Is This Paul Gilbert Lick Uncountable? (And Why It Doesn’t Matter) Troy Grady 2026-09-23 | Is This Paul Gilbert Lick Uncountable? (And Why It Doesn’t Matter)
No Wrist Speed? No Problem: Secrets Of Reverse Dart Thrower Picking Motion Troy Grady 2023-09-21 | I don't have special genetics for fast picking. I was never unusually good at video games or sports requiring elite hand-eye coordination. And I couldn't play at these tempos until I figured out the concepts and techniques you'll learn in this lesson. In fact, my primary skill is being NOT GOOD at stuff, but realizing there's usually a trick to it that can be figured out with critical thinking and enough trial and error.This lesson on "dart thrower" wrist motion is the culmination of years of work by the Cracking the Code team. If you like it, and you want to go even further, you can get personalized feedback on your technique from me and the instructor team: troygrady.com/help/technique-critique0:00 Riffs From 170 BPM To 270 BPM2:33 Reaching Hyperspeed3:21 What is Dart Thrower Wrist Motion?9:37 Ergonomic Mouse Form11:39 Tall Ergonomic Mouse Form13:11 Middle Finger & Trailing Edge Pick Grips14:13 Downpicking and Uppicking15:31 Alternate Picking17:50 Setting The Forearm Position19:37 Reverse Dart And Escape Motion21:20 Motion "Size"23:30 Training For Speed24:31 Get Personalized Feedback On Your Playing
Conquering Diagonal Quintuplets | Metronomic Rock DSX, Ch. 5 Troy Grady 2023-07-19 | Quintuplets are great for getting "fast" energy at tempos where sixteenths aren't exciting enough, and sextuplets are too fast to play. In this chapter of the Metronomic Rock | DSX seminar, the amazing Tommo from the Cracking the Code team provides his tips for conquering this daunting and somehwat alien rhythmic grouping. The complete seminar contains *39* chapters just like this one, with two complete demo songs + backing tracks, and over 150 musical examples with tablature. If you're a DSX player, MR|DSX is a complete kit for getting up and running with functional picking technique for just about any type of rock phrase, from scales to arpeggios. More here: http://troygrady.com/seminars/metronomic-rock-dsxTopics:0:00 - 0:59 Intro solo: "Spaceship"1:00 - 2:09 Phrase walkthrough2:10 - 3:33 Chunking and synchronization strategy3:34 - 4:27 Position shifting mechanics4:28 - 5:38 Single pulloff variant5:39 - 6:54 Double pulloff variant6:55 - 7:15 Outro solo: "Spaceship"
Looping Pentatonic DSX Picking Hack You Need To Know Troy Grady 2023-07-13 | Tommo's new seminar ( http://troygrady.com/seminars/metronomic-rock-dsx ) is full of essential ideas that make the DSX picking style functional for everyday playing across a wide array of phrases. Here's a great one. As you may know, if you're a DSX player, this means your picking motion traces a diagonal path such that downstrokes "escape" and become your string switch pickstroke. The implications of this are significant. For two-note-per-string phrases like pentatonic lines, you need to ensure that the last pickstroke on each string is a downstroke if you want to play them cleanly and quickly with this type of joint motion. No problem — you can simply start these phrases on upstrokes, and many players do indeed do this. But the positioning of the *beat* is another question. Downstroke-on-downbeat organization is a nearly universal unwritten rule in picking technique that many players attempt to follow, consciously or otherwise. And starting these phrases on upstrokes would break this. To solve this, you could just shift the timing of the lick so that the upstroke is a pickup, and the second note is the downbeat. But many of us have come to think of "starting on a downstroke" as synonymous with "placing the downstroke on the downbeat", even though this need not always be true. So instead, what Tommo demontrates here is a clever method for having it both ways. You can "start on a downstroke", AND place that downstroke on the downbeat. You can then insert a legato note and switch to upstroke-on-downbeat organization for the rest of the phrase. You can even loop the phrase with a legato note at each end, effectively flipping the lick back to downstroke-on-downbeat orientation again so you can restart it. In between, your brain will be none the wiser! As you work on fooling your brain this way, it can be helpful to make a nice swoopy downstroke on the first pickstroke as a chunking landmark for your motor system. You can see these graceful downstrokes in Tommo's clip here in slow motion, and we have also filmed them in the technique of bluegrass wizard David Grier, who employs them in exactly the same type of situation.#escape motion #dsxmotion #upwarpickslanting #pickslanting #shredguitar #shred #guitarlesson #guitarlessons #guitarsdaily #riffwars #lickwars #guitarsolo #guitar
Italian Fretting Power Revealed! | Metronomic Rock DSX Troy Grady 2023-07-12 | Tommaso "Tommo" Tufarelli on the Cracking the Code team accidentally reveals the secret to Italian fretting power in the first chapter of his new instructional course, "Metronomic Rock | DSX". Are you a DSX player? For a comprehensive guide to DSX picking strategies, and to unleash your inner Rock 'n' Romano, MR|DSX has you covered! http://troygrady.com/seminars/metronomic-rock-dsx
Unlock DSX Picking Power With Metronomic Rock DSX | Chapter 1 Introduction Troy Grady 2023-07-12 | Are you a DSX player? Do you like music from the era of high-gain amps and higher-gain hairstyles? If so, the new Metronomic Rock series is for you! In our first installment, Tommaso "Tommo" Tufarelli on the Cracking the Code team pulls back the curtain on one of the most popular high-speed picking styles of all time: DSX motion. The course includes 39 lesson chapters, two complete demo songs with backing tracks, and over 150 musical examples. Check it out here: http://troygrady.com/seminars/metronomic-rock-dsx
Escape Angle — Does It Matter? Troy Grady 2023-06-08 | The most common picking motions all produce some type of escape ( http://troygrady.com/primer/reference/escape-motion-reference ), where the pick pulls away from the guitar body during at least a portion of its travel. Does the angle of the escape matter? It can! NBA players shoot foul shots with an arc because approaching the hoop from above makes it a larger target. Similarly, approaching the target string from "above" — i.e. using an escape more perpendicular to the body — makes it easier to hit. Many USX picking styles ( troygrady.com/primer/reference/escape-motion-reference/usx-motion ), most famously Gypsy jazz, take advantage of this mechanical phenomenon to equalize the difficulty difference between inside and outside picking, especially across larger distances. Note that your escape angle is not determined by the slant of the pick. It is dictated by the type of joint motion you use for picking. So you can't just arbitrarily use more or less escape. In the case of the most common picking motions, the escape is typically changed by simply switching to a different type of joint motion, including making whatever form changes are necessary for that motion to work correctly.
Using Less Pick Troy Grady 2023-06-03 | Why don't we talk more about using a small amount of pick on the string. Isn't it important to have smooth attack? Yes! But when you film technique, the actual amount of pick attack doesn't always look like what you think it's going to look like. You'd be surprised how much pick can appear to contact the string while the attack can feel completely smooth and unobstructed to the player — especially when edge picking and rest strokes are involved. This is because it's not just "how much" pick contacts the string, but also the direction it's moving relative to the string plane. i.e. A glancing attack is not the same as a head-on collision. It's complicated! So when players have trouble with speed or smoothness, it's usually because something is wrong with the overall form or type of picking motion being used. The fix is usually something more systemic, like "anchor this way", or "try this other joint motion" – and suddenly things click and everything is fast and sounds good. TLDR if the technique is slow, or the pick/string contact feels weird, try overall form changes or try another picking motion. Edit: FYI this is a one-way economy lick based on USX motion ( http://troygrady.com/primer/reference/escape-motion-reference/usx-motion ). Because of the diagonal trajectory of the picking motion, only downstroke sweeping is used. This is essentially how Gypsy jazz technique works, and also the techniques of Yngwie Malmstee, Eric Johnson, George Benson, Shawn Lane, Marty Friedman and many other amazing players. Very different joint mechanics between these players, but similar end result of a picking motion that moves along a diagonal pathway where upstrokes escape.
Reverse Dart Thrower Arpeggio Picking. Say What?! Troy Grady 2023-02-18 | The mysteries of the strangely efficient "reverse dart thrower" axis of wrist joint motion are explored in our latest instructional update. Unlock 200bpm+ wrist speed, and killer crosspicked arpeggios, efficiently, with the Pickslanting Primer! troygrady.com/2023/02/12/pickslanting-primer-update-getting-started-with-super-efficient-wrist-picking-motion
When the LOUDEST BLUEGRASS player at the jam is the GYPSY! Troy Grady 2023-01-10 | Did you know that Cracking the Code now offers personalized feedback on your picking technique, included in our subscription? Get your mechanics sorted for any musical style, from Gypsy to bluegrass to jazz to metal! troygrady.com
No wah pedal? No problem! The no wah strumming pattern Troy Grady 2022-11-09 | No wah pedal? No problem! Here's a fun pattern that uses Gypsy-style strumming technique to simulate the sound of a wah pedal. You start with a downstroke that strikes the top two or three strings, followed by an upstroke that only strikes the high E string – to get the wah "click". The third motion is a downstroke that taps your index finger nail on the lowest strings, approximately E or A, or some mix of the two. It's a bit of a tongue twister, and like many things in guitar picking, in order to learn this, you have to fool around with it at fast speeds first, to get a sense of what it feels like when it loops.
Critique Your Technique With Cracking The Code! Troy Grady 2022-09-17 | Would you let these three creepy guys look at your hands real, real close?? If that's your thing, or, you're having technique troubles you can't diagnose, we've got something special for you: Technique Critique. Cracking the Code's new "TC" feature allows you to upload clips of your playing challenges right to our platform for expert diagnosis. Rounding out the Technique Critique Triforce (Troyforce?) are the amazing Teemu Mäntysaari and Tommaso "Tommo" Tufarelli. That such credentialed and skilled players agreed to join forces as a team leaves us humbled yet thrilled at all the great teaching we'll be able to accomplish. Technique Critique is included in every Cracking The Code subscription. Read more here: troygrady.com/2022/08/29/critique-your-technique-with-cracking-the-code
This Should Not Be Possible: Displacement Fours Troy Grady 2022-09-09 | A few posts back we were looking at how you can simplify complicated phrases with pickstroke displacement. Here's another example of that. In this example I'm doing descending fours — the version that starts on a downstroke — with a really simple Zakk Wylde-type picking motion that should definitely not be able to play this line. Check out how cool this is. I'm using a 3nps fingering, so technically the first four notes of the line should be split up between the first string and the second string. But you if watch in slow motion, you'll see the first four pickstrokes are all on the first string, even though I'm only fretting *three notes* on that string. The fourth note is not picked — it only sounds like it's picked, because the pick is plucking a muted note on the top string. This fauxly-picked note is what @jakeestner hilariously described to as "two kids in a trenchoat" pretending to be adults. The end result is that really aggressive "picking all the notes" type sound but without the hassle. The rest of the line isn't perfect, but I still think it sounds really effing cool. I spent maybe ten minutes on this and I'm sure I could get this more memorized by going over the displaced notes a bunch more times. If you want to do fours on a downstroke, and you have a Zakk-type (or other USX) motion, this has gotta be one of the easiest and most gratifying ways to do it. And yes it works with a clean tone too.
Know Your Mistakes: What Is Pickstroke Displacement? The Paul Gilbert Lick Troy Grady 2022-06-15 | One of the coolest picking "mistakes" we see in picking technique is what I call "displacement". It's when your picking hand subconsciously moves pickstrokes to a string *other* than the one you're fretting, to make a particular phrase easier to play. Here's an example of this on the classic "Paul Gilbert Lick". You can't play this with single escape motion, right? Think again! In this clip I'm using USX motion, which can only make upstroke string changes. How do we play the downstroke string change required by the PG Lick? Sometimes, the only winning move is *not* to play. Notice what's happening here. Instead of picking five notes on the D string and one note on the G string, we've switched to being four notes on the D and two notes on the G. This is an even number of notes, only upstroke string changes, and makes the phrase work out for USX motion. Why does this sound passable? The final note on the D string is supposed to be picked, but instead, it's a hammer. But there's still the sound of pick attack — it's just coming from a *different* string — the G string, which is muted by the fretting fingers. How cool is that? Even in slow motion, it's amazing how smooth this can sound for how "wrong" it is. Like many things in picking, mistakes evolve because to some degree they actually work. Displacing this pickstroke makes the PG Lick playable with a motion that technically cannot do odd-numbered string changes, and easy and fast on top of that. Players who come to us for help do this *all time time* without realizing it. Keep in mind also, I'm filming this with the phone mic. Through an amp, you can get good enough at this to never hear it. Getting good at mistakes! Who would thunk?
Quick Lick! Country Arpeggios Troy Grady 2022-05-18 | Here are some fun shapes I like to use for pure alternate chop building. The core concept is to find arpeggios that you like that stay in a single position and use the easiest possible fingering. No big stretches to get more notes on a string, and no string skipping. Just comfortable one- or two-note per string shapes. Let the picking hand take the brunt of it, that's the idea. When you do this you'll find that tons of great arpeggios work out to 212 or 2112 fingerings. Anything beyond a triad will end up with two notes on certain strings, and the somewhat random pattern of this will find all your alternate chop weak spots. Best advice is to start fast. Don't go super slow and try to get all the notes right. That's the long tail of the process. Instead, go fast first to find your smoothest motion and then slow down gradually over time as to get more notes right, and become familiar, by feel, with which pickstrokes need to hit which strings. Sorry for the noisy snare!
The Magnet Factory Final Sample! Unboxing And Overview Troy Grady 2022-05-14 | The factory sent their final production line sample, and the news is... very good! This *is* the shipping product. In this video we unbox it, and take a detailed look at how to use it, as well as everything we're including in the box. This unit is identical to the finished product that everyone will get. In other words, the factory has solved all technical issues related to the Magnet manufacturing so the next step is to order a bajillion of them. Well, a few thousand at least.0:00 production update, delivery timeline1:45 unboxing + packaging design4:45 color update5:15 guitar demo5:45 locking strap7:33 foot pads9:08 grip adapters11:56 mandolin demo14:00 shipping addresses14:57 thank you!
Melanie Faye Its A Moot Point Troy Grady 2022-04-09 | The amazing @melaniefayemusic stopped by for a closeup look at her virtuoso fusion of fingerstyle and pickless flatpicking. In this clip she's laying down the lead to her song "It's A Moot Point", over the top of the rhythm part we had recorded a moment earlier. If you haven't heard the song, I'd advise checking it out. But be warned! Melanie has a gift for writing ultra-tasty melodies that cannot be evicted from your brain. So turn back now, lest you want to walk around humming this for the next week. (Ask me how I know.) Technically, what's going on in her playing is very cool. There is... no pick! But her technique in "flatpicking mode" is otherwise exactly what you'd see from a double escape wrist player, just with the substition of the index nail for the pick. Some things are universal. Travel schedules conspired to allow just enough time in this meeting to record the track, so we'll be planning a round two with more time for a complete interview. Stay tuned!
Magnet ASMR! Assembling A Production Line Sample Troy Grady 2022-03-02 | Decompress from the end-of-times with the relaxing sounds of Magnet production sample assembly. We've received some more samples and they're godo! Another Kickstarter update coming shortly.#themagnet #guitarasmr
Jake Eddys Awesome Double Escape Technique Troy Grady 2022-02-28 | Here's a clip of our upcoming talk with the awesome Jake Eddy ( instagram.com/thejakeeddy ). In this short excerpt from the fiddle tune "Billy In The Low Ground", we're taking a look at Jake's double escape picking motion. When beginners try to learn this motion, they usually consciously try to force the pick into a U-shaped path. This creates an exaggerated bouncy motion that causes arm tension and can't go fast: stringhopping. Instead, when done correctly, you can see just how shallow and flat the semicircle is, barely lifting above the strings at each end of the motion. Understanding what really happens when technique is executed correctly by experts is why sitting down with great players like Jake is such an important learning opportunity for the rest of us. Thanks Jake!
Joscho Stephans Swiping Sixes #shorts Troy Grady 2022-01-28 | The amazing @JoschoStephan demonstrating some of the smoothest swiping on the block! What is swiping? It's a term we coined to describe when you alternate pick through a muted string. It's not sweeping, because you don't actually want to *hear* the swipe. You just want to get through the string so you can continue alternate picking. It's used in situations where you have a picking motion that is trapped in between the strings, but you need to get to the other side. In this clip, the amazing Joscho Stephan shows us just how stealthy swiping can really be. Joscho is using his Gypsy technique here, and in that picking style, downstrokes stay trapped between the strings. So after the third note of the pattern, the downstroke on the B string, the pick needs to actually hit the high E string during the string change. As you can see and hear, it's butter smooth and super effective as a string switching mechanism. It is not a mistake — it's a thing players learn subconsciously because it works. If you film and study lots of players as we do, this is the kind of thing you see all the time.
Magnet Update! Red And Almost Ready For Production Troy Grady 2022-01-21 | This is an update for our Magnet Kickstarter backers as we take a look at some new samples, and get ready for the production run. If you've wondered why making the Magnet is so complicated, and has taken so long, this is a detailed technical look at the challenges of injection molding this complicated little device. Intro tune is just a progression we came up with while filming, and a comp of a few takes of figuring out some cool licks to play over it.Timestamps:0:00 - intro jam0:50 - new samples arrive1:58 - difficulties of injection molding3:50 - manufacturing improvements6:40 - cosmetic imperfections10:00 - mechanical smoothness issue11:19 - usage demonstration12:55 - upcoming timeline14:01 - shipping challenges
Tuning In Fourths — Efficiency Boost Or Creative Challenge? Feat. Wim Den Herder Troy Grady 2022-01-13 | The amazing @wimdenherder plays his song "Mad Max" and talks about experimenting with all-fourths tuning, and its effect on improvisational creativity. Check out the interview, with complete transcription to "Mad Max" in all its impossible picking glory, along with two other songs and 39 musical examples, right here: http://troygrady.com/interviews/wim-den-herder
Minor Add4 Sweep or Minor Add11 Sweep? #shorts Troy Grady 2022-01-03 | We're editing our upcoming interview with the awesome Wim Den Herder, in which he plays this cool little minor pentatonic-sounding arpeggio. Part of the tedious process of transcribing licks is coming up with sensible names for four seconds of video, so you'll have some clue as to what the example contains when you're scrolling through fifty of these in a list. So we're calling this one "Minor Add4 Arpeggio". Why not add11? To me this doesn't sound very "eleveny", it sounds more like a pentatonic lick with some notes omitted. But "Minor Pentatonic Arpeggio" might be confusing. Same thing with the classic Gambale-style major add2 lick. That lick just doesn't sound very "niney" in the sense of "chord plus high extension", so I always call that one an "add2" and not an "add9". But I admit I'm ignorant. What's the rule with naming adds?
Brandon Ellis Super Smooth 3nps Economy #shorts Troy Grady 2021-12-13 | The amazing @BrandonEllisGtr stopped by on Friday with his beautiful bevy of sea foam guitars and battery of tasty phrases and techniques. It's always a thrill to sit down with players who are willing to share literally decades of learning with us, and it helps answer some important practical questions for the rest of us as we move down the same path. For example, Brandon is an expert wrist-forearm player, very similar to other amazing friends of Cracking the Code like uncle @BenEller and @teemumantysaari2799 . What this means is that when playing a tremolo on a single string, this type of picking motion creates a diagonal where upstrokes go up in the air and "escape". When you have this type of wrist-forearm blend as your picking motion, one question you'll eventually have, is what's a good way to actually "do" the motion of economy picking? The way Brandon does this is super smooth and effective. The string changing motions are just the hand going sideways via wrist motion. But you can also see in the closeup shot that the middle note on each string still escapes via wrist-forearm motion even though it doesn't have to, i.e. it's not switching strings. This is the memorized primary motion doing what it has been trained to do. So Brandon's description of what he's doing is exactly correct. Not only that, but from filming sweep pioneer Frank Gambale, we've seen that his motions do the same thing — the middle of the three notes on each string still moves along a diagonal, even though it's "landlocked" in the middle of the string.
Two-String Economy Arpeggio Etude #shorts Troy Grady 2021-12-11 | Tablature on our Instagram! instagram.com/p/CXKGRBvunN_Great example of how technique can enable compositional creativity. This is a short five-note picking pattern which you can run through any number of two-string shapes to come up with cool ideas. Here I'm doing seventh arpeggios but it could really be anything. Anyone with even a basic level of USX motion (aka "downward pickslanting") can make this patterm work and start trying out cool arpeggio shapes right away.
James Seligas Amazing Forward Roll Speed #shorts Troy Grady 2021-11-15 | Had a really fun conversation with the amazing James Seliga ( http://instagram.com/whoamando ) over the weekend. If you've ever been shopping on the intertubes for mandolins you can't afford, then you've probably run across his demos for The Mandolin Store ( @themandostore ), spinning endlessly tasty yarns on everything from Gibson and Weber F-styles to octave mandolins and guitars. It's a sign of the times when some of the coolest short-form writing you'll hear comes from A-list players like James and the awesome Carl Miner doing instrument demos. Say what you will about the music industry and how it has changed, but from the perspective of someone who was never going to be a part of it in any traditional form, the fact that there are now so many unconventional entry points feels right at home. Head on over to the Mandolin Store page to check out a whole host of James' awesome etude-style writing, and stay tuned for his interview at Cracking the Code.
Blazing Ascending Fours on Acoustic | Three-Finger Pick Grip | #shorts Troy Grady 2021-11-12 | The trick with middle- and three-finger pick grips is that they're not just grips. And you can't just switch to them without also changing your arm position and picking motion. But this is also why this form is a valuable learning tool. When the arm is "supinated", or rotated, the wrist no longer moves strictly side to side from thumb to pinky, even if might look that way from a distance. Up close you can see that its motion looks more like the knocking or tapping motion of wrist flexion and extension. The grip is just there to allow the pick to reach the strings with this new arm position. This change gives you the opportunity to learn a new technique with less interference from techniques you may already know. And this may enable you to figure out problematic lines because everything is just a little bit "new" again. Don't worry about losing your current technique. There is no "unlearning", only additional learning. Give it a shot!
Cracking the Code Best Of Instagram 2020-2021 Troy Grady 2021-08-20 | Cracking the Code viewers: You're following us on Instagram, right? If not, you're missing out! ( instagram.com/crackingthecodeguitar ) As these crazy times have required us to adapt to more flexible work schedules and environments, we've also amped up our Instagram presence, where we post more frequently. These nuggets of learning include excerpts from interviews, lesson outtakes, cool new lick ideas, and sometimes Insta-exclusive mini lessons that just aren't long enough for YouTube. Head on over and check us out: instagram.com/crackingthecodeguitar
Amazing Alternate Picked Arpeggios With Bill Hall Troy Grady 2021-08-10 | The awesome Bill Hall stopped by to talk about his prodigious command of elbow picking, only for us to discover a whole treasure chest of *other* motions he does just as well, like his fantastic wrist-based arpeggio picking technique. Bill is using the pronated forearm setup here, which is the approach used by amazing players we've interviewed like Molly Tuttle, David Grier, and Oz Noy. You can identify it in the Magnet closeup by noticing the thumb-side anchor, while the pinky side of the palm is not touching the strings. This is one of the "big three" main setups for wrist playing, all of which achieve essentially the same end result of being able to create any type of escape motion / perform any kind of string changes, just using slightly different arm positions and anchor points. Check out Bill's complete interview, with 77 musical examples and tablature, right here: http://troygrady.com/interviews/bill-hall
Economy picking vs alternate picking | Is one better for improvisation? Troy Grady 2021-07-28 | In this excerpt of our recent interview with Pádraig O'Kane from @streetwiseguitar5113 we take a look at the impact of picking technique on your ability to improvise. While different mechanical techniques *do* have different capabilities, it's not so simple to rank some as "better" than others, because the technique you choose can influence your artistic choices even when you're not aware of it. Check out the full interview right here: youtube.com/watch?v=cfr8z_swDWE
Ultimate Cheat Sheet For Choosing A Pick! The Rule Of Roundness! Troy Grady 2021-07-21 | Here's a simple method for making sense of pick choice that doesn't require years of nerding out on every possible to pick shape and material to find one that works. Instead, we can use the surprisingly sophisticated relationship between your pick's gauge, it's point style, and your technique to find the design that matches best with the way you play. You may *still* spend years trying them all — and you won't be alone! But at least now you can get started playing right away with a design that you know will work. Working on your picking technique? For more about how picking technique really works, check out the Pickslanting Primer: troygrady.com/primer
Instant Picking Speed! 210bpm on the second try. What does a good first attempt look like? Troy Grady 2021-05-11 | It's your first day with a pick. What does a "good" beginner attempt at fast picking motion even look like? In this case study, we watch a complete beginner hit 165bpm on her first try, and 210bpm on her next one. For more case studies and tons of hands-on advice, check out the Pickslanting Primer's awesome "testing your motions" section: http://troygrady.com/primer/testing-your-motions
Racing the Devil: Identifying Di Meola-Style Wrist Picking Motion Troy Grady 2021-04-27 | Our latest update to the Pickslanting Primer is the ultimate guide to identifying your own picking technique ( http://troygrady.com/primer/identifying-your-motion ). In this lesson, we take a look at one of the greatest: the famed wrist motion of Al Di Meola.
Help, I Cant Play Fast! Avoiding The Most Inefficient Motion In Picking Troy Grady 2021-01-30 | I can't play fast! It's the most common complaint in picking technique. If you have a very low maximum picking speed limit, below 150 beats per minute sixteenth notes, there's good news: that's probably not your actual speed limit! You're probably just stringhopping. In this awesome case study from the Pickslanting Primer, we learn how to break through that barrier. For more case studies just like this one, and to unlock your true picking technique potential, check out the Pickslanting Primer: troygrady.com/primerTopics:0:00 - Case study pt. I: stringhopping motion1:04 - Stringhopping mechanics: why it doesn't work5:28 - Eric Johnson's stringhopping "bounce technique"6:39 - Case study pt. II: solving stringhopping motion8:55 - Practicing motion correctness vs musical correctness10:20 - For further learning: studying with Cracking the Code
Test Drive Van Halen-Style Wrist Motion! Troy Grady 2021-01-18 | NOTE: This lesson is about Eddie's *wrist* technique, i.e. hand motion, not his wonderful rotating forearm motion technique! We cover that in a separate lesson in the Pickslanting Primer. Sorry for the confusion.The master may have left us too soon, but his gifts will live forever in the incredible techniques he pioneered. In this lesson, we take a look at Eddie's virtuoso command of wrist technique. Long considered unorthodox, Eddie's style of wrist motion is actually quite common in everyday activities, and comfortable to perform on a guitar. It's easy to test using this simple table-top experiment. Grab a pen and a metronome, and get ready to Eddie! For more hands-on tutorials like this, check out our awesome new Pickslanting Primer update, "Testing Your Motions": http://troygrady.com/primer/testing-your-motions
Introduction To Brazilian Choro Guitar Technique With César Garabini (feat. Olli Soikkeli) Troy Grady 2020-09-16 | Pour yourself a caipirinha and grab your thumb picks because the awesome César Garabini is taking us on a trip to Rio for an introduction to the beautiful and grooving sounds of Choro guitar. Choro is a uniquely Brazilian form of jazz which developed over the same time period as Ragtime and Dixieland in the States. Its driving force is the seven-string nylon guitar, whose expanded range makes possible an almost pianistic playing style incorporating bass, harmony, and lead voices in a single performance. For complete transcriptions of everything César plays including the awesome duet with Olli Soikkeli, check out the full interview at Cracking the Code: troygrady.com/cesarTopics:0:00 Song: "Um A Zero" by Pixinguinha, feat. Olli Soikkeli4:10 Song: "A Felicidade" by Antônio Carlos Jobim6:00 Discovering Choro10:19 The Seven String Guitar13:00 Choro Technique18:20 Excellent Dad Joke18:27 Song: "A Felicidade" by Antônio Carlos Jobim
Olli Soikkelis Amazing Alternate Picking - feat. Cesar Garabini Troy Grady 2020-05-20 | The amazing Olli Soikkeli and Cesar Garabini tear it up on the Choro standard "Alumiando". When you imagine an alternate picker who can tackle any task, Olli is probably who you imagine. Impossible arpeggiated twists and turns and blazing fast bop lines are all in a day's work for Olli and his fascinating blend of double and single escape motions. Olli's interview is coming soon to Cracking the Code, and Cesar's is coming up next!Timeline:0:00 - Song: "Alumiando"3:59 - Choro guitar4:36 - Olli's double escape motion7:22 - What is stringhopping?9:26 - Coupled forearm-wrist motion13:34 - High-speed wrist motion14:40 - Mixing different picking motions16:16 - Eddie Van Halen's picking motions18:10 - Tips for learning Olli's technique23:14 - The Magnet on Kickstarter
Designing The Magnet! The best phone camera mount for guitarists Troy Grady 2020-04-30 | Back the Magnet on Kickstarter! kickstarter.com/projects/troygrady/the-magnet-smartphone-camera-mount-for-guitar?ref=7ielz0
The Magnet on Kickstarter! The Best Way To Film Your Picking Troy Grady 2020-04-24 | You asked for it, you got it! The Magnet, Cracking the Code's awesome smartphone camera mount for filming picking technique, is now on Kickstarter. Back it here: kickstarter.com/projects/troygrady/the-magnet-smartphone-camera-mount-for-guitar?ref=dt73ig
Secrets of Gambale Sweeping! Ch. 5 - The Four Motions of Gambale Sweeping Troy Grady 2020-04-21 | THE MAGNET CAMERA MOUNT IS NOW ON KICKSTARTER! Film your own playing just like we did with Frank! kickstarter.com/projects/troygrady/the-magnet-smartphone-camera-mount-for-guitar?ref=54r1h6--What do you get when you combine two alternate picking motions, two sweeping motions, and Frank's creative genius? Music! In this final installment, we assemble the component parts of Gambale Sweeping into the complete system, and describe the simple set of rules that you can use to determine which motions go with which kinds of phrases. For the complete interview, with tablature, go here: troygrady.com/interviews/frank-gambale
Secrets of Gambale Sweeping! Ch. 4 - The Mechanics of Pick Attack (Pickslanting vs Picking Motion) Troy Grady 2020-04-19 | THE MAGNET CAMERA MOUNT IS NOW ON KICKSTARTER! Film your own playing just like we did with Frank! kickstarter.com/projects/troygrady/the-magnet-smartphone-camera-mount-for-guitar?ref=54r1h6--Frank Gambale's trademark "Gambale Sweeping" approach involves systematic changes in the pick's orientation, including edge picking, pickslanting, and even picking motions that move along different angled pathways. With all this motion in the ocean, how does he keep the attack sounding good? The answer to this simple question reveals the deeper relationship between the pick's orientation and the way it moves. Watch the complete Frank Gambale interview here: troygrady.com/interviews/frank-gambale
Secrets of Gambale Sweeping! Ch. 3 - The Mystery of Alternate Picking + John McLaughlin Troy Grady 2020-04-16 | THE MAGNET CAMERA MOUNT IS NOW ON KICKSTARTER! Film your own playing just like we did with Frank! kickstarter.com/projects/troygrady/the-magnet-smartphone-camera-mount-for-guitar?ref=54r1h6--Economy picking solutions like Gambale Sweeping combine both sweeping *and* alternate picking. The sweeping half of this tends to get the most attention, because alternate picking is just the pick moving side to side, and we all know how that works, right? Not so fast! In this third installment, we look at the concept of escape motion, and how it's used by elite players like Frank, John McLaughlin, and David Grier, even when no sweeping is involved at all. Watch the complete Frank Gambale interview here: troygrady.com/interviews/frank-gambale
Secrets of Gambale Sweeping! Ch. 2 - Ingredients of Economy Troy Grady 2020-04-14 | THE MAGNET CAMERA MOUNT IS NOW ON KICKSTARTER! Film your own playing just like we did with Frank! kickstarter.com/projects/troygrady/the-magnet-smartphone-camera-mount-for-guitar?ref=54r1h6--What eaxctly is "Gambale Sweeping" anyway? In this second installment, we look at what Frank's secret sauce of economized picking really entails, and why it brought certain types of lines within reach of more players than ever before. Watch the complete Frank Gambale interview here: troygrady.com/interviews/frank-gambale
Secrets of Gambale Sweeping! Ch. 1 - Introduction Troy Grady 2020-04-12 | THE MAGNET CAMERA MOUNT IS NOW ON KICKSTARTER! Film your own playing just like we did with Frank! kickstarter.com/projects/troygrady/the-magnet-smartphone-camera-mount-for-guitar?ref=54r1h6--In this five-part series, we take a close-up look at undoubtedly one of the most influential players in the evolution of guitar technique: the amazing Frank Gambale. In this first installment, let's do a quick overview of the topics we're going to cover. Watch the complete Frank Gambale interview here: troygrady.com/interviews/frank-gambale
David Griers Wheel Hoss: Fast, Faster, and Fastest! Troy Grady 2020-03-24 | THE MAGNET CAMERA MOUNT IS NOW ON KICKSTARTER! Film your own playing just like we did with David! kickstarter.com/projects/troygrady/the-magnet-smartphone-camera-mount-for-guitar?ref=54r1h6--Man, bluegrass flat pick master David Grier plays the prettiest stuff. In this clip from our latest interview with him, we talk arranging standards for different tempos, and how David streamlines his arrangements for smooth pickin' when he hits the gas pedal. Asute observers will note the distinct change in his picking mechanics as he ramps up the Monroe classic "Wheel Hoss" to around 300bpm eighth notes. Get more David here: http://troygrady.com/interviews/david-grier-2019
Crack the Code on a Budget: The Cracking the Code Scholarship Program Troy Grady 2020-03-18 | Man, crazy times we live in. If you want to watch our stuff and can't swing the funds, we hear you. We created the Cracking the Code Scholarship program offering discounts up to and including completely free for those who need it: troygrady.com/scholarship
Brendon Smalls Dethly Rhythms Troy Grady 2020-03-14 | THE MAGNET CAMERA MOUNT IS NOW ON KICKSTARTER! Film your own playing just like we did with Brendon! kickstarter.com/projects/troygrady/the-magnet-smartphone-camera-mount-for-guitar?ref=54r1h6--The amazing Brendon Small is great at everything from punishing downstroke rhythms to effortless tremolo melodies. And more importantly he writes killer earwormy songs that deftly combine all these techniques in musically interesting ways. Our two interviews with the Metalocalypse and Galaktikon polymath are out now! troygrady.com/small
Is Pick Depth Slowing You Down? The Floyd Rose Speed Guide, ft. Teemu Mäntysaari Troy Grady 2020-01-21 | THE MAGNET CAMERA MOUNT IS NOW ON KICKSTARTER! Film your own playing just like we did with Teemu! kickstarter.com/projects/troygrady/the-magnet-smartphone-camera-mount-for-guitar?ref=54r1h6--The amazing Teemu Mäntysaari and I take a look at the Speed Guide, a new body design from trailblazing inventor Floyd Rose which limits pick depth. Can it improve your picking technique?0:00 - intro song - "Dragon Army"4:11 - what is the Floyd Rose Speed Guide?7:55 - using the Speed Guide11:00 - what is escape motion picking?15:00 - pick depth17:50 - what is swiping?19:15 - upstroke escape picking motion23:08 - downstroke escape picking motion25:15 - gypsy technique27:00 - one-way economy picking28:08 - rest stroke technique33:00 - hybrid picking34:00 - speed guide as learning tool36:29 - pick depth vs picking motion
No Palm Muting? No Problem! Noise Control Secrets of the Flexed Form Troy Grady 2019-12-29 | THE MAGNET CAMERA MOUNT IS NOW ON KICKSTARTER! Film your own playing just like we do in our lessons! kickstarter.com/projects/troygrady/the-magnet-smartphone-camera-mount-for-guitar?ref=54r1h6--Can you really play high-gain leads without palm muting and with no noise gate? Many of the best already do! Let's learn how Marty Friedman, Michael Angelo Batio, and Eddie Van Halen control the noise when playing in the "flexed form". Hint: Gain is not the enemy. Learn more about forearm motion with the Pickslanting Primer: troygrady.com/primer/forearm-motion
Learn the Cracking the Code Platform! Detailed Walkthrough + Black Friday Discount + Free Tab Troy Grady 2019-11-29 | It's Black Friday! Get fifty bucks off your Cracking the Code membership: troygrady.com/bffIn this detailed 35-minute walkthrough of the awesome Cracking the Code platform, learn how you can use this powerful learning tool that we built, even with a free account if you'd like to start out that way. And by free, we mean, without entering any payment information.
Simple Fretboard Mapping With This Cool Arpeggio Lick Troy Grady 2019-10-07 | Improve your fretboard knowledge *right now* with this cool jazz-inspired arpeggio line. Discussions of fretboard mapping often inspire heated ideological debates which generate more heat than light. So let's sidestep that with a simple hands-on approach, learning some cool phrases located near chords you already know. So what are we waiting for? Let's get playing!
