentally, I've recently discovered the usxmotion 10 - or so - days before you posted IG & this video. I'm extremely grateful for all your amazing work in this (previously uncharted) domain. To me the most revealing video about my most natural movement when picking was the Andy Wood video series. He's an amazing and inspiring player who conveys so much detail about his technique - unprecedented! Thanks!
at 13:30 with andy wood, it seems like he's downward picking slanting, ending with a down stroke on g and going to the b string by continuing down and then connecting with an upstroke for his first note on b. It seems to contradict what troy is saying, can anyone explain what i'm looking at?
Not a problem with that - that's the DSX picking motion used by John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Andy Wood, Andy James, and many other players. It's arguably even more common. To handle every kind of string change though, you will need both motion types.
that mustang can sound mean it _seems_ as if this technique works best if the pick is angled, that is, if the _edge_ of the pick meets the string instead of its _face_ . I prefer to pick the string with the pick flat, because it produces a very clean note without any scraping. Of course i do not mean "this is the correct way, all others are wrong", i just prefer its sound _most of the time_ . Maybe with a pick of different rigidity... i will certainly try this.
Why was the _Downward Pickslanting_ approach given new name _Upstroke Escape_ ? Were these concept too confusing for most? I certainly find them easy to understand
Yes they were confusing - even if lots of people didn't realize it! We weren't clear on the difference between the appearance of the pick (i.e. the "slant"), and the direction the pick is moving. And this can be confusing when one is slanted and the other is not. A classic example of an angled picking motion where the pick itself can have "no pickslant" is the Al Di Meola wrist technique. We walk through this very clearly in our latest lesson, so you can see how this works ( ruclips.net/video/KH08g_xmlng/видео.html ).
This is fantastic Troy, i've been watching the content on your RUclips channel and could 'see' how it was supposed to looked but couldn't quite grasp how it was supposed to feel. The step by step approach to getting into the correct position has definitely helped with getting the feel correct (noticeable difference to where I was generating the picking from). This confirmed I wasn't quite doing the correct thing. I also noticed the difference in pick grip on this video too. I'll be definitely looking at your courses when I can take the plunge.
Right on! This level of specificity is what we’ve been working on for a while now. You will always have to take it the last mile through some amount of trial and error but we want to reduce the length of that mile as much as we can.
Damn ive wanted THAT EXACT guitar since i was 13(im 29). I dont even own any fenders at the moment lol. At the moment i just have a six string and a seven string and each are set up to be INCREDIBLY versatile and sound great in humbucker mode or inner/outer split mode(an i upgraded each and set them up really really well in my opinion. BUT, id love to have a Mustang. Whats always kept me from getting one other then a lack of cash lol is the fact they were "student" guitars and have shorter scale lengths etc. But those racing stripes and matching headstock are just killer!
For about, 2 weeks now, I have practiced, picking. Firstly, I am 55, I have 40 years, under my belt, I have a decent, sweeping and picking ability, etc. I teach, i write, produce, blah blah blah but I have always wanted, to pick, like my heroes. After just 2 weeks, of concentrated, practice, I am seeing major improvement. It all started to make sense, when I saw one of these, videos. I am now, putting in, about, 4-6 hours a day. I cannot wait to see what my picking, is like, in 6 months. Thanks Troy and all who , take their time to helps us out, sharing their technics, to help us, with ours.
![How to Hold a Guitar Pick the RIGHT Way [Guitar Playing Masterclass PART 1]](/img/1.gif)
This guy has dedicated himself to find out the best picking style. Sleeping with picks, eating with picks, cutting his bread with Jazz 3.
And my picking still sucks! LOL
Ahahahh im dead
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Btw is it a regular jazz iii? Or is it a oversized jazz iii? It looks like a regular one. I'm surprised because he lets a big amount of the pick outside the fingers. I'm used to let just the very tip, so I couldn't do pick slanting
Tooth 🦷 picks
This dedication to teaching is unparalleled.
I agree!!!
He's awesome!!!
Great teacher!!
This video is going to help me tremendously.
Most teachers don't even teach you about picking techniques.
Which is so important for the soloist.
Yeah it's awesome
This is the exact kind of lessons I have been hoping to find. Ultra specific instructions down to the most nuanced detail. So many people glaze over small details. Thank you.
9:15 “Your wrist is always connected at your forearm”.
How long have you been sitting on this information?
... Unless you've been caught stealing in a 3rd world country.
@@The_Absurdistt 😆😆😆🤘👍
LOL
Obsidian s Then your hand is cut off, and you must ask alah for forgiveness lol
Most underrated comment award winner!!! HAHAHA
You and Ben Eller are among the very few online guitar teachers I respect. Straight forward, no nonsense, free of bullshit, clear, intelligible videos and explanations... THANKS A MILLION!!
Have you checked out Bernth?
@@christopherharv you beat me to it
Absolutely check out @Bernth
Bernth
Agreed! Troy and Ben definitely do a fantastic job explaining picking so that it really helps!
I grew up learning to play in the 90s and the early 2000s, quit playing about 6 years ago. Unexpectedly got a guitar for xmas, and my god! I wish people like you were around when i was a kid! Utterly amazing
This video drastically improved my picking speed and overall playing in just an hour or so. Thank you so much!
I like how you don’t just read a script! Awesome and authentic. Thank you!
Dr Troy Grady. Professor of Shred PhD.
Troy, I have been watching your stuff since I noticed it online about 4 or 5 years ago. As a fellow guitarist, I am so grateful that you have taken the time to create all of these wonderful videos. You have pushed the boundary of guitar technique to it's highest level. You are a master of guitar and you should have a doctorate in guitar - instrumental performance. I too grew up learning to play on my own in the 1960's. I do remember the agonizing process of slowing down an album from 33 and a third rpm to 16 rpms on old record players and trying to retune the guitar very slightly and then trying to hear the note and what string and fret it was played on while listening to the solo an octave below where it was supposed to be. What a nightmare doing that was back then. I slowly got better and better and learned a lot from it. It is a really great way to train your ears. By 1975, having been out of high school for 3 years already, I was playing with different bands in the NY area and even in Florida, where I live now. I had gotten good enough to play Hendrix, Zappa, Santana, Larry Carlton, etc, etc. I had written about 10 to 15 songs by then and was even trying to arrange horns for my originals in my hometown band that summer. But I still couldn't sight read guitar music. I had learned to read music in elementary school and in summer music courses at White Plains County Center. I had learned piano, french horn, mellophone, marimba, and acoustic guitar, as well as sight singing/ear training. But that was way back in the early 1960's. And then, in late December 1963 or early January 1964, I heard The Beatles. What a joy after that dreadful hell of November and December 1963 when all anybody was talking about was JFK's assassination. I remember that the 1st album I ever bought was "Meet the Beatles". I wanted to play the guitar more than ever. I wanted an electric guitar. I learned guitar quickly but painfully. As guitarists got better and better, so did I. I started writing my own music. I played with band after band, mostly put together by me. I went to Woodstock. I went to the Filmore East and every place in NYC I could see live music. I studied all the great guitarists of the late 1960's and early 1970's. By 1971 I had a black 1969 Gibson Les Paul Custom, a white 1971 Fender Strat, an original 50 watt Marshall and Cabinet, and a Wurlitzer Electric Piano with a Fender Pro Reverb powering a Fender Bassman cabinet. But I still wasn't satisfied. I knew some music theory, I had learned some very early on, but then learned nothing more except what I taught myself. By 1975, I was a very good guitarist technically as well as a good soloist with my own original sound. But I still wasn't satisfied. My theory couldn't keep up with my ideas, so in Sept 1975, I went to Berklee College of Music. I learned so much in those years that I still haven't used all of it. Anyway, I still enjoy learning, I've never stopped and probably never will.
Finding you was like finding a diamond. Your work and playing really shine. I really want to thank you for following your calling. You undoubtedly will go down in history for your ability to learn, understand, and communicate the world of guitar alternate pickslanting. You have really brought the guitar world further along on its path of development. And I really mean every word that I've said. You're a genius Troy, thank you.
Thanks James!
My playing improved drastically after comprehending pick slanting. I think Grady was the first to dissect this technique and then coin the term to facilitate the communication process. I'm a much better guitarist because of it.
Thanks Troy, Your videos helped my playing so much that I decided to apply those same techniques to my love making. I set a camera on my dresser and upon slow motion review, I noticed my hips were bouncing in a double escape with a 10 oclock, 6 oclock, 2 oclock motion. So I started using a strict up and down hip slant and bingo!!! My strokes have doubled in speed and I no longer get leg or hip cramps. You're a genius my friend.
PS. My girlfriend sends her "Thanks" and so does my wife. Cheers!
Your boyfriend must be really happy.
@A Lucky Man! Both hips & wrist. This technique applies to all ares of love making, incl self love🙄. (Yeah, like you've never done it)
@@t-boog2173 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
😁😁😁😁😁🤦🤦🤦
Thank you Troy for uploading a video of the EXACT issue I'm currently dealing with - transitioning from a weird "arm rotation" picking style to solid, wrist-based USX. I didn't even know I was doing it until about a week ago!
This video is going in the "rewatch every so often" list, it's immeasurably valuable
There is so much emphasis on theory when it comes to playing guitar. It can be difficult to find good information on technique. Great video. Keep em' comin'.
my thoughts exactly.
Technique and ergonomics are totally overlooked! I really enjoy analyzing people's techniques. It gets weird sometimes - like when you look closely to how Tony picks Church Street Blues in that Homespun Tape or Dan Crary's right hand in general
I genuinely can’t think of another common instrument that has less emphasis on theory than guitar
I lied. Drums.
@@vince.inthevoid8158 Drums? Most drummers already know all the necessary rhythm theory. Maybe not harmony, but time signatures, syncopation, polyrhythms, etc.
Many guitarists don't even know what a backbeat is. 💀
The lighting is way better than usual. I can clearly see under your _picking hand_ to see how far the tip of your 1st finger is tucked in relation to your thumb & pick. It really helps when trying to mimic your technique (or someone else's).
The best video I’ve found for high speed picking. The close up shots are gold! I’ve maybe watched Troy’s playing 100 times. Having a visual cue for the “standard” helps me fine tune while practicing.
I have been inspired by Troy, I could never really understand what was going on but just playing until it sounded right. That's all I've ever done, I don't theorize because I can't, I just keep playing, adjusting my tone, and playing until it sounds really tight, if I analyse it, it all goes pear shaped, so I just practice with my ear and my fingers (don't use a pick). Thanks Troy for all your inspiration, I don't think I would have got here without it.
I consider Andy Wood the best alternate picker I've ever seen.Thx Troy for covering his technique.
Sometimes it can be hard as a self taught to find gems on technique and critique yourself to what feels fluid without a teacher there to tell you what the problem is. Thank you for these close up instructional videos. Has been a game changer for me and sparked my inspiration to play even more with a new goal in mind
I think this is the holy grail for me! Thanks for your great work. Whereas some players seem to quite naturally find an efficient style for them without analyzing it consciously, for me finding an efficient picking style has been a long process of trial and error. Your videos and detailed in-depth analysis to secrets of picking technique have been immensely helpful!
It also seems to me that this can be quite nicely combined with two-way pickslanting with adjusting the pickslant angle with slight forearm motions, while executing the actual picking motion from the wrist.
Damn, that one piece of information about the center of your side to side wrist motion being slightly towards the ulnar side, invaluable!
The John McLaughlins and Di Meolas of the world all operate on the ulnar side of the motion. Maybe a simpler way of thinking about it is that the starting point of the motion is more or less a straight wrist, in line with the arm. Then the downstroke goes ulnar, and the upstroke comes back to straight again.
@@troygrady Even after applying the pickslanting and edge picking concepts, my upstrokes always gave me trouble for some unknown reason-I think this may be the key to changing that.
You are a genius, Troy! Truly. Thank you for all of your hard work, AND sharing!!
Yep you just described me too a T!! 30 years of string hopping. Spent all day trying to get an account going and try your picking primer course but no luck
Best picking instruction video ever
Ctc has helped me so much
Have we helped you to practice less and improve more? Because that’s what we really want to do!
For me it was LSD.
What is Ctc?
@@TheBlackHelicopterRevue cracking the code
I found your channel 3 days ago, and you already made me clicking with so much things, my plateau feels so far away now. Thank you for your high quality content.
Thanks for the scientific approach Troy. These techniques have already helped my picking improve substantially in less than a weeks time.
I'd be interested to see more of a look into different pick grips. (eg. tip of the finger vs. more of of index finger)
The "pick grip" section of the Pickslanting Primer is ten chapters about every grip we could think of. They're not "RUclips-sexy" in their presentation - it's just, here' s a grip, and here's how to do it. So we haven't put any of those chapters up here.
"the problem happens when look down at your hand... and you see this." OMG, I've been seeing this for 30 years and just figured that I needed more practice to be able to do it fast and smooth!!!
Still without doubt, one of the best channels on here. I’ve just gone through the Cracking the Code episodes again to pull out the jems on how to get get my picking issues resolved. Sheer class. This, as an individual video, is nothing short of a slice of fried gold. The picking efforts continue, and it will get cracked...
Glad to be of service!
By far the most comprehensive videos online showing picking and dissecting it. Thanks Troy! My 2 hand syncing is what messes me up as well as the wrist motion. It's a fun challenge though.
Cracking the code saved me years of frustration. Can't thank you enough Troy.
BTW, love the quick close up cuts of the masters executing these techniques! I'm sure that took a lot of work and I definitely appreciate it! The theory of Show v Tell is great, but when you take the time and make the effort to Show AND Tell, it covers all the bases and leaves no room for misinterpretation. Well done!!!
Awesome! I discovered the usx by accident many years ago. I had felt like I was bouncing too much and so I started experimenting with different angles of attack and found that I was a lot faster with the usx that I called the "out to in" technique. So I would use it for the top 3 or G, B, e strings and switch to the "in to out" (opposite of out to in) on the D, A, E strings... I did that for awhile, but realized that I didn't always remember to switch and the usx or out to in technique was just as effective on all of the strings. I also found that holding onto just the edge of the pick made me slightly faster, I thought because it allowed the pick "wiggle" in between my thumb and index a little easier creating less tension. So whenever I feel like I'm not as fast as I should be, I roll the pick out most with my thumb and index. I had never actually looked into any of this or spoke with anyone else about it, so I think that it's pretty cool that you did a video about it, that I stumbled upon accidentally. Very cool actually. Thanks guys! You won a new loyal subscriber and I am good at recommending guitar channels to people in an effort to help them grow! Keep up the good work, I'll be sure to check out the rest of your videos!
Great service. Thanks Troy and Co.!
Thanks Troy. Moved to West Islip from Boston back in the early 80's . Left for South FL 5 years ago. I played and learned with a lot of great Long Island guitarists. I even had John Petrucci as a teacher for a few months at Focus II Guitars in Bellmore. Your work has helped in so many areas of my picking technique. 30 year overnight success. Keep up the great work!
Haha I think I'm on the same 'overnight' plan!
Never seen such an insightful video on picking technique. Thanks helped me a lot!
Troy I could never thank you enough. I still don't have it down yet but I'm having those times where I can tell I'll eventually get it. It feels great like a million possibilities are going to start happening. I just keep watching this video over n over to see what I can improve. THANK YOU\../
FINALLY!!!! Someone who truly breaks down all the different methods. I've been playing on/off for 15 years and trying to relearn how to hold the pick properly is very difficult. So easy to fall back into old habits. Crazy how some guys hold it reverse but still get great results. Obviously practice is #1 here but I'm biting the bullet and trying to learn the proper way. My only issue is when playing heavy rock / metal and I constantly palm mute with my right hand (which makes me do the fan / ok sign) which i've seen is not a good habit to have...but I can't really do proper palm mute with my hand closed...not sure what to do here.
This is the best video I've seen yet on speed picking! Thank you! 👏😉
I don´t get it. First, most "speed picking" guitar players do NOTHING of what he says here... xDxD (people like malmsteem, marty friedman, paul gilbert, buckethead, etc..) And second, fast picking is not difficult... I literally could do it after 3 or 4 months playing :S:S
Thank you so much, I was afraid of building up speed in a broken technique, but this is the greenlight for me to practice madly
Thanks Troy for this information. I combined this technique with the economy picking and the results are amazing. Thanks again Troy!!!
I've been following Steve Morse and petrucci's instructional vids for lessons and I developed some serious technique, but I stopped playing for a couple of months because of some personal issues and I ended up with a really poor technique and have been trying to figure out what's wrong with my technique, now I know what I forgot, thanks a lot brother. Much gratitude
Thanks Troy. I’ve enjoyed your videos, and it’s amazing how breaking these things down can correct your technique.
Wow talk about freedom. My first instructor taught me the Jazz technique. Keep my arm and wrist stiff and pivot from my elbow. This will definitely help me. Thanks.
Nothing wrong with elbow motion! We teach that too. There's no single "correct" joint to use for picking motion. However, for each joint that you might want to use, it can be tricky to figure out how to actually do the motion. That's really what we're trying to do here, i.e. we're not telling you to use wrist, but we're trying to provide instructions for doing so if that's the joint you want to use.
Wasn,t Johnny Smith was it?
I’ve noticed so many people refer to your channel. As a subscriber, I know why. Thanks for everything, Troy!🙏
No, thank YOU for watching!
I've been playing guitar since I was 7 (I'm 61 years old)...my speed is crap....it's a synchronizing hang up with fingering and picking...also speed thing with pick as well as fingering speed...so I watched this video, and did a few things based on observing in this video: one thing I observed was that the Dunlop picks I am using have a rounded pick tip, and when trying the method in this video, I wasn't getting the articulation you were getting, so I got a file out and pointed the pick tip as yours look like they are pointed at the tip...it helped with the articulation...pulled up an online metronome, and even at 100 bpm playing 16th notes on one string attempting to hold the pick as you do, it's not like I can keep it going and it not get sloppy...I do have a bit of arthritis in the knees and it may be effecting my hands some...anyway, based on the video, I developed an exercise that helps to keep the up down picking motion going, and the pattern is designed to change strings, as demonstrated in this video...not using any economy moves...it's really frustrating...makes me feel like I got a physical limitation that causes it all to go to slop...going to put hours into this, though, to see if it isn't just a "more time spent will get results" type of thing...thanks for sharing this video...will continue to give it a go...
Still making great videos. Picking is so important and crucial.
I never used these lessons. I would snark at the idea of “picking mechanics”. I thought just practice religiously and your body will adapt and do what it needs to do. At least that’s what worked for me. Out of curiosity I just recorded my picking hand and slowed the video down, and holy shit. My hand is doing things that I didn’t even know it was doing. Wrist rotation, upward escape stokes, and downward pick slanting. I was like no way! I had no idea I was doing any of that! I can definitely see how these lessons would be helpful to someone who’s struggling building speed. Incredible investigative work Mr. Grady
Hi Troy, what you said at 4:03 brings up an observation I’ve had in my own playing. After years of struggling with my picking technique, I’ve improved massively since I found a guitar that suits me. In my technique, that ‘winding back’ of the wrist you mention lowers my elbow position, which in turn pivots my forearm & wrist off the guitar body. As such, I’ve noticed on certain guitars it’s a lot easier to anchor the right hand. I imagine this effect is lessened the bigger your hands are, because your wrist will naturally be sitting nearer to the edge of the body.
Remember how when Steve Morse, Van Halen,were figuring a lot of this stuff out in the 70's?The 80's exploded with shredders,90's brought even more & new techniques and now that Troy's groundbreaking videos are giving all the secrets away,now everyone will be able to play stuff it's taken me 30 years to learn...Troy is nothing short of brilliant using modern technology to explain what's happening and making Van Halen available to the beginner an pros alike...I believe he's entitled to a bunch of $$$ and a nice bro to boot🤘😜🤘
Hi Troy, I really love your videos. I have a request. Can you please turn the camera on the fretting hand? I’d love to see those mechanics in slow motion synced up with the picking hand. Thanks!
Please 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
Please do a kickstarter for the horseshoe again! I’m sure there are enough fans to push it through now. PS - I’m loving the new content. Great updates.
Agreed
Excellent materials for all of us mortals wanting more. 😎💪🏽
Thank you for sharing such amazing work.
Troy Grady...my gosh...you have gone scientist on this stuff and I find it very fascinating!
Wow. I’ve never hit a string like the first motion intentionally, ever. I always keep the pick *parallel* to the strings. Not perpendicular. Thank God I found this video. Already showing me a couple things I’m doing wrong
Best picking lesson ive come across. Thanks!
This one helps me a lot actually. I see the improvement of my picking technique.
Hey Troy , Can you make a video about the angle of pick attack and hand anchoring ? thanks for everything
Best Video I've watched this year
A lot of people use distorted guitar to demonstrate. Here we have a clean example that demonstrates how useful this technique is according to tone as well as ease of use and speed.
my new favourit guitar channel
Thank you so much. I banged my head against the wall for an embarrassingly long period of time trying to get this. I still cant believe i can actually do it finally.
Welcome to the headbangers ball! I'll be your host this evening, and we can commiserate about all the stuff we all tried that never worked!
@@troygradylol oh snap im only now seeing your reply! Thanks again Troy, you're the man!!
Very impressive.
But can you decode Willie Adler picking?
@@13guitard00d lol
Thank you for legit making my picking smoother instantly.
Excellent! That's what keeps us going
I've been trying to upstroke pickslant 2nps pentatonics for years now and just can't stop the pick getting stuck, I'm guna start learning downward pickslanting and invest my time in that, as I've been told from multiple sources that the weight of your wrist/forearm helps with pushing through the strings, and at this point, I'll believe it...
To each it’s own. If I look at the slo mo footage, the first thing I notice is the flexing of the pick, which to me is lack of economy of motion and forces you to make a bigger movement. That’s why I always use thick picks, like jazz or stubby ( 1-3 mm) . What I also notice and which is a result of the latter is the amount of strain in your arm . For me that would be a 100% success rate for repetitive stress injury . So I choose to have a very relaxed arm and wrist, I minimize my movement to the absolute minimum and to compensate for that I use a heavy pick.
Thanks Troy for these videos...there has always been a big hole for information on how to pick those strings! ..guitarist's get sucked into worrying about where to put their fingers on the fret board....which is understandable...but after a while you realize you can't pick comfortably or fast...and so you get forced to pay more attention to your picking...but you still arnt sure where the problems are or how to solve them ...thanks to you that problem has been solved..
I tried to pick with a pick rotation (not slant) like you have, but my rotation is the exact opposite. The pick side closest to my wrists is what i use to cut through the string, not the thumbnail side. Hope that makes sense
3:53 has improved my playing in the course of the week. Thank you very much for this.
Just brilliant. The thought, effort and dedication that went into this - mind blowing.
I just switched my pecking technique to reverse dart thrower … it has the most relaxed feeling in my picking hand that I’ve ever experienced. I also feel the tone has improved. I don’t see the point of any other picking technique.
Troy is a freaking god-level teacher pioneer! He's a genius! Now I would love him to create a new gadget to observe the fretting hand from the guitar players perspective.. Through their eyes, or just below, looking down from above fretboard. Then we can analyze all of the mysteries of the left hand wrist and fingers in close up glory, speeding and flying all over the place with physics of bends, legato, hammers, pull-offs, chord changes, open strings, squeals, etc.. I want to see the other 50% now ;)
Analyze Takayoshi Ohmura picking technique. Is a really clear interpretation, also great on accents. The best part it has so little motion waste. I havent understand how to accent the notes with an upward pick, and the problem is that it falls on non-par notes. But downward pick, it accent so clear.
@Troy
Great lesson, but you're clearly picking from the elbow in the beginning of the video? So are you referring specifically to the plane of movement, i.e. that side to side deviation, rather than actually picking from the wrist?
Wrist players very often use a little elbow, which is common. My wrist is certainly moving here. With an elbow technique you wouldn’t see that.
@@troygrady Ah I see, is that elbow use actually adding to the speed in this case? Is there any case to be made to try to eliminate any extraneous elbow movement if that movement is not actually contributing to the speed?
This is an absolutely game changer for me. The explanation made a lot of sense to me and I gave the video a like, then I took my guitar and in no time I was flying. I just sorry not to have found this video before!
I wish there was some training info on how to help your chord hand keep up with the picking hand as you learn to increase speed. That’s an issue I am having.
Just give it some time my friend. :-)
I am running into the same problem. After watching these videos my right hand jumped ahead a few years in just two weeks time. I'll just have to wait on my left hand to catch up. But at least my right hand is finally fast!
Bernth has a lot of youtube videos (and other resources on patreon) devoted to that topic. Might be worth a look.
Um wow! from what i just saw in that intro Troy is every bit as good of a player as many of these greats like glen campbell.
These videos are absolutely terrific!
Great vid !
Where can I get my hands on the awesome camera clamp red horseshoe thing your using ?
Nowhere yet - it's a thing we designed for this type of work. However you can 3D print the parts and assemble your own if you like. Plans on our web site for five bucks. But it's a couple hundred bucks all in for the parts. A mass-produced solution would be massively cheaper and probably work better, so we may give that a shot at some point.
I've tried everything, I just can't get this position (or any non-bouncing wrist motion) to work after 15 years of playing (I primarily play FR bridges). Not sure if my arms are too long, hand/fingers are too long, or what, but if I sit comfortably by puting my guitar on my right leg (I sit just like in this vid), drop my forarm down comfortably where I'm relaixng my shoulder, put my wrist on the strings like in the vid, and angle my wrist down slightly to make my thumb bone in my hand parallel with my forearm, my pick is about 2 inches past all my strings..........down past my volume knob - and I don't even have THAT long of fingers, nothing like Paul Gilbert... The only way I can get my hand, arm, and wrist in place like this, is slouching over my guitar. Also no matter how much I curl my fingers up like a shriveled monkeys paw, my knuckles always scrape my strings - the only way I can trem pick comfortably is the lame "fingers anchored on the bridge pickup" technique which is garbage and essentially is a brick wall for switching strings. The only way I've ever been able to play is twisting and pinching my thumb and index finger, playing all in the fingers. I'm honestly just at a point where I'm about to throw in the towel with guitar because I can't even practice...practicing at this point, without the back of my shoulder and down my shoulder blade, being in extreme agony. I might just take a full month off and attempt coming back, but after 15+ years of playing, if I can't speed trem pick yet, I highly doubt I ever will.
I play bluegrass mandolin but have a hard time with a light pick and the light strings of an electric guitar. The 10-degree technique really helps!
That's why fast pickers use stiff/thick picks. Their tips make the string vibrate without delay and gets more force and definition (often sharper picks) and they don't "bounce" in the hand.
Honestly, I think the "heavy gauge for speed" thing doesn't really hold up to actual testing. I am no faster or slower with a thin guage pick like this .43mm nylon ( instagram.com/p/BxLGSWZHUGo/ ). I also don't have a problem moving my hands fast with no picks at all, in the air! In my experience, speed troubles almost always come down to someone knowing or not knowing how to do the actual motions.
Hey Troy! Awesome video. Thanks for your work. Can I buy such an iphone mounting device from you? I get right down to practice. Cheers, Richard
As I'm currently understanding this USX =DWS and DSX = UWS. Anchoring the wrist on the ulnar side with the correct center point will allow me to switch between the two simply ala Andy Wood and anchoring like Yngwie will lock me into that DWS or USX. Am I understanding right? If not, what are the similarities and differences what you talking about in this vid to DWS?
Also to not get stuck in theory land here, I have to say, I was against this kind of analysis for quite sometime until I saw your live interview with Andy Wood. I was able to mimic a lot of his mental cues with drastic results on my end, and almost play along with Andy Wood - it was incredibly startling and shocking. I'm not exactly sure why my picking improved so much from that and your analysis is helping me figure out why. Thank you for your work and I apologize for being too critical on your body of work.
That sounds pretty good, nice summary. Also, keep in mind Yngwie is not always a wrist player. When he uses his usual forearm + finger motion, that's exclusively an upstroke escape motion. It's why you don't see him doing 3nps scale type stuff with pure alternate picking. It's just not what that motion does. Wrist players like Andy Wood or McLaughlin use a form more resembling what I'm using here, and that form is capable of both USX and DSX motion types without much or even any change from this arm orientation. It's just a different joint with different capabilities.
@@troygrady Thanks for the confirmation and response Troy, I hadn't considered that!
As someone who is new to this technique, I am curious if there is any benefit to slightly exaggerating it in these early stages. Doing something like a 20 or 30 degree angle rather than the 10 degree angle shown in the proper form. Just to get used to it and really drill it in as a new technique. Or is that not a good idea and could lead to injury if you push that angle too far?
Either way, I am excited to finally be able to switch strings off of upstrokes! I've only ever really been able to switch strings fast, on alternate picking runs, off of downstrokes - I've always played with a downward picking angle (pick tip pointing to the floor) which makes switching strings off of downstrokes very easy. DSX, I think he called it? That was just my default. There is something to be said for limitation breeding creativity, I don't want to get bogged down in technique forever... just wanna be able to switch strings fast off of upstrokes too!
No, don't do that. In fact, I wouldn't specifically try to "do" this technique, or any technique, at first. The best first step in learning picking motion is to go fast with whatever the absolutely easiest/smoothest technique is that you can do. That will ensure your motion is efficient. On a simple tremolo, you should be able to hit 200bpm sixteenth notes or faster right away. If not, it's likely incorrect. Once you have that, you may be surprised to learn that you probably already have an "escaped" (i.e. angled) picking motion, since most picking motions work this way. This fact simply wasn't known back in the day, before we started filming things in slow motion. So it's just a matter of determining * which * type of escape your motion already has. Here's a little free overview of escape motion which we put together that shows the most common varieties. This page and the subsequent ones in the series provide examples ( troygrady.com/primer/picking-motion/escape-motion/ ).
@@troygrady Wow, I wasn't expecting a comment from the man himself, let alone such a valuable comment. Thank you for your time and attention! I did your tremolo test and I can do bursts of 16th notes at that tempo but I can't sustain more than about 8 16th notes in a row.
When I intensify the speed of my alternate picking, my thumb tends to arch and get almost a 90 degree angle in it. I have ben experimenting with keeping my thumb more flat (as most players I admire do), and it doesn't feel like that much of a hurdle, it doesn't feel like that much of a shift. I am interested in adjusting to this flatter thumb because when I tremolo pick, it feels like when I flatten the thumb out I have more control over the pick, and it sort of activates the thumb and index fingers, although neither move during the picking motion. I think I get greater economy of motion with this new grip.
And yes, my preference is the downward-pointing (pointing towards the floor) pick angle, which makes switching strings off of upstrokes much harder than dong so off of downstrokes. But I have been trying a more upwards angle for switching strings off of upstrokes, and it is helping!
@@troygradyhey troy no matter how much i experiment i cant come up with a motion that puts me at 200 bpm sixteenth notes. Are some people just genetically limited?
Excellent video, Troy, thank you! It's so exciting to be watching this all unfold; coincidentally, I've recently discovered the usxmotion 10 - or so - days before you posted IG & this video. I'm extremely grateful for all your amazing work in this (previously uncharted) domain. To me the most revealing video about my most natural movement when picking was the Andy Wood video series. He's an amazing and inspiring player who conveys so much detail about his technique - unprecedented! Thanks!
Awesome, thanks for watching!
at 13:30 with andy wood, it seems like he's downward picking slanting, ending with a down stroke on g and going to the b string by continuing down and then connecting with an upstroke for his first note on b. It seems to contradict what troy is saying, can anyone explain what i'm looking at?
Finally a perfect video! My natural pick motion is the opposite of this, I do a down/outward motion.
Not a problem with that - that's the DSX picking motion used by John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Andy Wood, Andy James, and many other players. It's arguably even more common. To handle every kind of string change though, you will need both motion types.
This video made me realize it's actually my downstroke escape that sucks. Also what are those pickups, i need a set
This video was written for me!! Thanks Troy!
that mustang can sound mean
it _seems_ as if this technique works best if the pick is angled, that is, if the _edge_ of the pick meets the string instead of its _face_ . I prefer to pick the string with the pick flat, because it produces a very clean note without any scraping. Of course i do not mean "this is the correct way, all others are wrong", i just prefer its sound _most of the time_ . Maybe with a pick of different rigidity... i will certainly try this.
Why was the _Downward Pickslanting_ approach given new name _Upstroke Escape_ ?
Were these concept too confusing for most? I certainly find them easy to understand
Yes they were confusing - even if lots of people didn't realize it! We weren't clear on the difference between the appearance of the pick (i.e. the "slant"), and the direction the pick is moving. And this can be confusing when one is slanted and the other is not. A classic example of an angled picking motion where the pick itself can have "no pickslant" is the Al Di Meola wrist technique. We walk through this very clearly in our latest lesson, so you can see how this works ( ruclips.net/video/KH08g_xmlng/видео.html ).
At 13:18, I see Andy's wrist motion as 10-0-2, not 902. What do others think?
This is fantastic Troy, i've been watching the content on your RUclips channel and could 'see' how it was supposed to looked but couldn't quite grasp how it was supposed to feel. The step by step approach to getting into the correct position has definitely helped with getting the feel correct (noticeable difference to where I was generating the picking from). This confirmed I wasn't quite doing the correct thing. I also noticed the difference in pick grip on this video too. I'll be definitely looking at your courses when I can take the plunge.
Right on! This level of specificity is what we’ve been working on for a while now. You will always have to take it the last mile through some amount of trial and error but we want to reduce the length of that mile as much as we can.
I would love to see Troy’s analysis of players like Berelli Lagrene and others of the gypsy jazz idiom who use an arched wrist position
it would be cool if Troy had those "CODE" saddles (from the website graphics) on one of his actual guitars
Damn ive wanted THAT EXACT guitar since i was 13(im 29). I dont even own any fenders at the moment lol. At the moment i just have a six string and a seven string and each are set up to be INCREDIBLY versatile and sound great in humbucker mode or inner/outer split mode(an i upgraded each and set them up really really well in my opinion. BUT, id love to have a Mustang. Whats always kept me from getting one other then a lack of cash lol is the fact they were "student" guitars and have shorter scale lengths etc. But those racing stripes and matching headstock are just killer!
AWESOME TROY....... MAY I ASK ONE QUESTION THOUGH? HAVE YOU CONSIDERED GORGE BENSON PICKING? WHERE THOSE IT FIT INTO ALL THE RESEARCH YOU HAVE DONE?
Want to see some insane picking? Try Richard Benson.
For about, 2 weeks now, I have practiced, picking.
Firstly, I am 55, I have 40 years, under my belt, I have a decent, sweeping and picking ability, etc.
I teach, i write, produce, blah blah blah but I have always wanted, to pick, like my heroes.
After just 2 weeks, of concentrated, practice, I am seeing major improvement.
It all started to make sense, when I saw one of these, videos.
I am now, putting in, about, 4-6 hours a day. I cannot wait to see what my picking, is like, in 6 months.
Thanks Troy and all who , take their time to helps us out, sharing their technics, to help us, with ours.
I have a audio of Paul Gilbert breaking down his picking at a open counseling GIT 1986