Originally Posted by: salmonsuedeAfter decades of strumming sloppy mid tempo rock, I'm determined to master some shred licks. I've noticed that I have a nasty habit of holding the pick parallel to the strings, which is detrimental to speed playing. Are there any tricks to locking the pick into that 45ish degree angle that allows one to rip rapidly through the licks? Also, in the interest of creating the all-important pick hand wrist fulcrum, is it better to rest the edge of the hand on the bridge, or the fingers on the pickguard, or is opinion evenly divided?

Thanks for your help!

Just start by angling your pick slightly so that it glides over the strings easier and then find a comfortable spot for your picking hand. I get up to speed and master some licks I would definitely say one has to start with small picking patterns or drills and expand from there.

This way one will get good stamina as well as build some good technique over time.