picking technique

whih would you guys prefer, picking with the wrist (and a little arm movement), or picking from the fingers? I kow plyers like Malmsteen and Angelo and romeo pick from their fingers. Is this right?

When I'm playing fast, soloing I play from the fingers> i cannot imagine anyone playing more than 140bpm with the wrist.
When I'm playing rhythm and slow stuff i pick with by moving my wrist

I combine elbow and wrist when playn´. Fingerstuff seems impossible to me.

Originally posted by aiwass
I use to be a major proponent of picking from the fingers, but now I'm not so sure anymore. Picking from the fingers I could do 16th notes at about 190-200 bpm, but now, using the wrist, I have no problems maxing out the metronome (216 bpm) and a bit more. I guess it comes down to what suits you better, and in my case, I think that might just be wrist picking after all.

Don't you get a lot of muscle tension when you play fast? It sounds so incredible to me...
You probably know about all the trouble that you can get into if you play with a tensed up right hand.

I play acoustic fingerpicking style sometimes with a thumbpick and sometimes with the thumbnail which means pretty much zero wrist movement. As for electric I've got a lightly strung Tele as I like playing a lot of double stops with serious bending, using a pick between thumb and forefinger leaving the middle and 4th for plucking, arpeggios and tapping. I find this needs a fair bit of wrist and also some elbow action. maybe that's not right but hey, it works for me ok.

I prefer just using my finger, because it requires less energy and thought. Simplify?

Heh aiwass, Was it you who said that you had a michael romeo instruction cd or dvd? If so, give me your email address. I have some questions about it.

P.S. Sorry to use this thread but I could not find the original msg from a few days ago.

i also use a combination of wrist and elbow picking. or at lieast i think i do. Instead of moving the whole arm up and down or moving the wrist up and down i twist whe whole arm along the lenght axis .. did i make myself clear? *LOL*

How exactly do you pick with your fingers? I am very confused by this. I have tried to do this but I think I am doing it wrong. What are some videos that I can see that would clearly show me this picking technique, either in a teaching sense or a concert video that I can just see their picking hand? I guess it is like sweeping, you just can't get the concept if you read about it but it all comes together after you see it. Or maybe it isn't and I am just an idiot. Thank you.