Relax is the best way?

[juankavamo89]

Hi people, I'm here to ask about tension. I have heard and read in this and other pages about music and about other disciplines this cliché: "The fastest you want to go, the more relax you have to be". The topic I'm interested is Speed Picking. Today I discover that triyng to pick accurate each note I was puting a lot of effort and strenght, but notes didn't sound with the same "Volume", then I tried unconscious relaxed and when I noticed, I was picking every note with the same "Volume" (My metronome was at 110BPM 16th). My questions are, Should I pick relax all the time?, Can I get a really good speed following this method?, or, Until what point shoul I be relaxed?
As I said before with the first I was puting a lot of strenght, and my index finger (Picking hand) begins to hurt me, is this normal or should I correct this by relaxing?
I have seen many great players picking at high speeds and the seems to be doing nothing, like they wasn't puting any effort on it, like Chris Broderick (http://youtube.com/watch?v=_4bLerJddlM&mode=related&search=), Shawn Lane (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlnIiM4Wbi0), Buckethead (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86DEKFissl4). Any suggeston you can give me, I'll be very pleased.

PTA: I pick from the wrist, and when it comes to work on Speed Picking I don't anchor any finger.

Thanks.

[Steinberg]

I would suggest you do EVERYTHING relaxed. Mainly because if you don't, the blood will have a hard time circulating, and then you probably would be even slower.
Also I suggest you work out a little, but only the hands and fingers. It has really done wonders for me.

Good luck.

[Skyi]

I would suggest you do EVERYTHING relaxed. Mainly because if you don't, the blood will have a hard time circulating, and then you probably would be even slower.
Also I suggest you work out a little, but only the hands and fingers. It has really done wonders for me.

Good luck.

Yep, kinda what I was gonna say :D. Good luck with the speed picking.

[TMV]

At first it is impotant to be tense at first. It means that there is some desire to meet your goals and that you will work hard and with some dedication at it. But as you become more accustomed to the work and the progressions..., you will come to relax some. The more you work the picking, the more you will relax. And relaxing lends itself to speed. Speed is always the relaxed experience in the music you play.

When you first step on stage, you will tense up and things just won't be at speed. So always start playing slow stuff at first and build into the speed as you become more relaxed. But no matter what, tension slows the blood flow and creates painful muscles. Relaing creates maximum blood flow and the muscles are free to work at speed without tiring.