Specific Question About Picking

[Jergason]

Actually I have a few questions.
1. How come I can pick slowly with my wrist, but as soon as I try to pick faster, I use my arm exclusively?
2. I rest my wrist on the pickguard and my forearm on the body of the guitar. When I pick with my forearm, the skin on my arm sortof slides back and forth when I pick. Would this effect my accuracy?

[ProgBG]

Hi

It's the same for me. I pick with my wrist, or sometimes with my finger. But when I play fast things I play with my forearm. That's normal for some people. Others like a friend of mine plays everything form his wrist, he can't play with his forearm it seems unnatural to him. So I won't worry. I would recommend to record your playing and listen to it. Then you can analyze if it's accurate or not.

KAYA BG

[GtrvVampyre]

Does EVERYONE pick fast from their arm? I cant seem to pick very accurately and fast from my arm and i end up using my wrist most the time.

[Tenebrae]

I'm beggining to train using my wrist only...It hurts(then again...if it hurts it makes you tougher :D)...I've been playing for 5 or so years using my arm mixed with my wrist, not having any discipline...Now I bought a metronome(of doom) and I'm starting to use my wrist exclusively, (starting slow...16th notes at 90bpm...)because I think that's the way it is supposed to be...slow or fast..wrist only. I'm beggining to feel a lot more comfortable and the notes just sound more natural and fluid to me. So my 2 cents are: discipline yourself not to use your arm...you are supposed to use your wrist. :cool:

[Jergason]

Heh. If it hurts, it could also be giving you tendonitis or some other wrist problem:D Hopefully not though. I think I'll give that a try, although I think I have heard there are some shredders who use their arm to pick.

[Unhorizon]

I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter, but whole arm picking will probably give you something along the lines of tennis elbow, so wrist movement, well, IS better IMO. Both wrist and arm can get you fast, really fast, but wrist doesn't cause problems in the long run.

[Jergason]

I have heard that wrist can give you carpal tunnel syndrome I think. I have heard so many horror stories about the different ways to pick hurting you that I have just stopped caring. Once it starts to hurt I'll change, but it seems like every picking style has its own injury associated with it.

[Carvinite]

I only tap now because of all the horror stories and such..... :D j/k I would never do that :D Eddie would sue me!.......:D ;)

[GtrvVampyre]

Lol, im loving tapping. Besides eruption and hot for teacher any other van halen tapping you can direct me to?

[phantom]

yeah.. guitar is a dangerous instrument. i am waiting for someone who actually dies of it.
i mean, come on! you are playing fast rock'n'roll guitar, this ain't no recreation activity. if you want a relaxed hand get a massage but don't practice alternate picking at 240 bpm. the human hand can manage that but is not build for that, so it is of course possible to hurt yourself, no matter if it's the elbow, the wrist, the fingers or whatnot. there is no perfect technique suitable for everybody. playing guitar is an awkward thing to the body so we all have to get used to somehow.
do what you have to do to make it sound good and if it hurts change the technique.
you don't necessarily have to have pain either, i never had problems with my wrist or elbow, and hell i practiced picking a lot.

or just do as carvinite adviced: don't pick. tap!

[Tenebrae]

Or play Chapman's The Stick :cool: