I use more rotation of the wrist/forearm for strumming - like turning a screwdriver. For individual strings it is a combo of movement more at the elbow and wrist like waving at someone. I can hear a slap when striking too flat, so I try to keep at least a little angle. Managing the depth of the pick tip under the string will help a lot more than angle. I tighten my grip a bit for a more aggressive sound rather than deeper under the strings or faster - at least that is my goal.
I have some accuracy trouble, so my single note picking needs improvement. Mostly it seems I need to move at the elbow more and at the wrist less. I had been moving my thumb/finger and that was pointed out in another thread as a bad idea. I have improved since that was explained, but more to go.
I tend to use the orange Tortex for strumming, and something stiffer for picking, from the orange Tortex up to 2.0mm Glide. This is on electric with lighter strings.
Regardless of the thickness of the pick, this ^^^ is what you should be trying to avoid.
Ideally the surface of the pick should be around 30-45 degrees off perpendicular, so the pick glides across the strings, picking or strumming. Think -----\ ---- although that slash is a bit extreme but quicker than searching for an image as I type.
No as picking at that angle reduces the resistance that you will encounter when the pick is flat or perpendicular to the string. Glide is maybe not the best term admittedly but by picking/strumming at 45 degrees you minimise resistance. Simples.
Absolutely. But I’ve always considered angling the pick to be a strumming thing, where you are trying to achieve a ‘smoother’ sound to picking.
I just watched a YouTube video on alternate picking and he was definitely angling his pick. Maybe I’ve been doing it without noticing. I’ll take note next time I practice picking.
@sequences@TheMadman_tobyjenner I wanted to add a clarification that I use the 0.60 nylon pick for strumming acoustic but the orange tortex (0.60) for electric. I notice that the normal strumming motion from the elbow with sweeping wrist motion results in hitting the strings at an angle, since the elbow is higher than the strings. I’ve also found that there is no absolutes in guitar technique I found in the Framing lesson that fast strumming needs to be done primarily from the wrist. I also realized that i found that bending the thumb to twist the edge of the pick works really well for fast picking situations like playing the fast gallop intro to the song Barracuda (where the pick can almost bounce off the single string riff) or playing oldies music like the Ventures Wipeout or the solo in Rock Around the Clock (I’m 69 and that is an old oldie to me since it was a hit 1 year before I was born )
@TheMadman_tobyjenner Toby, good catch on the misstatement. I edited my post to make it a little more coherent, since I contradicted myself in the next post. The first thing you learn from Justin is don’t pick the strings with the pick perpendicular and flat or you will get the pick stuck in the strings
@sequences Michael - I would have encouraged you maintain flexibility as close to the pick as possible when picking individual strings, especially if picking quickly. Relying on movement from the elbow will be less accurate as you are moving a larger part of of your body, a full limb. If you are finding benefits then don’t feel the need to revert back however.
Hi @Richard_close2u
To clarify, for single picking, I was trying to move solely at the wrist and needed to move some of the movement into my elbow. This has helped, but I still have terrible accuracy, even this much time later. I was commenting here to show that strumming really needs to use both wrist and elbow as does picking, but the ratio of each movement will change.
I don’t think we should pollute the strumming topic with the single string problem, so don’t feel a need to comment. I have asked about this somewhere on the forum with a lot of responses…
here it is:
I slowed it down to 0.25 speed and can see that your pick is angled enough on the down strum. You also have a flexible wrist action which is good, enables you to do the up strums without the pick digging into the strings. When you pick individual strings it’s ok to have it at right angles. All good.
I found in the Framing lesson that fast strumming needs to be done primarily from the wrist. I also realized that i found that bending the thumb to twist the edge of the pick works really well for fast picking situations like playing the fast gallop intro to the song Barracuda (where the pick can almost bounce off the single string riff) or playing oldies music like the Ventures Wipeout or the solo in Rock Around the Clock (I’m 69 and that is an old oldie to me since it was a hit 1 year before I was born 
)