Bulletproof Wrist Picking With USX Motion

THE MAGNET CAMERA MOUNT IS NOW ON KICKSTARTER! Film your own playing just like we do in our lessons! www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
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Start mastering wrist motion with one of the most common picking motions of all time. This new chapter from the Pickslanting Primer represents years of work and many frequent flier miles interviewing the world's best players in our quest to understand wrist motion. For more, check out the Pickslanting Primer: troygrady.com/primer

[@borasumer]

This guy has dedicated himself to find out the best picking style. Sleeping with picks, eating with picks, cutting his bread with Jazz 3.

[@jjzuc]

And my picking still sucks! LOL

[@joaofigueiredo3272]

Ahahahh im dead

[@PradeepMenon666]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@aaronmaiden3606]

Btw is it a regular jazz iii? Or is it a oversized jazz iii? It looks like a regular one. I'm surprised because he lets a big amount of the pick outside the fingers. I'm used to let just the very tip, so I couldn't do pick slanting

[@Amazology]

Tooth 🦷 picks

[@Jarrodpimental]

This dedication to teaching is unparalleled.

[@anthonyshaw8698]

I agree!!! He's awesome!!! Great teacher!! This video is going to help me tremendously. Most teachers don't even teach you about picking techniques. Which is so important for the soloist.

[@stevenrogersfineart4224]

Yeah it's awesome

[@guthrie1181]

9:15 “Your wrist is always connected at your forearm”. How long have you been sitting on this information?

[@JS-vh4yq]

... Unless you've been caught stealing in a 3rd world country.

[@priteshugrankar6815]

@@JS-vh4yq 😆😆😆🤘👍

[@OPTIONALWATCH]

LOL

[@guthrie1181]

Obsidian s Then your hand is cut off, and you must ask alah for forgiveness lol

[@jeffgarrison7056]

Most underrated comment award winner!!! HAHAHA

[@jf8138]

This is the exact kind of lessons I have been hoping to find. Ultra specific instructions down to the most nuanced detail. So many people glaze over small details. Thank you.

[@johnk9762]

There is so much emphasis on theory when it comes to playing guitar. It can be difficult to find good information on technique. Great video. Keep em' comin'.

[@nliebert41]

my thoughts exactly.

[@joereadel]

Technique and ergonomics are totally overlooked! I really enjoy analyzing people's techniques. It gets weird sometimes - like when you look closely to how Tony picks Church Street Blues in that Homespun Tape or Dan Crary's right hand in general

[@vince.inthevoid8158]

I genuinely can’t think of another common instrument that has less emphasis on theory than guitar

[@vince.inthevoid8158]

I lied. Drums.

[@TheGazza83]

Dr Troy Grady. Professor of Shred PhD.

[@timmthelion]

This video drastically improved my picking speed and overall playing in just an hour or so. Thank you so much!

[@t-boog2173]

Thanks Troy, Your videos helped my playing so much that I decided to apply those same techniques to my love making. I set a camera on my dresser and upon slow motion review, I noticed my hips were bouncing in a double escape with a 10 oclock, 6 oclock, 2 oclock motion. So I started using a strict up and down hip slant and bingo!!! My strokes have doubled in speed and I no longer get leg or hip cramps. You're a genius my friend. PS. My girlfriend sends her "Thanks" and so does my wife. Cheers!

[@zombiemachinery4868]

Your boyfriend must be really happy.

[@t-boog2173]

@A Lucky Man! Both hips & wrist. This technique applies to all ares of love making, incl self love🙄. (Yeah, like you've never done it)

[@rahullou3387]

@@t-boog2173 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@daravikki]

😁😁😁😁😁🤦🤦🤦

[@theeouapolal7262]

You and Ben Eller are among the very few online guitar teachers I respect. Straight forward, no nonsense, free of bullshit, clear, intelligible videos and explanations... THANKS A MILLION!!

[@christopherharv]

Have you checked out Bernth?

[@morbidmike]

@@christopherharv you beat me to it

[@morbidmike]

Absolutely check out @Bernth

[@zaebos0079]

Bernth

[@PaulWarrenMusic]

Agreed! Troy and Ben definitely do a fantastic job explaining picking so that it really helps!

[@TheFlenen]

I grew up learning to play in the 90s and the early 2000s, quit playing about 6 years ago. Unexpectedly got a guitar for xmas, and my god! I wish people like you were around when i was a kid! Utterly amazing

[@jacobm5167]

My playing improved drastically after comprehending pick slanting. I think Grady was the first to dissect this technique and then coin the term to facilitate the communication process. I'm a much better guitarist because of it.

[@AndrewVonGregor]

You are a genius, Troy! Truly. Thank you for all of your hard work, AND sharing!!

[@bentenpeterson]

I like how you don’t just read a script! Awesome and authentic. Thank you!

[@mdjubairnijhum7141]

Best picking instruction video ever

[@gyrperegrine]

Thanks Troy. I’ve enjoyed your videos, and it’s amazing how breaking these things down can correct your technique.

[@gmcnamee01]

Thanks for the scientific approach Troy. These techniques have already helped my picking improve substantially in less than a weeks time.

[@alexandrelucantonio1342]

I found your channel 3 days ago, and you already made me clicking with so much things, my plateau feels so far away now. Thank you for your high quality content.

[@jasonsteck1333]

The best video I’ve found for high speed picking. The close up shots are gold! I’ve maybe watched Troy’s playing 100 times. Having a visual cue for the “standard” helps me fine tune while practicing.

[@jamesd.fortunato3628]

Troy, I have been watching your stuff since I noticed it online about 4 or 5 years ago. As a fellow guitarist, I am so grateful that you have taken the time to create all of these wonderful videos. You have pushed the boundary of guitar technique to it's highest level. You are a master of guitar and you should have a doctorate in guitar - instrumental performance. I too grew up learning to play on my own in the 1960's. I do remember the agonizing process of slowing down an album from 33 and a third rpm to 16 rpms on old record players and trying to retune the guitar very slightly and then trying to hear the note and what string and fret it was played on while listening to the solo an octave below where it was supposed to be. What a nightmare doing that was back then. I slowly got better and better and learned a lot from it. It is a really great way to train your ears. By 1975, having been out of high school for 3 years already, I was playing with different bands in the NY area and even in Florida, where I live now. I had gotten good enough to play Hendrix, Zappa, Santana, Larry Carlton, etc, etc. I had written about 10 to 15 songs by then and was even trying to arrange horns for my originals in my hometown band that summer. But I still couldn't sight read guitar music. I had learned to read music in elementary school and in summer music courses at White Plains County Center. I had learned piano, french horn, mellophone, marimba, and acoustic guitar, as well as sight singing/ear training. But that was way back in the early 1960's. And then, in late December 1963 or early January 1964, I heard The Beatles. What a joy after that dreadful hell of November and December 1963 when all anybody was talking about was JFK's assassination. I remember that the 1st album I ever bought was "Meet the Beatles". I wanted to play the guitar more than ever. I wanted an electric guitar. I learned guitar quickly but painfully. As guitarists got better and better, so did I. I started writing my own music. I played with band after band, mostly put together by me. I went to Woodstock. I went to the Filmore East and every place in NYC I could see live music. I studied all the great guitarists of the late 1960's and early 1970's. By 1971 I had a black 1969 Gibson Les Paul Custom, a white 1971 Fender Strat, an original 50 watt Marshall and Cabinet, and a Wurlitzer Electric Piano with a Fender Pro Reverb powering a Fender Bassman cabinet. But I still wasn't satisfied. I knew some music theory, I had learned some very early on, but then learned nothing more except what I taught myself. By 1975, I was a very good guitarist technically as well as a good soloist with my own original sound. But I still wasn't satisfied. My theory couldn't keep up with my ideas, so in Sept 1975, I went to Berklee College of Music. I learned so much in those years that I still haven't used all of it. Anyway, I still enjoy learning, I've never stopped and probably never will. Finding you was like finding a diamond. Your work and playing really shine. I really want to thank you for following your calling. You undoubtedly will go down in history for your ability to learn, understand, and communicate the world of guitar alternate pickslanting. You have really brought the guitar world further along on its path of development. And I really mean every word that I've said. You're a genius Troy, thank you.

[@troygrady]

Thanks James!

[@jeffgarrison7056]

BTW, love the quick close up cuts of the masters executing these techniques! I'm sure that took a lot of work and I definitely appreciate it! The theory of Show v Tell is great, but when you take the time and make the effort to Show AND Tell, it covers all the bases and leaves no room for misinterpretation. Well done!!!

[@juliolanza]

Thanks Troy for this information. I combined this technique with the economy picking and the results are amazing. Thanks again Troy!!!

[@dueski2856]

Sometimes it can be hard as a self taught to find gems on technique and critique yourself to what feels fluid without a teacher there to tell you what the problem is. Thank you for these close up instructional videos. Has been a game changer for me and sparked my inspiration to play even more with a new goal in mind

[@feliper.150]

Thank you so much, I was afraid of building up speed in a broken technique, but this is the greenlight for me to practice madly

[@Tubularll]

This is the best video I've seen yet on speed picking! Thank you! 👏😉

[@gabrielp9646]

I don´t get it. First, most "speed picking" guitar players do NOTHING of what he says here... xDxD (people like malmsteem, marty friedman, paul gilbert, buckethead, etc..) And second, fast picking is not difficult... I literally could do it after 3 or 4 months playing :S:S

[@tim_guitarplayer]

And huge thank you for all the hard work and the research that you made! It's invaluable

[@PAT3978]

By far the most comprehensive videos online showing picking and dissecting it. Thanks Troy! My 2 hand syncing is what messes me up as well as the wrist motion. It's a fun challenge though.

[@DatAnydeks]

I’ve noticed so many people refer to your channel. As a subscriber, I know why. Thanks for everything, Troy!🙏

[@troygrady]

No, thank YOU for watching!

[@ScottMartinD]

The lighting is way better than usual. I can clearly see under your _picking hand_ to see how far the tip of your 1st finger is tucked in relation to your thumb & pick. It really helps when trying to mimic your technique (or someone else's).

[@spenser330]

Just brilliant. The thought, effort and dedication that went into this - mind blowing.

[@michaeltolandmusic5467]

Great service. Thanks Troy and Co.!

[@craigcarroll3333]

Troy I could never thank you enough. I still don't have it down yet but I'm having those times where I can tell I'll eventually get it. It feels great like a million possibilities are going to start happening. I just keep watching this video over n over to see what I can improve. THANK YOU\../

[@cheenu711]

Cracking the code saved me years of frustration. Can't thank you enough Troy.

[@googe2312]

Good stuff. I've been watching these videos and I've learned a lot . Especially how to escape trapped positions. Keep doing what you do. 🤘

[@aliasrai]

Never seen such an insightful video on picking technique. Thanks helped me a lot!

[@toneleudy]

Best Video I've watched this year

[@ronaldpapa8182]

These videos are absolutely terrific!

[@matksful]

3:53 has improved my playing in the course of the week. Thank you very much for this.

[@EremEdition]

Best picking lesson ive come across. Thanks!

[@_jw_harper]

Excellent materials for all of us mortals wanting more. 😎💪🏽 Thank you for sharing such amazing work.

[@dangiven2686]

"the problem happens when look down at your hand... and you see this." OMG, I've been seeing this for 30 years and just figured that I needed more practice to be able to do it fast and smooth!!!

[@stacey_1111rh]

Thanks Troy!

[@Elshonio]

Still without doubt, one of the best channels on here. I’ve just gone through the Cracking the Code episodes again to pull out the jems on how to get get my picking issues resolved. Sheer class. This, as an individual video, is nothing short of a slice of fried gold. The picking efforts continue, and it will get cracked...

[@troygrady]

Glad to be of service!

[@guitarfreekin]

I've been following Steve Morse and petrucci's instructional vids for lessons and I developed some serious technique, but I stopped playing for a couple of months because of some personal issues and I ended up with a really poor technique and have been trying to figure out what's wrong with my technique, now I know what I forgot, thanks a lot brother. Much gratitude

[@jimmyboyeldon5969]

Thankyou…..great lesson, helped straight away !

[@michellegrounds3919]

Still making great videos. Picking is so important and crucial.

[@ianwheeler8764]

This video was written for me!! Thanks Troy!

[@WillPowersGuitar]

Thanks Troy. Moved to West Islip from Boston back in the early 80's . Left for South FL 5 years ago. I played and learned with a lot of great Long Island guitarists. I even had John Petrucci as a teacher for a few months at Focus II Guitars in Bellmore. Your work has helped in so many areas of my picking technique. 30 year overnight success. Keep up the great work!

[@troygrady]

Haha I think I'm on the same 'overnight' plan!

[@Andreas-tt2pw]

my new favourit guitar channel

[@Richard-jf8pb]

This is priceless. Thank you!

[@jeffgarrison7056]

Awesome! I discovered the usx by accident many years ago. I had felt like I was bouncing too much and so I started experimenting with different angles of attack and found that I was a lot faster with the usx that I called the "out to in" technique. So I would use it for the top 3 or G, B, e strings and switch to the "in to out" (opposite of out to in) on the D, A, E strings... I did that for awhile, but realized that I didn't always remember to switch and the usx or out to in technique was just as effective on all of the strings. I also found that holding onto just the edge of the pick made me slightly faster, I thought because it allowed the pick "wiggle" in between my thumb and index a little easier creating less tension. So whenever I feel like I'm not as fast as I should be, I roll the pick out most with my thumb and index. I had never actually looked into any of this or spoke with anyone else about it, so I think that it's pretty cool that you did a video about it, that I stumbled upon accidentally. Very cool actually. Thanks guys! You won a new loyal subscriber and I am good at recommending guitar channels to people in an effort to help them grow! Keep up the good work, I'll be sure to check out the rest of your videos!

[@VictorMConis]

Mister, u r incredible ur content is incredible. I'm so grateful. Thank u

[@KSherwoodOps]

Ctc has helped me so much

[@troygrady]

Have we helped you to practice less and improve more? Because that’s what we really want to do!

[@StarDarkAshes]

For me it was LSD.

[@TheBlackHelicopterRevue]

What is Ctc?

[@64siskat96]

@@TheBlackHelicopterRevue cracking the code

[@ishanneupane5227]

Such a legend troy grady🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@antoniomicellomusic]

The best teacher ever, god bless you ❤️

[@maxpower975]

This is an absolutely game changer for me. The explanation made a lot of sense to me and I gave the video a like, then I took my guitar and in no time I was flying. I just sorry not to have found this video before!

[@jhaylara8328]

This one helps me a lot actually. I see the improvement of my picking technique.

[@frankemann9125]

Atlast some real info.. Thanks alot man! Perfect video.

[@BlackinMind]

Thank you for legit making my picking smoother instantly.

[@troygrady]

Excellent! That's what keeps us going

[@markbraxton1289]

Thanks Troy for these videos...there has always been a big hole for information on how to pick those strings! ..guitarist's get sucked into worrying about where to put their fingers on the fret board....which is understandable...but after a while you realize you can't pick comfortably or fast...and so you get forced to pay more attention to your picking...but you still arnt sure where the problems are or how to solve them ...thanks to you that problem has been solved..

[@edwardacosta3706]

Hi Troy, what you said at 4:03 brings up an observation I’ve had in my own playing. After years of struggling with my picking technique, I’ve improved massively since I found a guitar that suits me. In my technique, that ‘winding back’ of the wrist you mention lowers my elbow position, which in turn pivots my forearm & wrist off the guitar body. As such, I’ve noticed on certain guitars it’s a lot easier to anchor the right hand. I imagine this effect is lessened the bigger your hands are, because your wrist will naturally be sitting nearer to the edge of the body.

[@rolanda.2653]

Very good video, thanks!

[@michalmikolajmaslowski3994]

Excellent video, Troy, thank you! It's so exciting to be watching this all unfold; coincidentally, I've recently discovered the usxmotion 10 - or so - days before you posted IG & this video. I'm extremely grateful for all your amazing work in this (previously uncharted) domain. To me the most revealing video about my most natural movement when picking was the Andy Wood video series. He's an amazing and inspiring player who conveys so much detail about his technique - unprecedented! Thanks!

[@troygrady]

Awesome, thanks for watching!

[@MMM-id7qw]

Thank you for this video

[@rich9353]

Troy is the man.

[@garlandpoolfredpool]

Troy Grady...my gosh...you have gone scientist on this stuff and I find it very fascinating!

[@JohnPMusic]

Great video! Thanks Troy.

[@curtisguyer3917]

FINALLY!!!! Someone who truly breaks down all the different methods. I've been playing on/off for 15 years and trying to relearn how to hold the pick properly is very difficult. So easy to fall back into old habits. Crazy how some guys hold it reverse but still get great results. Obviously practice is #1 here but I'm biting the bullet and trying to learn the proper way. My only issue is when playing heavy rock / metal and I constantly palm mute with my right hand (which makes me do the fan / ok sign) which i've seen is not a good habit to have...but I can't really do proper palm mute with my hand closed...not sure what to do here.

[@VaGdude]

This fella knows what he is talking about 🔥👌💯💯

[@bjlatter]

This is fantastic Troy, i've been watching the content on your KZbin channel and could 'see' how it was supposed to looked but couldn't quite grasp how it was supposed to feel. The step by step approach to getting into the correct position has definitely helped with getting the feel correct (noticeable difference to where I was generating the picking from). This confirmed I wasn't quite doing the correct thing. I also noticed the difference in pick grip on this video too. I'll be definitely looking at your courses when I can take the plunge.

[@troygrady]

Right on! This level of specificity is what we’ve been working on for a while now. You will always have to take it the last mile through some amount of trial and error but we want to reduce the length of that mile as much as we can.

[@abdullafares9860]

Great explaining

[@AlfarAwayMusic]

salamat kuya troy! 💕

[@YetiOnGuitar]

Damn, that one piece of information about the center of your side to side wrist motion being slightly towards the ulnar side, invaluable!

[@troygrady]

The John McLaughlins and Di Meolas of the world all operate on the ulnar side of the motion. Maybe a simpler way of thinking about it is that the starting point of the motion is more or less a straight wrist, in line with the arm. Then the downstroke goes ulnar, and the upstroke comes back to straight again.

[@YetiOnGuitar]

@@troygrady Even after applying the pickslanting and edge picking concepts, my upstrokes always gave me trouble for some unknown reason-I think this may be the key to changing that.

[@jacktheriffer1523]

Remember how when Steve Morse, Van Halen,were figuring a lot of this stuff out in the 70's?The 80's exploded with shredders,90's brought even more & new techniques and now that Troy's groundbreaking videos are giving all the secrets away,now everyone will be able to play stuff it's taken me 30 years to learn...Troy is nothing short of brilliant using modern technology to explain what's happening and making Van Halen available to the beginner an pros alike...I believe he's entitled to a bunch of $$$ and a nice bro to boot🤘😜🤘

[@adriyanmusic]

Thanks man , really working ...

[@kurthessian2]

This theory has helped me tons.

[@calebruh_]

I didn't know Steve Martin was so good at guitar... great video btw I will definitely try and implement this technique!

[@rasecprisci]

Awesome! Thanks for the video

[@andyquanmusic1]

Fixed my horrible technique in 5 mins. Thanks man

[@gusreece4713]

I'd be interested to see more of a look into different pick grips. (eg. tip of the finger vs. more of of index finger)

[@troygrady]

The "pick grip" section of the Pickslanting Primer is ten chapters about every grip we could think of. They're not "KZbin-sexy" in their presentation - it's just, here' s a grip, and here's how to do it. So we haven't put any of those chapters up here.

[@sebachirinos]

Thank you for this!!

[@Terry-Cybil]

This is guitar nerdery to the max. Love it.

[@eikbike]

Excellent!

[@aphexlane]

Thank you so much. I banged my head against the wall for an embarrassingly long period of time trying to get this. I still cant believe i can actually do it finally.

[@troygrady]

Welcome to the headbangers ball! I'll be your host this evening, and we can commiserate about all the stuff we all tried that never worked!

[@aphexlane]

@@troygradylol oh snap im only now seeing your reply! Thanks again Troy, you're the man!!

[@michaelmattson3515]

Wow talk about freedom. My first instructor taught me the Jazz technique. Keep my arm and wrist stiff and pivot from my elbow. This will definitely help me. Thanks.

[@troygrady]

Nothing wrong with elbow motion! We teach that too. There's no single "correct" joint to use for picking motion. However, for each joint that you might want to use, it can be tricky to figure out how to actually do the motion. That's really what we're trying to do here, i.e. we're not telling you to use wrist, but we're trying to provide instructions for doing so if that's the joint you want to use.

[@monkeysbum999]

Wasn,t Johnny Smith was it?

[@Warlock73]

Finally a perfect video! My natural pick motion is the opposite of this, I do a down/outward motion.

[@troygrady]

Not a problem with that - that's the DSX picking motion used by John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Andy Wood, Andy James, and many other players. It's arguably even more common. To handle every kind of string change though, you will need both motion types.

[@chase36chase]

great video! thanks man! was really helpfull

[@MetalGuitarClips]

THIS is the video I have been searching for. I have always been limited by my right hand

[@alirezayaari3773]

You're awesome 👌👌👌🙏 thanks for everything

[@tecnolover2642]

Um wow! from what i just saw in that intro Troy is every bit as good of a player as many of these greats like glen campbell.

[@guyinpajamapants6892]

35 years and I finally get it now.

[@udayanmustafi3963]

Wonderful..

[@zachd5242]

I like this guy

[@harleyosterlund5796]

Yep you just described me too a T!! 30 years of string hopping. Spent all day trying to get an account going and try your picking primer course but no luck

[@justgivenofox9543]

Wow. I’ve never hit a string like the first motion intentionally, ever. I always keep the pick *parallel* to the strings. Not perpendicular. Thank God I found this video. Already showing me a couple things I’m doing wrong

[@paulmullins8425]

You’re a bloody genius Troy 🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@PlectrumShorts]

Please do a kickstarter for the horseshoe again! I’m sure there are enough fans to push it through now. PS - I’m loving the new content. Great updates.

[@jimmccall8030]

Agreed

[@harryscottelliott8970]

THIS DUDE IS GIVING AWAY ALL MY SECRETS THAT I CHARGE TO SHOW PEOPLE!!!

[@aliensporebomb]

Very McLaughlin-esque! Nice!

[@troygrady]

Josh uses the DSX motion which is the inverse of this. Also in the new Primer update in great detail!

[@jz4901]

Top notch video, thank you very much Troy G. and team. There are so many small but vital tips in this video, succinctly presented with great camera and editing. Something as simple as the slight ulnar deviation makes a big difference, and is so obvious in retrospect, but those "obvious" revelations only come after all of the work and analysis you've done. Thank you very, very much!

[@troygrady]

Right on! If you don't get better, we're not happy.

[@Sportacus.]

Que excelente toca este tio