Originally Posted by: leardtimothy

Ty, I do use pick slanting and edging, I also use the John Pettrucii Dunlop picks, I think it's in my picking grip, seems to be tight, I am trying to relax more..

There's a point to this. Also, consider your wrist motion as well. Depending on how long you've been playing, a frequent issue with playing in the earlier stages is what I call 'jackhammer' picking/strumming. Like Chris has mentioned; the quicker you go, the more you tense up. Go watch Jimi Hendrix play rhythm. You can see the fluidity in his picking hand. He's not ridged at all and ther's a lesson to that too. The more fluid your movements, the less bouncing and stiff ringing of the strings occurs (you know, that BOING! of an over-struck string).

Honestly, it's always a good practice to just pick a chord and string on it. In this way, you can focus on how you're strumming. You don't have to worry about chord changes for this excersize (when, when you're trying to get your strum down, can add to the tension). It's just one part of building a broader skillset.