Hey guys, I have a quick question. I was wondering what the best way to get from string to string would be. When i am picking every string from the bottom string to the top, should i only use my wrist or would be better to lower my arm and elbow down so the wrist stays in the same position on every string. When i play "dont fear the reaper" it's most comfortable for me if i only move my wrist to travel to each string. The only problem is the pick hits every string at a different angle, resulting in tone change. So I was thinking it might be best to lower and raise the arm so your wrist always stays is in the same position. I'm interested in what you think is the most efficient way.
Help would be greatly appreciated.

Since your hand and wrist are connected to your arm, you need to move your arm up and down to move your hand from string to string, but not always. Sometimes, depending on what it is you are playing, you can only move your wrist to change strings.

If you are playing "Don't Fear The Reaper" by BOC (great tune) you should be able to leave your picking hand in one spot and only move the wrist up and down.

Hope this helps

-U

Thanks for the reply, it did help. When I'm picking strings next to each other i only move my wrist, it's when i am skipping strings or moving from the bottom to top string that i feel i need to lower or raise my arm. Do you think i should move my arm so the wrist stays in exactly the same position on every string or put my arm where i can pick the bottom three strings by only wrist movement then when i go to pick the top three strings i could move my arm down a little bit so I can pick the three top strings by only using wrist movement. If i am thinking too much about this tell me, I just want to how most of people here prefer to do it.

I usually go by tone. Picking the string in different places produces different tones. Angling the pick more or less produces different tones as well. So, keeping your hand in the same spot mainly depends, to me, on tone. I would venture to say that most players tend to leave their hand in the same spot and aim for a specific point on the string with their pick...that "point" being the place where they feel they achieve the best tone. Experimentation is the key.

Is raising your elbow a bad technique? I lower and raise my elbow when traveling up and down strings, I was told this was bad. But when I am tremlo picking different strings(picking as fast as i can on one string, then move to the next string smoothly picking as fast as I can on each new string) I can only do this by raising and lowering my elbow. Is this a bad technique and should I practice not raising my elbow?

Thanks for the help