Have any of you tamed these mythical beasts? They're hard as hell to perform accurately. Any tips would be nice.
Sweep Arpeggios
- Thread starter Astral Poetry
- Start date
MetalHeadMarc
Dark Lord of the Sith
The Wanderer
Watcher of the Storm
MetalHeadMarc said:
haha. the universal response to everything on the musicians discussion board.
play them slow, and in time ..use a metronome
you are looking for-
1.clairty of EVERY note..every note must sound clear and be in time
2.your pick should just drop and rise over the strings..a brushing motion. Imagine a string tied around your wrist raising and lowering it.
3.your fretting hand should "roll" slightly up or down with the direction of the sweep-muting is VERY important here!
Use that motion to mute the note after you sweep it.
Have at it..it's not easy to get good at(I am playing my butt off on em..gaining ground, but still have long ways to go)
you are looking for-
1.clairty of EVERY note..every note must sound clear and be in time
2.your pick should just drop and rise over the strings..a brushing motion. Imagine a string tied around your wrist raising and lowering it.
3.your fretting hand should "roll" slightly up or down with the direction of the sweep-muting is VERY important here!
Use that motion to mute the note after you sweep it.
Have at it..it's not easy to get good at(I am playing my butt off on em..gaining ground, but still have long ways to go)
Episteme
Member
For me, I use my right hand muting the strings when I do sweep arpeggios especially over 6 strings. Start slow and start building your speed, make sure every note sounds clear. Practise over and over again.
FailingAcension
Spiffy, eh?
Well, I have one of those little hand sqeezy things that makes your fingers and hand strong. That helps my picking alot. For my solos, I go fast. Go Hal!
K of London
Midnight Fallen
they help you, yes, they warm your bhands up anyway. i find that when i plug inmy guitar, i have to stick to just rhythm for ten minutes before i can play lead guitar properly becuase it warms my fingers up for more intricate fingerings. so yeah, if you use one of those you wont have that problem at least.
if you're a beginner i suppose you may get more finger strength which should help you advance further a little quicker, but if you'r ealready good they're just good for warmups
sweep picking is something im very good at, you have to mute with your picking hand and your fingers on both hands, only move your wrist, not thewhole arm, and practise slowly and make sure you pick everything in one continuous motion.
it takes a long time to master, but keep at it, and every week you'll be able to do something new. ive been sweeping for 4 years now, and only recently have i considered myself good at it
if you're a beginner i suppose you may get more finger strength which should help you advance further a little quicker, but if you'r ealready good they're just good for warmups
sweep picking is something im very good at, you have to mute with your picking hand and your fingers on both hands, only move your wrist, not thewhole arm, and practise slowly and make sure you pick everything in one continuous motion.
it takes a long time to master, but keep at it, and every week you'll be able to do something new. ive been sweeping for 4 years now, and only recently have i considered myself good at it
Ravenous Enemy
hell alive
so, I don't actually know how to do it - do play a barre chord or something then rotate you hand so that the stings mutes just after you've picked it so that each note dosn't merge into another, or do you actually finger each note separately?
K of London
Midnight Fallen
Sunbane
Metalistic Madman
I can't play sweeps to save my life. =P
But to be honest, I haven't had the patience to learn it yet.
'bane
But to be honest, I haven't had the patience to learn it yet.
'bane
ok, the word arpeggio has been and continues to be misused in terms of guitar. An arpeggio is merely the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and octave (1) of a triad played in succession. Sweeping does not necessarily equate an arpeggio...
There are two different schools of thought on sweeping, one is bending at the elbow and keeping your wrist and hand stationary, the other is bending at your wrist. I personally use the elbow motion one because the wrist needs to bend alot more to cover all the strings as opposed to the elbow. This creates more propensity for error with the wrist. Especially because muscular movement is most accurate and can be more finely executed in the middle range of the movement of the muscle. I.E. the wrist has to bend almost it's entire muscular range to cover all 6 strings, while the elbow needs merely a fraction of its range to cover all 6 strings, ie, you will have more control with your elbow.
I however, am a minority in this technique because alot of people get elbow injuries from doing this incorrectly, usually because of too much muscular tension. So do whichever way you want, but practice is essential.
As far as your left hand goes, DO NOT "roll" your hand, perhaps that's not the word you were looking for metal chef? Your left hand fingers should fret the string exactly as it should at any other time, with pressure perpendicular to the neck.
Sorry this was long, hope it helps.
There are two different schools of thought on sweeping, one is bending at the elbow and keeping your wrist and hand stationary, the other is bending at your wrist. I personally use the elbow motion one because the wrist needs to bend alot more to cover all the strings as opposed to the elbow. This creates more propensity for error with the wrist. Especially because muscular movement is most accurate and can be more finely executed in the middle range of the movement of the muscle. I.E. the wrist has to bend almost it's entire muscular range to cover all 6 strings, while the elbow needs merely a fraction of its range to cover all 6 strings, ie, you will have more control with your elbow.
I however, am a minority in this technique because alot of people get elbow injuries from doing this incorrectly, usually because of too much muscular tension. So do whichever way you want, but practice is essential.
As far as your left hand goes, DO NOT "roll" your hand, perhaps that's not the word you were looking for metal chef? Your left hand fingers should fret the string exactly as it should at any other time, with pressure perpendicular to the neck.
Sorry this was long, hope it helps.
yeah..that is a very loose term for lack of a better word.
I was getting at how when you go up or down a sweep pattern, you have to mute each string.
Quoting Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar-
"Lift each finger slightly as the subsequent notes are played so that your left hand "rolls" across the neck"
I find it easier to use this term when people ask..they kinda get the idea easier.
I was getting at how when you go up or down a sweep pattern, you have to mute each string.
Quoting Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar-
"Lift each finger slightly as the subsequent notes are played so that your left hand "rolls" across the neck"
I find it easier to use this term when people ask..they kinda get the idea easier.
Like most people said, clarity is key to getting a good sweep down. I think the right hand is very important, you gotta sweep the string and make sure you palm mute the lower strings, they tend to leave a bass noise if you are just beginning.
Dont forget to take off your finger from the last note when you are going on to the second, or else it will be a chord and not a sweep.
Once you got it, its pretty easy. Lol my friend still can't get it and he has been trying at it for a long time, the fucking guy doesn't know how to pick. The picking is important.
Dont forget to take off your finger from the last note when you are going on to the second, or else it will be a chord and not a sweep.
Once you got it, its pretty easy. Lol my friend still can't get it and he has been trying at it for a long time, the fucking guy doesn't know how to pick. The picking is important.
Ravenous Enemy
hell alive
BodomiC
Active Member
All you gotta do is practise your right hand, it mus pick exactly wen the finger comes onto the string ( in the proper place of course) It took me quite a lot of time to learn it well, but I still have problems with more complicated sweeps (added tapping or fast passages).
Its always best to practise with easy parts
Its always best to practise with easy parts
Antaeron
Entrancemperium
I'm just starting to get 'em right, I've been without a metronome for several months tho so I haven't been able to practice properly. Muting technique and just making sure you're synchronizing your hands properly are the hardest things. The actual picking is real easy.
Oh and an arpeggio is any chord where the notes are played individually, and in sequence. Not just a major or minor triad.
Oh and an arpeggio is any chord where the notes are played individually, and in sequence. Not just a major or minor triad.
JesusChristPose
Logic Dictates
FretsAflame
Undercover Shredder
One thing that might help you get the picking hand motion down is to pick a simple chord and go through it like you would a sweep. Speed this up until you feel comfortable doing it at a moderate speed. Start with smaller sweeps (like 4 note major, minor and diminished ones on the higher strings) then move into the larger ones as you get better at smoothly playing them. Remember that the key is timing and fluidity, so once again, practice makes perfect...it's all muscle memory!
Hope i helped a tad...
Hope i helped a tad...
