How do I learn new picking techniques?

Hi guys, I've been playing about a year and a half, and after a particularly fustrating pratice 3 days ago I realized I'm apparently not James Hetfield, and that just downpicking wont work for me. So what I want to know is, does anyone know any different picking techniques and how to pratice them?

Would a picking technique tutorial in the High Bandwidth section help?

I find it hard to come up with picking technique lessons cause for some reason, ever since I started I found strumming and picking to be second nature.

I get some emails asking me to tab out exact descriptions of where to strum up and down on particular beginning lessons... and it's kinda like, to me...
why don't you just look at the video..??

(I've got several subscribers asking me to tab out the up/down strumming techniques for total beginners lessons that lead me to believe that if they would just spend more time pracicing they'd get it without my help.... not to mention that strumming isn't an exact science where you do the exact same strumming patter every time.... it's very hard to tab something out because there's some very subtle techniques used)

It's hard for me to relate to absolute beginners who can't get the basic strumming techniques.

I'll do a strumming tutorial covering the different styles... but the major problem for me is the amount of time it would take to tab out the exact 'up/down' illustrations for the tabs.

Would a tutorial done really slowly on video be adequate to teach beginners to strum better?
I can do a whole ton of strumming videos, but if I have to add tabs, it's gonna take me weeks and months because there's a lot of work involved.

Can you guys learn just by observing videos?

If so, I'll start putting together a series of instructions showing how to strum different patterns... showing slow versions with detailed explanations, and then normal speed.
Like I said though, if I have to type out detailed tabs though, it's gonna take months and months to get it done and not something I'd look forward to doing.

I'm new here, but FWIW I'd find a clear video of more use initially than tabs.

Ron

Using alternate picking won't be the same dude! I maybe a newb and play only about half a year or now it's a month more, but alternate picking sounds different and its harder to hold the rithm.

-Sorry for my english

I'd like to answer here to Schmange.

Strumming and picking are a key problem to begginers. Even more than changing chord positions. I'd say that video lessons are better than no lessons. In fact, there are very few lessons about strumming in Guitarnoise. There are a couple of lessons from Marako, but he teaches just the patterns, but no songs. Learning a strumming pattern, without a song to play it, is not of much use, it serves only as exercise. I find David Hodge's simple explanations much, much more useful (and they're free!).

Hope this serves as a complement of thread I wrote here sometime ago that went unanswered. As a subscriber of Guitarnoise I thought I deserved some attention.

ok...im lost...which once you get to know me will come as no big shock...are we talking (original post here) about picking or strumming because they are two different beasts.

Actually about both, since Schmange came up with the issue.

And although strumming and picking are two different things, basically they have to do with only one thing, rhythm.

my answer to the picking question is that you just practice downpicking, you could play easy and simple song's jusing just downpicking.