Need help learning to sweep pick...

Gilles De Rais

New Metal Member
Aug 11, 2009
4
0
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I really don't want to type all this out again, I've posted a question on Yahoo answers, but haven't gotten much help there, so I'm posting a link here to the question. Like it says, I'm not looking for a short cut, I'm willing to devote considerable practice time in the pursuit of learning this skill.
Here's the link: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...OW3boejsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090821160543AAxtqZg

Feel free to add me as a contact on yahoo as well.
Thanks!
 
I gave up a long time ago. It's really annoying. Maybe I'm practicing the wrong patterns, but I really don't get it. Anyway, this video should help:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
a week? how bout no....
i hate giving this speech but i like helping people out so i'll try mah best

basically, it's all about getting the hands synchronized. try just muting the strings with your left hand and just going up and down with your picking hand across the strings in a "sweeping" motion. then when you can do that (shouldnt be that hard haha) try doing two string little arps, like

Sweep%20Picking%20fig%20A.jpg


and pull off on the 8/12 parts
down physically pick the downstrokes, its like your gliding from one string to the next.

here are some three string sweeps

sweepsarptute3.png


you'll find theres tonssss of different patterns/ways to play different arps and sweeps and its pretty easy to figure them out, like all the major and minor will be the same position/fingering but just different frets etc. honestly it took me forever and i worked a lot on it, but one day it just fucking clicked, my hands locked together and i was like yeeeahhh!!!!
i didn't really cover everything but this should be a nice start, heres some videos of me sweeping, so you can see the hand movements etc.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI9WTQ5LodU&feature=channel_page[/ame]

well this one you cant see my right hand :(




once i get my camera working i definitely want to make some tutorials on sweeping etc.
and those vids are kinda shit, i know. it was a while ago im definitely better now (cheap fail excuses like everyone uses)
 
Am I the only person that thinks sweeping is one of the easiest lead techniques?

Yep.

No seriously though, it varies from person to person.
Personally? Sweep picking never came easy to me, but legato (3 note per string stuff) came to me quite easily. Alternate picking somewhere in the middle.
 
The only thing I had to do to pick up on it was I practice patterns with a metronome. Once my hands were synchronized it was no problem.

That's what took me ages, the synchronizing part of it, but it might be partly because I was trying to do 6 string sweeps before I even learnt 5 strings properly:lol:
But you're right of course, once that happens, the synchronization, progress just goes warp speed from there.
 
Ive been trying a while and dont quite get it either...

Watched many guys (paul gilbert, michael angelo batio) and they all seem to have slightly different ways of holding the pick, moving their wrist/hand, etc.


:erk:
 
Ive been trying a while and dont quite get it either...

Watched many guys (paul gilbert, michael angelo batio) and they all seem to have slightly different ways of holding the pick, moving their wrist/hand, etc.


:erk:

The trick is to find what works for you. What works for them wont necessarily be what will be for you.
 
So, question, with an arpeggio like say...

12
13
12
14
15
x

Would you bar 12 or just move the finger as fast you can? I'm finding the left hand fingering stuff to be my weakness after practicing this for just a bit, when it's just something simple like that

12
13
14
15
x
x

I can go up and down all day no problem. Once barring gets involved I'm shit..
 
ican sweep... sorta

its still really sloppy in the middle alot of the time, depending on the arpeggio
 
So, question, with an arpeggio like say...

12
13
12
14
15
x

Would you bar 12 or just move the finger as fast you can? I'm finding the left hand fingering stuff to be my weakness after practicing this for just a bit, when it's just something simple like that

12
13
14
15
x
x

I can go up and down all day no problem. Once barring gets involved I'm shit..

You should never bar. Then it wouldn't be a sweep. Sweep picking gets it sound from each not getting play individually.

How ever sometimes you come across some arpeggios like

--------7-12-
-------8-----
------9------
-----9-------
-7-10--------
-------------

when you'll need to roll your finger. Rolling can be tricky at first, but just like everything else, once it clicks, it becomes so easy. You can go to youtube and look up some rolling techniques from Michael Angelo Batio or others.

But to answer your question for sure. No, don't bar the 12 just move your index finger.. Also, instead of working on the full 5 string arpeggio, try doing the bottom three strings until you get the transition from 12 to 13 to 12 down perfectly.