sweeping

[DevWil]

i need sweeping tips. badly. haha...it's the only part of my playing that i feel unconfident in. can pickups matter for sweeping? because when i try to sweep it just sounds like a garbled mess on my stock BC Rich pickups...and i'm equipment illiterate for the most part, especially with pickups, so it might be that...any advice?

 

[UniversalGenesisShock]

not really, if its a mess on your guitar, itll sound like a mess on any other one, sweep picking is freaking hard for me too! i can only do it in an up motion, i was watching alexi laiho from COB do it, and he picks the notes on the actual neck (brings his pick to the neck) and he can do it flawlessly, maybe he uses his hand to mute while making the sweeps?

 

[DeMysteriisDomCanuckus]

Try thinking of it as "Articulated Strumming." Say you're playing a G chord (example 1A), right? Go up slowly, but in one motion, and as you hit each string remove your finger, or mute the string right afterwards, in a motion like Example 1B.

Try including sweeps into your rhythm work as well, as I use them more for that than I do with leads (I know, I need to work on that...) Once you get the hang of Example 1B, try Example 2.

And finally, an example of a sweep I can play in a lead, try Example 3 once you've mastered Example 2






Example 1A:
---3-------------
---3-------------
---0-------------
---0-------------
---x-------------
---3-------------

Example 1B (sweep picked):
--3--------------
----3------------
------0----------
--------0--------
----------x------
----------3------
..^.^.^.^.^

Example 2:
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
----------------------5---4---3--------------
-2-2-2--5/2\5--2-3----6---5---4-------------
-0-0-0--3/4\3--0-1-0---7---6---5------------
.*.*.*...................*.^^^^^^^^^

Example 3:
-------------8---------------11-13---------
--------------8------------11------15------
------97-------9-9-7/10-12-----------------
---10---------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
..........p......^^^...........v.v.v........ah


Legend:
*=palm mute
p=pull-off
h=hammer-on
/=slide up to
\=slide down to
^=sweep pick up
v=sweep pick down
ah=artificial "pinch" harmonic
.=just there to space things out right



Hope his helps!

 

[control-denied777]

go to www.wholenote.com and www.cyberfret.com ,by the way do each of the arpeggios at least 500 times a day(michael angelo used to do 5000 times)

 

[DevWil]

i know sweeping is basically playing a chord with your right and an arpeggio with your left, and i don't have problems with sweeping 4 or fewer strings most of the time...just 5 and 6 string sweeps are annoying me....maybe i'm not moving my left hand quick enough...that'd explain why i can do 4 string sweeps well (4 fingers to use)....thanks for the advice

 

[James Murphy]

i need sweeping tips. badly. haha...it's the only part of my playing that i feel unconfident in. can pickups matter for sweeping? because when i try to sweep it just sounds like a garbled mess on my stock BC Rich pickups...and i'm equipment illiterate for the most part, especially with pickups, so it might be that...any advice?

the key to playing fast, articulate sweeps is exactly the same as the key for playing fast, articulate anything... practice the technique s-l-o-w-l-y. and for a long long time.. moving up in speed only very slowly as you get confident.. by slowly i mean spend DAYS to get from say 40bpm to 160bpm, not minutes or hours.. moving the metronome up only after HOURS of practicing it at the previous tempo (not all in one go..take reasonable breaks).. this is why so many people can't sweep cleanly, they are in too big of a hurry to be able to do it at lightning speeds. that impatient approach is just shooting yourself in the foot.

good luck!

 

[Justin890]

this is one of those things I think having someone that can do it play in front of you would help loads....I've been meaning to practice sweeps better, but I need to get my guitar soon....being guitarless is like walking around with no nuts.

 

[DevWil]

thanks a lot james...i guess i'm going to have to kick my impatience in the balls to learn sweeping.