I will be bold and say that EVERY one on this forum is weak at eight finger tapping.Ive got six finger tappig down ok,but thats where it ends.I would love to get guidance on eight finger tapping though...its one of the holy grails of technique.My soloing creative ability would instantly sky rocket.

Noticingthemistake brought up an exellent point about music appreciation.I'll sometimes be listening to music with some friends and wonder if they'er picking up what I am out of it(like a bass line,drum beat,guitar solo,break down or the way everything comes together and leaves you feeling astonished with a sense of well being).

Also slow diver...I think what pantallica means by "machine gun style" picking is simply shredding...and shredding isnt limited to certain strings.The proper name for the technique is tremelo picking.I would like to give a few tips to make sure everyone has this in they'er arsenal.I want to de-mystify it once and for all.
lets begin on the low E palm muted.Tense up your forarm.This tension is controlled to make that pick fly.now tense up and shred(pick fast)that low E.Now tense up in short triplet bursts...you'll achieve that "galloping" horse sound.As you start to gain control over it you should find you wont need to tense as much and it becomes very natural and thought isnt required.ANYway,just remember to tense your forarm.Forget about staying loose and using your wrist exclusivley for now as that WILL come with practice.My friend plays nothing but punk and he picked it up(vaguley)within 30 seconds.
Alright that was a lousy lesson/description...just try it.

Later! \m/