Troy has really unearthed the truth about picking. His discovery of pickslanting and various other terms that had previously not been defined and categorized should help players learn proper technique. Troy is my age and I would have killed for this knowledge as a younger player. Guitar playing makes more sense with Troy’s fundamentals and I could have avoided so many years of bad habits had I ever realized these picking truths. I’ve cleaned up my playing thanks to Cracking the Code. Thank you Troy......you will have a seat in guitar history for discovering, categorizing and framing guitar technique in the manner you have.
I wish this guy or TH-cam was around when I started playing I started playing at 13 years old computers went even a thing not in houses you either had shit tabs or force to learn by ear which really train my ear learning to play today is really easy.
Having only been playing guitar for a little over a year (after 25 years away) I am barely able to manage much of what you are teaching here other than at an incredibly slow methodical pace, but every video expands my thinking and gives me a new chunk of brain to work with when playing. You are a wizard.
tempjohn1111 I took a much shorter break (about 5 years), but had been back playing guitar regularly for a couple of years when Cracking the Code season 1 debuted. Especially with the Masters in Mechanics stuff, I'm probably about as excited about guitar playing now as I was when I got my first electric guitar back in the day. We live in amazing times. :D
This is the picking style I'm learning right now. It's called directional picking. The concept is to move the pick in the direction of the next note. It's basically economy picking, but not as strict and limiting. Great video.
Troy - I just came across your channel today and all I can say is 'Wow!'. I've been playing guitar for over 45 years (self taught) and resigned long, long, long ago that I just wasn't 'one of those guys with the gift'. But your videos is like watching TV shows that the 'magic secrets are revealed'. I literally get chills watching these videos! I'm sure I'm too old to ever get my fingers moving fast enough to play at these speeds but I believe there is lots of information and knowledge I can gain from studying your videos and improve.
David Franks , how about an update now on your progress? I definitely understand what you mean about Troy giving you the keys to the Lamborghini ;) ...after 25 years of playing his videos exactly what I needed. my practice time is radically more focused. thank you Troy Grady
Amazing! The combination of alternate picking and pickslanting is powerful. Thanks for sharing some ways to practice two-way pickslanting - it will help a lot!
Hey Troy, just wanted to say thanks for creating your great instruction videos! Your "Cracking the Code" vids are simply awesome. My playing ability has skyrocketed since I started watching these! Thanks.
This is an even more concise summary of these techniques than the previous summaries. I'm using this one to quickly convince other people of the value of this knowledge.
This stuff....this knowledge....is available right here..........for free. (I'm shaking my head.) Like many of you, I WISH I'd known this stuff years ago. I've watched all of the CTC vids.....they were both informative and hilarious. For Troy to take the time to create these vids and post them online for free.........the mind boggles. Much Thanks, Troy!
Frank Gambale, is a great source to look to for these sweeping techniques. I have always incorporated sweeping in my playing since the early 80's, but prefer alternate picking for most of my playing. I even put empty pick strokes for timing. * You can can use hammers & Pull offs to give you those even an uneven amount of notes on a string. I've recently tried to incorporate what is known as Hammer-ons from nowhere into my playing.... it is still a work in progress.. LOL! I'm so use to at bare minimum picking the start of any hammer-on or pull-off on a string.
Jacky Vincent( one of the cleanest sweeper at present) said that Frank Gambale was the one who made him go into economy picking and sweeping. And I don't doubt it
Damn. I always alternate pick. Even in arpeggios because i like the sound. But it actually makes a lot of sense to sweep between strings in certain patterns! Thank you!
One point to mention you said no one should hear your technique. It is nice to hear technique change the texture of the sound. Like a legato style sweep compared to an economy pick style sweep. The legato rolls and sounds smoother.
Janos Molnar Yes of course! Articulation and dynamic range are where the music lives. But the point I was getting at is that too many people think that picking techniques have a sound, when in fact they should have the sound that you give them -- small and delicate, large and aggressive, the choice is an aesthetic one, not a mechanical one.
I think he's referring to having the ability to make it indecipherable by choice. Greg Howe has been said to have this ability .... If you close your eyes you can't tell if he's picking everything, tapping, or using all legato because it's all so flawlessly smooth. I understand legato saxophone type lines as opposed to rapid fire staccato lines for variety.... but imagine if you could do a blend of either regardless of the technique you use? Just food for thought... ;0)
Wow, this is great. This is the first time ive seen anyone discuss the technique I use of economy picking wherever possible... especially in 3's in one direction. Just a little theory, at high speeds, I don't think you slow are slowing down during an economy(sweep) string transfer. Instead, you actually do a bit of a circular motion with your arm to make sure you don't arrive at the next string too early. I do the exact same thing. And just like you say, the problem becomes when you get to a point where you have to use alternate picking, you tend to slow down or stall, like when you are going from 3 to 2 to 3 to 2 (a great practice routine), or when you are switching directions at the top or bottom. That is where my weakness has been. But incorporating pick-slanting in these places has helped me a lot.
Brian Nordman In my case there is no question it's a rest stroke -- we have closeup slomo footage of it that we look at in the seminars. Of course you are correct, this isn't the only way to do it. It's simply one way to promote hand synchronization.
***** Hey Troy... please do more videos on this subject.. I can't find this subject matter of switching from economy to alternate picking anywhere, and its so fundamental to my playing. I could certainly be wrong, but your three-per-string looked just like mine. With mine, it would only appear like a circle from the top... from the neck vantage point... it would appear that the pick is stopping while the circlular motion is moving towards the camera, and would suddenly move while the circle curves around. I had a really tough time removing the 'triplet rhythm' at high speeds with economy picking... but the circle shape smoothed it out for me.
Brian Nordman Hi Brian! Combining alternate picking and sweeping is a fundamental topic in Cracking the Code. Have you watched S2E2? This outlines the way it works in Yngwie's technique. The short answer is that it depends on pickslanting, and cannot be done without it. It's not just a "nice to have" -- it's necessary to make the string changes work, and it's critical to understand exactly why this is. Your question about circular movements -- that sounds like you're referring to the picking movement itself. That's really a separate issue which we call "motion mechanics" in Cracking the Code. Movements like forearm rotation, wrist deviation, and elbow flexion/extension really have nothing to do with sweeping or alternate picking per se -- they're just ways of moving the pick back and forth. You can check out the "Four Essential Motion Mechanics" clip on our channel for a closeup look at a couple of these. But you can choose any motion mechanic you like, and they will all work/feel differently. I wouldn't really describe any of these as circular though. What you may be seeing is the interplay between the picking motion and yet a third category of motion which we call "string tracking". This is the movement of the hand or arm across the strings. You can check out the Steve Morse lesson we posted for a very quick rundown of this, around the 13:45 mark. Thanks for watching!
***** Thanks for responding to everything. Just saw S2E2... deja-vu...I also switched to economy-picking watching Yngvie (the intro to Blitzkriek) I actually never thought Yngnvie was doing it as well... but I guess he was.. he had to be. Yes, I agree, this particular subject 'Combining Alternate Picking and Sweeping/Economy' is the holy grail of picking, it solves everything. Theoretically, almost anything can be picked when combining these two tools. I am learning this in the reverse order as you did... I learned economy and now integrating slanting, but your exercises in this video help, specifically, exercises that are basically impossible to play without this mix. The sweep up and down with one note on the high and low is becoming my favorite. Its suddenly doable, easy, and fun. Love the 3-2 mixed scale as well. Also 3-4 is great (even though no scales match that, lol) About the circle, Yes, your right, its not a circle its more of subtle ellipse, kinda like making a fireball on street fighter. You can see it around 11:10.. your thumb does it ever so slightly, but I guess its just kinda a result of how your wrist and forearm work together... a bit different than how I do it, but it was cool to see someone using a somewhat similar motion to what I do. It can produce stunning pick speed with minimal effort... I actually have to train myself to slow myself down on these.
Brian Nordman I wouldn't say holy grail, this is just one approach that works. Pure alternate picking also works well and in many cases is the only approach that will work, like box position pentatonic playing. Even in cases where both approaches are possible, like scales, one is not necessarily easier or better, and spending a little time learning both will help reinforce each other.
In theory on 3 NPS scales down-up-down on E-strong, then swipe down fist note on A-string to get a new down-up-down seems logical but I find it hard to perform.
I struggle with it too. I’m over 6 feet tall with average sized hands . I learned the 3NPS scales in a london music school, but later abandoned them and reorganised them into more comfortable shapes that fit underneath a 4 fret stretch. I never liked stretching over 5 frets. I’m also beginning to feel that most guitarist would be better off with a much shorter scale guitar neck that the typical 25.5 “ I think something between 24” and 25” would be a better choice for most men , but it’s hard for us to break free from tradition. There will be some tonal differences of course. I think Troy plays a Jaguar? In some videos . 24” scale I believe. I’ve played a Jaguar once and was really impressed with how balanced it was on the leg and the fret spacing was far better on the first 5 to 7 frets.
Howdy Troy. Many thanks for the all the effort in translating your mechanical discoveries in terms that many may understand! My question is about exaggerating a specific movement for teaching us and if that exaggeration is helpful to your playing... It looks like when you have many upward slanted notes, you lean back. Or maybe lean back and push the guitar up a little with your hip. Is this helpful/needed or just exaggerated for us viewers? I don't mean for all players, but for your playing. Many thanks Troy!
The first lick in that solo is sweeping on the way up, single string to the left, and alternate + pulloffs on the way down. But it’s done so expertly it sounds like one technique the whole way. Yngwie at his finest!
Great video! You are truly a magician and a great teacher! :) I have one question, since I am not an economy picker. What about pick slanting when doing pure alternate picking e. g. within a 3-note-per-string run? Is it worthwhile to switch up/down slanting for each new string? Or does that make things unnecessarily difficult? (I´m at work and don´t have a guitar to test it in this moment). Thanks!
Markus Dreßen Guitar Hi Markus. It's not just worthwhile -- that's how it's done! This is the entire subject of the Antigravity seminar, several chapters of which you can watch right here on the channel.
When I hear Frank Gambale play, I can often tell when he is sweep picking. On the other hand, I never hear that sweep-like sound when Di Meola or Mclaughlin plays.
Shaun Baxter wrote about all this in the 90s in Guitar Techniques magazine. All of the mechanics Troy discusses he figured out and taught at the guitar institute in Londom
Take us to church baby! Learning from you is like learning from Michael Angelo Batio except hes a little bit strict, but; booth of you guys can really teach. Thanks
***** You'll get no argument from me, It's just that I bought his teaching video, you know the one Guitar World DVD Learn Shred Guitar; and I have Eric Johnson's teaching video's and on one of Eric's video's he talks about angling the pick with your thumb & index finger, wheres Mike is saying on his video; Don't Do That! And I'll bet you these guys watch each others videos and critique them. And; I'll tell you when I tuck lessens from Less Jonson at the Fret-House in Covina California; he use to watch other guys and critique other teaching videos and even goof-on-them. And Less Johnson is vary "good" But your right we got to respect everybody.
I always do sweeping in my playing, even if there is an odd number of notes for changing direction, because I use one finger (ring or any other) to complete the pickstrokes. I think Marshall Harrison does this too, but I´m not sure. I use all my three free fingers and the pick in my playing. Have you covered this kind of playing in your series? (Hybrid). I think this way of playing is cleaner and less percusive. That´s why I like it.
I have a book by Dave Celentano with an example of upward pick slanting and sweeping descending scales that is the exact reverse of Yngwie's ascending technique of sweeping and pick slanting (Volcano Lick). Have you talked at all about that?
Soussherpa Robert T. Baumer Have we talked about upward pickslanting and sweeping for scales? Yes, we talk about it in this video! I'm not familiar with Dave's work though.
***** He wrote Flying fingers, Speed Metal, Modal Jams and theory, and various other books for Centerstream publishing (Hal leonard). They're still available. I didn't really understand the concepts on picking until I started watching your channel.
I did this from day one so it's easier for me. I can't do "correct" alternate picking unless string skipping. I thought Economy picking was Alternate picking because you can also sweep and it's faster.
Great guy. He looks like a USX player, i.e. Benson style where the alternate picking motion switches strings on upstrokes. Once the vaccines roll in maybe we'll see if we can reach out.
Slightly dumb question, but what's the difference between this and economy picking? It may be just me, but im having a little trouble differentiating the two! Thanks for the lesson, though! Found the channel today. Massive help. Makes me want to practice!
hi just discovered your channel , would you say alternate picking is more about groove & economy picking is more about efficiency ?? so this in turn would make your sweep lick sound different depending on the situ ??
We do! These kinds of sequenced patterns which mix even and odd numbers of notes per string require two-way pickslanting. You can check out our Vai Crossroads Diminished lesson here on the channel for the general explanation of how this works.
Troy, this is a little off topic, but watching this video I had to ask you about your left hand. It seems a lot of your picking clarity is also attributed to your strong left hand. Its seems each finger is strong, fast and flexible including the pinky. What left hand exercises would you suggest for this?
5:15 That's a weird way to do it... The way I do it is I skip the e string then do up stroke all the way back (I also skip the lowest note and do down stroke, regardless if I will stop or repeat the sweep)... Or maybe I'm the one that's doing it the weird way...
Thomas Vammen Jensen Hi Thomas- We're just pulling out a couple small segments for the TH-cam channel. For subscribers, we're doing these every month now so you can attend as many as you like!
It would be nice to have these as a part of the Masters in mechanics gumrod. Perhaps for an extra fee. I for one have job and kids and it is not always I am able to follow the live stream so it would be nice to watch these when I finally have some spare time. I really enjoy cracking the code and the masters series and would hate to miss out.
Troy- toward the end of the video where you're ascending and descending a scale, it appears like you're using 3 notes per string for the entire sequence. I'm confused about the turn around bc of the odds/ evens principle?? I know you have to use alternate picking to turn around, but there's something I'm still missing. Thanks
Hi Troy.Great playing.Thank you for amazing videos. Please let me ask a question. I use economy picking from first day that I started to play guitar. Beacuse, I did not know about alternate picking and no one ever told me. Economy picking is very good technique. But its problem for me to integrate it to Zakk Wylde style licks. Especially like 2 notes per string licks repeatingly on only 2 pairs of string. For example: on b string 12-15, and then on high e string 12-15 and then repeat it several times.I always start with down stroke.So my first 4 notes must be alternate picked and then i can switch to economy picking continuously. The switching moment feels like something unnatural. How can i master this technique? What do you suggest? Am i on the wrong way?
Mas o menos, sí. Pero no es precisamente la muñeca, sino que el antebrazo. Pero la diferencia es super minima, como poco grados de rotación. Es mas le dirección de el movimiento de la pua que importa, y el angulo de ataque de la pua que se cambia con los dedos. Estos son los vairavbles que necesita alterar para asegurar la escapa de la pua, i.e. para que no se contacta otras cuerdas durante cambio de cuerda. Dejamé saber si me explico...
How about sweeping toward the 1st string to play one note there, but playing it on an upstroke, so that you skip the 1st string before you play it, instead of after, on the way to he 2nd string? Has anyone spent some time trying this, and did it work?
That's the simplest definition of "economy" that I can think of. I think the issue is that lots of phrases combine sweeping and alternate in ways that most economy types don't traditionally think of as "economy", but that I would certainly call economy because it combines those two ingredients. The Eric Johnson "fives" pattern is a good example of this.
Troy Grady thanks for the reply troy I have been playing for 33 years and have pretty much all the techniques down that I want to but one hurdle as alluded me all these years... being able to play as fast as I want without getting "stuck" in the strings. I am thinking now that I can leap that hurdle with your help. I got lazy when it came time to learn this part of alternate picking but not anymore you have inspired me to really put the effort into learning this technique the right way thank you.
You weren't lazy! These things simply weren't taught because nobody really knew them. You were a "natural" and figured it out, or you were like me and everyone else, feeling guilty for not doing enough metronome or eating your vegetables or something even though that stuff never really produced any results.
You can avoid the need for alternate picking on the turnarounds if you position shift. An upward shift will net you 6 notes on the turnaround string, a downward shift will net you 4. Both methods are useful though. Do both. yeh.
More like, this is how economy picking actually works. It requires pickslanting. Without it, many "economy" licks, like Eric Johnson's fives pattern, simply won't work at all. Just knowing that a thing is called something isn't by itself helpful.
Troy, The answer you posted to this question is , to me, so very powerful. This manner of thinking is why you have notched your place in guitar pedagogy. I hope I have articulated my admiration in this short post.
@@troygrady very well said. The most economic way of playing must include pick slanting. I motion we universally adopt Mr Grady’s definition of “economy picking” Using a combination of alternate picking, sweep picking and pick slanting to move through a series of notes in the most efficient way possible. I guess we could or should also add legato ? Maybe even tapping Hmm, standardising a definition is tricky 🙂
Basically But it depends on how you define economy picking Some might say that in economy picking you HAVE to sweep to every new string . You can’t alternate pick when changing. Guys like Tom Hess teach what He calls “directional picking “ Which is basically mixing alternate picking and economy picking (must sweep to next sting definition) Instead of trying to create a new term called “directional picking “, it would be better to just call it economy picking in which you can change string any way you like . It doesn’t have to be a sweep. When you really think about it , maybe legato should be called economy picking as it’s very efficient ! Perhaps we could redefine “economy picking” as an umbrella term that includes the use of any method such as legato, tapping, sweeping, alternative picking and pick slanting (thanks Troy) to play a series of notes in an efficient manner
so are you saying that it is a good idea to use economy picking? and if yes why don't guitarists like Malmsteen(can't spell his first name) and Eric Johnson use upwards sweeps to make it proper economy picking if you can call it that
im Australian and your soooo damn racist dude ! racist to us poor aussies how dare you be on a different time zone! on a serious note ive been playing for 18 years and always tried to push the boundaries with in reason of how much i work . my hero is petrucci and my favourite band is dream theater . however im a natural economy picker as i did this without trying from day one of trying scales . after years of fail in the last 4 years ive completely changed my playing to alternate as i could never get the accuracy and speed i hear from alternate players .... id like to thank you for your videos there awesome and given me alot of info ive used. you really are given free lessons no one has ever done before and im a huge fan thanks
I alternate pick everything. I gave up sweep picking years ago. During the 80s I combined alternate picked Scalar runs with seeped arpeggios , but after a few years the sweeping got boring.
How come all these very convincing techniques are ALWAYS DEMONSTRATED WITH DISTORTION? Any body out there capable of being as convincing on a jazz box in clear sound???
The techniques don't really fail to work just because the amp tone changes. Unless you're just not doing them well in the first place. I think that's a superstition from way back, when we all thought "acoustic" was somehow harder. If you ever practice your electric unplugged, that's acoustic!
The technique of sweeping resembles a judo concept but instead of using the opponent’s momentum to unbalance him, you use your momentum to push through to string change quickly to defeat the slow string change boss.
Troy has really unearthed the truth about picking. His discovery of pickslanting and various other terms that had previously not been defined and categorized should help players learn proper technique. Troy is my age and I would have killed for this knowledge as a younger player. Guitar playing makes more sense with Troy’s fundamentals and I could have avoided so many years of bad habits had I ever realized these picking truths. I’ve cleaned up my playing thanks to Cracking the Code. Thank you Troy......you will have a seat in guitar history for discovering, categorizing and framing guitar technique in the manner you have.
Doug Edward 100%
Well said, Doug.
Amen!
I wish this guy or TH-cam was around when I started playing I started playing at 13 years old computers went even a thing not in houses you either had shit tabs or force to learn by ear which really train my ear learning to play today is really easy.
God, I needed this stuff like 20 years ago....
Having only been playing guitar for a little over a year (after 25 years away) I am barely able to manage much of what you are teaching here other than at an incredibly slow methodical pace, but every video expands my thinking and gives me a new chunk of brain to work with when playing. You are a wizard.
tempjohn1111 I took a much shorter break (about 5 years), but had been back playing guitar regularly for a couple of years when Cracking the Code season 1 debuted. Especially with the Masters in Mechanics stuff, I'm probably about as excited about guitar playing now as I was when I got my first electric guitar back in the day. We live in amazing times. :D
This is the picking style I'm learning right now. It's called directional picking. The concept is to move the pick in the direction of the next note. It's basically economy picking, but not as strict and limiting. Great video.
Troy - I just came across your channel today and all I can say is 'Wow!'. I've been playing guitar for over 45 years (self taught) and resigned long, long, long ago that I just wasn't 'one of those guys with the gift'. But your videos is like watching TV shows that the 'magic secrets are revealed'. I literally get chills watching these videos! I'm sure I'm too old to ever get my fingers moving fast enough to play at these speeds but I believe there is lots of information and knowledge I can gain from studying your videos and improve.
David Franks , how about an update now on your progress? I definitely understand what you mean about Troy giving you the keys to the Lamborghini ;) ...after 25 years of playing his videos exactly what I needed. my practice time is radically more focused.
thank you Troy Grady
Amazing! The combination of alternate picking and pickslanting is powerful.
Thanks for sharing some ways to practice two-way pickslanting - it will help a lot!
Hey Troy, just wanted to say thanks for creating your great instruction videos! Your "Cracking the Code" vids are simply awesome. My playing ability has skyrocketed since I started watching these! Thanks.
1:21 if you can stare the camera down doing this exercise, you made it dude.
This is an even more concise summary of these techniques than the previous summaries. I'm using this one to quickly convince other people of the value of this knowledge.
This stuff....this knowledge....is available right here..........for free.
(I'm shaking my head.)
Like many of you, I WISH I'd known this stuff years ago.
I've watched all of the CTC vids.....they were both informative and hilarious.
For Troy to take the time to create these vids and post them online for free.........the mind boggles.
Much Thanks, Troy!
You have helped me SO much with all your videos, thank you so much Troy!!
been watching your show for about a year. you are so informative and I love the visuals. most of it is beyond me and I kick ass at guitar lol
Frank Gambale, is a great source to look to for these sweeping techniques.
I have always incorporated sweeping in my playing since the early 80's, but prefer alternate picking for most of my playing. I even put empty pick strokes for timing.
* You can can use hammers & Pull offs to give you those even an uneven amount of notes on a string.
I've recently tried to incorporate what is known as Hammer-ons from nowhere into my playing.... it is still a work in progress.. LOL! I'm so use to at bare minimum picking the start of any hammer-on or pull-off on a string.
Jacky Vincent( one of the cleanest sweeper at present) said that Frank Gambale was the one who made him go into economy picking and sweeping. And I don't doubt it
Damn. I always alternate pick. Even in arpeggios because i like the sound. But it actually makes a lot of sense to sweep between strings in certain patterns! Thank you!
Awesome job you are the best teachers around
Great vid, Troy! You da man brotha!! Thank you!
Troy you are my guitar hero!
One point to mention you said no one should hear your technique. It is nice to hear technique change the texture of the sound. Like a legato style sweep compared to an economy pick style sweep. The legato rolls and sounds smoother.
Janos Molnar Yes of course! Articulation and dynamic range are where the music lives. But the point I was getting at is that too many people think that picking techniques have a sound, when in fact they should have the sound that you give them -- small and delicate, large and aggressive, the choice is an aesthetic one, not a mechanical one.
I think he's referring to having the ability to make it indecipherable by choice.
Greg Howe has been said to have this ability .... If you close your eyes you can't tell if he's picking everything, tapping, or using all legato because it's all so flawlessly smooth.
I understand legato saxophone type lines as opposed to rapid fire staccato lines for variety.... but imagine if you could do a blend of either regardless of the technique you use? Just food for thought... ;0)
The one picking technique You use sir, is called "nitpicking"
Wow, this is great. This is the first time ive seen anyone discuss the technique I use of economy picking wherever possible... especially in 3's in one direction.
Just a little theory, at high speeds, I don't think you slow are slowing down during an economy(sweep) string transfer. Instead, you actually do a bit of a circular motion with your arm to make sure you don't arrive at the next string too early. I do the exact same thing.
And just like you say, the problem becomes when you get to a point where you have to use alternate picking, you tend to slow down or stall, like when you are going from 3 to 2 to 3 to 2 (a great practice routine), or when you are switching directions at the top or bottom. That is where my weakness has been. But incorporating pick-slanting in these places has helped me a lot.
Brian Nordman In my case there is no question it's a rest stroke -- we have closeup slomo footage of it that we look at in the seminars. Of course you are correct, this isn't the only way to do it. It's simply one way to promote hand synchronization.
***** Hey Troy... please do more videos on this subject.. I can't find this subject matter of switching from economy to alternate picking anywhere, and its so fundamental to my playing. I could certainly be wrong, but your three-per-string looked just like mine. With mine, it would only appear like a circle from the top... from the neck vantage point... it would appear that the pick is stopping while the circlular motion is moving towards the camera, and would suddenly move while the circle curves around. I had a really tough time removing the 'triplet rhythm' at high speeds with economy picking... but the circle shape smoothed it out for me.
Brian Nordman Hi Brian! Combining alternate picking and sweeping is a fundamental topic in Cracking the Code. Have you watched S2E2? This outlines the way it works in Yngwie's technique. The short answer is that it depends on pickslanting, and cannot be done without it. It's not just a "nice to have" -- it's necessary to make the string changes work, and it's critical to understand exactly why this is. Your question about circular movements -- that sounds like you're referring to the picking movement itself. That's really a separate issue which we call "motion mechanics" in Cracking the Code. Movements like forearm rotation, wrist deviation, and elbow flexion/extension really have nothing to do with sweeping or alternate picking per se -- they're just ways of moving the pick back and forth. You can check out the "Four Essential Motion Mechanics" clip on our channel for a closeup look at a couple of these. But you can choose any motion mechanic you like, and they will all work/feel differently. I wouldn't really describe any of these as circular though. What you may be seeing is the interplay between the picking motion and yet a third category of motion which we call "string tracking". This is the movement of the hand or arm across the strings. You can check out the Steve Morse lesson we posted for a very quick rundown of this, around the 13:45 mark. Thanks for watching!
***** Thanks for responding to everything. Just saw S2E2... deja-vu...I also switched to economy-picking watching Yngvie (the intro to Blitzkriek)
I actually never thought Yngnvie was doing it as well... but I guess he was.. he had to be.
Yes, I agree, this particular subject 'Combining Alternate Picking and Sweeping/Economy' is the holy grail of picking, it solves everything. Theoretically, almost anything can be picked when combining these two tools.
I am learning this in the reverse order as you did... I learned economy and now integrating slanting, but your exercises in this video help, specifically, exercises that are basically impossible to play without this mix. The sweep up and down with one note on the high and low is becoming my favorite. Its suddenly doable, easy, and fun. Love the 3-2 mixed scale as well. Also 3-4 is great (even though no scales match that, lol)
About the circle, Yes, your right, its not a circle its more of subtle ellipse, kinda like making a fireball on street fighter. You can see it around 11:10.. your thumb does it ever so slightly, but I guess its just kinda a result of how your wrist and forearm work together... a bit different than how I do it, but it was cool to see someone using a somewhat similar motion to what I do. It can produce stunning pick speed with minimal effort... I actually have to train myself to slow myself down on these.
Brian Nordman I wouldn't say holy grail, this is just one approach that works. Pure alternate picking also works well and in many cases is the only approach that will work, like box position pentatonic playing. Even in cases where both approaches are possible, like scales, one is not necessarily easier or better, and spending a little time learning both will help reinforce each other.
Thanks so much for addressing how to turn around on one note per string patterns
Right on!
In theory on 3 NPS scales down-up-down on E-strong, then swipe down fist note on A-string to get a new down-up-down seems logical but I find it hard to perform.
I struggle with it too. I’m over 6 feet tall with average sized hands . I learned the 3NPS scales in a london music school, but later abandoned them and reorganised them into more comfortable shapes that fit underneath a 4 fret stretch. I never liked stretching over 5 frets. I’m also beginning to feel that most guitarist would be better off with a much shorter scale guitar neck that the typical 25.5 “
I think something between 24” and 25” would be a better choice for most men , but it’s hard for us to break free from tradition. There will be some tonal differences of course.
I think Troy plays a Jaguar? In some videos . 24” scale I believe. I’ve played a Jaguar once and was really impressed with how balanced it was on the leg and the fret spacing was far better on the first 5 to 7 frets.
love these tutorials.
Howdy Troy.
Many thanks for the all the effort in translating your mechanical discoveries in terms that many may understand!
My question is about exaggerating a specific movement for teaching us and if that exaggeration is helpful to your playing... It looks like when you have many upward slanted notes, you lean back. Or maybe lean back and push the guitar up a little with your hip.
Is this helpful/needed or just exaggerated for us viewers? I don't mean for all players, but for your playing.
Many thanks Troy!
Hi *****
I feel like I need more Cascade licks, any plans on making a 2nd part or an extension pack of that great seminar?
Thanks again!
Thats awesome..thanks troy.
Great stuff!
Q: Is 8:45 the best way to play the start of Malmsteens "I am a Viking" solo?
The first lick in that solo is sweeping on the way up, single string to the left, and alternate + pulloffs on the way down. But it’s done so expertly it sounds like one technique the whole way. Yngwie at his finest!
Cant wait for the Jimmy Bruno interview. Any idea when you will be releasing that Troy?
Alex Padilla Me too
+Troy Grady when is your solo album coming out?
Great video! You are truly a magician and a great teacher! :)
I have one question, since I am not an economy picker. What about pick slanting when doing pure alternate picking e. g. within a 3-note-per-string run? Is it worthwhile to switch up/down slanting for each new string? Or does that make things unnecessarily difficult? (I´m at work and don´t have a guitar to test it in this moment).
Thanks!
Markus Dreßen Guitar Hi Markus. It's not just worthwhile -- that's how it's done! This is the entire subject of the Antigravity seminar, several chapters of which you can watch right here on the channel.
***** Thanks, Troy! :) I´ll test it out.
Please, do a video with Rick Graham :)
who?
+James Rockford look him up on youtube he's probably the best guitarist i've ever seen
Yeah Rick is Great.
I think i love him
Yes This would be Amazing please do it!!!
My guess would be TWPS economy picking, like Marshall Harrison but with more aggression via bigger hand movements.
When I hear Frank Gambale play, I can often tell when he is sweep picking. On the other hand, I never hear that sweep-like sound when Di Meola or Mclaughlin plays.
Probably because they do more scalar runs vs gambale triad etc sweeps
Shaun Baxter wrote about all this in the 90s in Guitar Techniques magazine. All of the mechanics Troy discusses he figured out and taught at the guitar institute in Londom
chris jones you’re right
I'm 44 I remember!
Take us to church baby! Learning from you is like learning from Michael Angelo Batio except hes a little bit strict, but; booth of you guys can really teach. Thanks
Greg Booker Mike the disciplinarian? That's hilarious. He's so good it's intimidating, but he's a super nice guy too.
***** You'll get no argument from me, It's just that I bought his teaching video, you know the one Guitar World DVD Learn Shred Guitar; and I have Eric Johnson's teaching video's and on one of Eric's video's he talks about angling the pick with your thumb & index finger, wheres Mike is saying on his video; Don't Do That! And I'll bet you these guys watch each others videos and critique them. And; I'll tell you when I tuck lessens from Less Jonson at the Fret-House in Covina California; he use to watch other guys and critique other teaching videos and even goof-on-them. And Less Johnson is vary "good" But your right we got to respect everybody.
Hey Troy, are we going to see more videos about two way pickslanting?
Scheiß Veganer
I always do sweeping in my playing, even if there is an odd number of notes for changing direction, because I use one finger (ring or any other) to complete the pickstrokes. I think Marshall Harrison does this too, but I´m not sure. I use all my three free fingers and the pick in my playing. Have you covered this kind of playing in your series? (Hybrid). I think this way of playing is cleaner and less percusive. That´s why I like it.
I have a book by Dave Celentano with an example of upward pick slanting and sweeping descending scales that is the exact reverse of Yngwie's ascending technique of sweeping and pick slanting (Volcano Lick). Have you talked at all about that?
Soussherpa Robert T. Baumer Have we talked about upward pickslanting and sweeping for scales? Yes, we talk about it in this video! I'm not familiar with Dave's work though.
***** He wrote Flying fingers, Speed Metal, Modal Jams and theory, and various other books for Centerstream publishing (Hal leonard). They're still available. I didn't really understand the concepts on picking until I started watching your channel.
I did this from day one so it's easier for me. I can't do "correct" alternate picking unless string skipping. I thought Economy picking was Alternate picking because you can also sweep and it's faster.
Hey, Troy great video. Have you decoded Eric Gales
Great guy. He looks like a USX player, i.e. Benson style where the alternate picking motion switches strings on upstrokes. Once the vaccines roll in maybe we'll see if we can reach out.
Slightly dumb question, but what's the difference between this and economy picking? It may be just me, but im having a little trouble differentiating the two! Thanks for the lesson, though! Found the channel today. Massive help. Makes me want to practice!
+Toby K. This is economy picking, Troy simply calls it sweeping.
hi just discovered your channel , would you say alternate picking is more about groove & economy picking is more about efficiency ?? so this in turn would make your sweep lick sound different depending on the situ ??
Do you have a lesson for how you approach your picking at 10:33??? Coils always perplex me! HELP!!
We do! These kinds of sequenced patterns which mix even and odd numbers of notes per string require two-way pickslanting. You can check out our Vai Crossroads Diminished lesson here on the channel for the general explanation of how this works.
+Troy Grady,
Do you have to pick slant to play fast licks?
Pickslanting and sweeping came very natural for me.
Proper tasty stringbending and vibrato took much more time for me.
a video with Frank Gambale and Rick graham would be dope
Hi Troy, have you ever looked into Tony MacAlpine's technique?
Troy, this is a little off topic, but watching this video I had to ask you about your left hand. It seems a lot of your picking clarity is also attributed to your strong left hand. Its seems each finger is strong, fast and flexible including the pinky. What left hand exercises would you suggest for this?
5:15 That's a weird way to do it... The way I do it is I skip the e string then do up stroke all the way back (I also skip the lowest note and do down stroke, regardless if I will stop or repeat the sweep)... Or maybe I'm the one that's doing it the weird way...
What size strings and picks are you using?
Will this be available to the masters in mechanics subscribers in the gumrod product listing?
Thomas Vammen Jensen Hi Thomas- We're just pulling out a couple small segments for the TH-cam channel. For subscribers, we're doing these every month now so you can attend as many as you like!
It would be nice to have these as a part of the Masters in mechanics gumrod. Perhaps for an extra fee. I for one have job and kids and it is not always I am able to follow the live stream so it would be nice to watch these when I finally have some spare time. I really enjoy cracking the code and the masters series and would hate to miss out.
Troy- toward the end of the video where you're ascending and descending a scale, it appears like you're using 3 notes per string for the entire sequence. I'm confused about the turn around bc of the odds/ evens principle?? I know you have to use alternate picking to turn around, but there's something I'm still missing. Thanks
Hi Troy.Great playing.Thank you for amazing videos. Please let me ask a question.
I use economy picking from first day that I started to play guitar. Beacuse, I did not know about alternate picking and no one ever told me. Economy picking is very good technique. But its problem for me to integrate it to Zakk Wylde style licks. Especially like 2 notes per string licks repeatingly on only 2 pairs of string. For example: on b string 12-15, and then on high e string 12-15 and then repeat it several times.I always start with down stroke.So my first 4 notes must be alternate picked and then i can switch to economy picking continuously. The switching moment feels like something unnatural. How can i master this technique? What do you suggest? Am i on the wrong way?
Start with an upstroke
"Only other players will care about what technique yer actually using" says the guy who cares about it the most LOL +++
Luvya, Troy.
What if you forget about all this and just use the MAB method? Is there anything you can't do with that method?
Hola troy!
Es necesario el giro de la muñeca?
Mas o menos, sí. Pero no es precisamente la muñeca, sino que el antebrazo. Pero la diferencia es super minima, como poco grados de rotación. Es mas le dirección de el movimiento de la pua que importa, y el angulo de ataque de la pua que se cambia con los dedos. Estos son los vairavbles que necesita alterar para asegurar la escapa de la pua, i.e. para que no se contacta otras cuerdas durante cambio de cuerda. Dejamé saber si me explico...
Hi Troy, just wondering what model of Duncans you have in your Les Paul? Thanks
Mox_au Hi! The bridge is stock. The neck is a Duncan '59 but it's rarely used.
***** Thanks :)
Sometimes a hammer instead of a pick to allow total sweeping is required, yes, that means you dont pick every note, but nobody will ever know!
What amp are you using in this video?
How about sweeping toward the 1st string to play one note there, but playing it on an upstroke, so that you skip the 1st string before you play it, instead of after, on the way to he 2nd string? Has anyone spent some time trying this, and did it work?
Hi Troy! You are a great guitarist! What is your favorite pick? For electric and accoustic? It`s the same pick? Thanks for response Master:)
Hi Horst! I'm no master. And I don't have strong preferences when it comes to pick choice. I've used all the common ones, they all work for me.
This guys right hand is monstrous 🙈
Sweeping mixed with alternate picking = economy picking correct?
That's the simplest definition of "economy" that I can think of. I think the issue is that lots of phrases combine sweeping and alternate in ways that most economy types don't traditionally think of as "economy", but that I would certainly call economy because it combines those two ingredients. The Eric Johnson "fives" pattern is a good example of this.
Troy Grady thanks for the reply troy I have been playing for 33 years and have pretty much all the techniques down that I want to but one hurdle as alluded me all these years... being able to play as fast as I want without getting "stuck" in the strings. I am thinking now that I can leap that hurdle with your help. I got lazy when it came time to learn this part of alternate picking but not anymore you have inspired me to really put the effort into learning this technique the right way thank you.
You weren't lazy! These things simply weren't taught because nobody really knew them. You were a "natural" and figured it out, or you were like me and everyone else, feeling guilty for not doing enough metronome or eating your vegetables or something even though that stuff never really produced any results.
do a video on Buckethead please
You can avoid the need for alternate picking on the turnarounds if you position shift. An upward shift will net you 6 notes on the turnaround string, a downward shift will net you 4.
Both methods are useful though. Do both. yeh.
+Luke Menniss True! We're addressing the alternate solution because this was a live QA and folks were asking.
what is diffrent with ingwy tehnik in upstroke everi end of
When is this guy getting the magnet on the market?
Gold
How tall are you?
i would say about 4 feet
Jeeebaniutki... :O I'm sorry, I'm just very impressed by you skills :-)
So...this is Economy Picking
More like, this is how economy picking actually works. It requires pickslanting. Without it, many "economy" licks, like Eric Johnson's fives pattern, simply won't work at all. Just knowing that a thing is called something isn't by itself helpful.
Troy,
The answer you posted to this question is , to me, so very powerful. This manner of thinking is why you have notched your place in guitar pedagogy. I hope I have articulated my admiration in this short post.
@@troygrady very well said. The most economic way of playing must include pick slanting.
I motion we universally adopt Mr Grady’s definition of “economy picking”
Using a combination of alternate picking, sweep picking and pick slanting to move through a series of notes in the most efficient way possible.
I guess we could or should also add legato ? Maybe even tapping
Hmm, standardising a definition is tricky 🙂
Basically
But it depends on how you define economy picking
Some might say that in economy picking you HAVE to sweep to every new string . You can’t alternate pick when changing.
Guys like Tom Hess teach what He calls “directional picking “
Which is basically mixing alternate picking and economy picking (must sweep to next sting definition)
Instead of trying to create a new term called “directional picking “, it would be better to just call it economy picking in which you can change string any way you like . It doesn’t have to be a sweep.
When you really think about it , maybe legato should be called economy picking as it’s very efficient !
Perhaps we could redefine “economy picking” as an umbrella term that includes the use of any method such as legato, tapping, sweeping, alternative picking and pick slanting (thanks Troy) to play a series of notes in an efficient manner
so are you saying that it is a good idea to use economy picking? and if yes why don't guitarists like Malmsteen(can't spell his first name) and Eric Johnson use upwards sweeps to make it proper economy picking if you can call it that
Many Guitarists do use Economy picking, especially when combining sweeps.
actually, all picking style are not same time travel because of hypotenuse, arc, adjacent on the angle,
picking area is 24 frets and
guitar bridge between
can be use no one style
NO cheats fellas and girls. Learn Alternate, economy, directional picking and both slanting methods.
im Australian and your soooo damn racist dude ! racist to us poor aussies how dare you be on a different time zone! on a serious note ive been playing for 18 years and always tried to push the boundaries with in reason of how much i work . my hero is petrucci and my favourite band is dream theater . however im a natural economy picker as i did this without trying from day one of trying scales . after years of fail in the last 4 years ive completely changed my playing to alternate as i could never get the accuracy and speed i hear from alternate players .... id like to thank you for your videos there awesome and given me alot of info ive used. you really are given free lessons no one has ever done before and im a huge fan thanks
😍
I alternate pick everything. I gave up sweep picking years ago. During the 80s I combined alternate picked Scalar runs with seeped arpeggios , but after a few years the sweeping got boring.
What a about Jake e lee/ zakk wylde style of power picking?
I alternate pick everything. including arpeggios. It feels more natural to me and if I'm honest, it sounds better.
Each to their own.
You have to buy the product to learn anything , this is a teaser
omg
3:59 "you see I'm rest stroking there." Where? Then "what next string? Slow down a little
It's called economy picking.
How about tabs?
So economy picking
How come all these very convincing techniques are ALWAYS DEMONSTRATED WITH DISTORTION? Any body out there capable of being as convincing on a jazz box in clear sound???
The techniques don't really fail to work just because the amp tone changes. Unless you're just not doing them well in the first place. I think that's a superstition from way back, when we all thought "acoustic" was somehow harder. If you ever practice your electric unplugged, that's acoustic!
his hair makes him look much older than he probably is
The technique of sweeping resembles a judo concept but instead of using the opponent’s momentum to unbalance him, you use your momentum to push through to string change quickly to defeat the slow string change boss.
do any other thing , legend are gone now just useless talking..
try to go clean when you teach technique...plz.
+Earl Brackett ample amounts of effects are obviously needed
TROY, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE US ANOTHER FREIGHT TRAIN SOLO VIDEO?!?! ITS BEEN 11 YEARS SINCE YOUR LAST!!