For the love of jebus! I cannot sweep! My fret hand isn't very quick. I can pick like a mad man. I've been playin for years. I understand how to sweep. I work my fingers to death to pick up speed but can't. Am I screwed?
Sweeping
- Thread starter divine_torture
- Start date
DEFIED
Member
Yea its kinda frustrating at first because it seems like its not working at all, but one thing that I think is important to remember is to make sure you separate your fingers from eachother because they are all playing different notes. It will help with clarity once you start getting faster at it. It wont sound like a sloppy mess 
Just make sure you start stupid slow. Thats the only way its going to get clean and under your fingers, hope some of that helps!
Just make sure you start stupid slow. Thats the only way its going to get clean and under your fingers, hope some of that helps!
Yeah the finger seperation helps quite a bit. I play so much rythm stuff that my fingers are used to being far apart for the larger frets. And it is really frustrating. But I'm persistent.
Vacant_Planets
Queen Nicole
If you've been playing for years you've probably tried mirco sweeps, but I'd stick with mirco sweeps until you can do them. That being only the first 3 strings. Keep it easy until the fret hand can pick it up.
The Ozzman
Melted by feels
The Ozzman
Melted by feels
I can't hear shit in this video. Got a better one?
EDIT: One that actually shows the technique like a lesson type format?
EDIT DOS: Nevermind, I found it
EDIT: One that actually shows the technique like a lesson type format?
EDIT DOS: Nevermind, I found it
I didn't realize that had a name. Yeah I can do the micro sweeps. But I'm working toward nice 6 string appregio runs. I'm getting there slowly.
Eligos
Problem Yet to be Solved
Mike Flores is a god of the bass guitar. He definitely has a unique playing style, doing a sort of alternate picking with his middle and ring fingers at the end of the fretboard. Even watching him warm up before a show is a spectacle. He does these chromatic exercises and my eyes actually can't keep up with his fingers. Christ.
try sweeping REALLY FUCKING SLOW over and over again. then, once youve got it down flat, speed it up. it sounds time consuming because it IS. but trust me, once you can sweep faster than a motherfucker, you'll be glad u practiced.
start with a 3 string sweep, work your way up
my advice is... watch the simpsons...
if you keep sweeping (guitar unplugged) over and over again and FEELING when you've hit all the notes etc...
get through 2 episodes of the simpsons and thats a solid hour of practise sleep on it, and the next day you'll be slightly better
my advice is... watch the simpsons...
if you keep sweeping (guitar unplugged) over and over again and FEELING when you've hit all the notes etc...
get through 2 episodes of the simpsons and thats a solid hour of practise
sleep on it, and the next day you'll be slightly better1. Get a metronome, most music recording/composing software has one.
2. Unplug the guitar.
3. Don't ever lift your picking hand.
4. Start off slow with a slow tempo. Against all recommendations, I suggest learning 5 string arpeggios first, because they really develop the sweep picking motion that lacks in a 3-4 string sweep arpeggio. After you get 5 strings down, the smaller arpeggios are like cake, and the monstrous 6 string arpeggios are a small transition. I'll quickly tab out the stereotypical beginner arpeggio every sweeping guide recommends. It has a little of everything, from the rolling motion, to various hammer ons. It lacks a little left handed finger coordination, but that will be hammered out in the 3 string arpeggios.
E|-----------12h17p12------------
B|---------13--------13----------
G|-------14------------14--------
D|-----14----------------14------
A|12h15--------------------15p12-
E|-------------------------------
5. Once you nail the sweep picking motion, and can cleanly play every single note without the predecessing note ringing out, begin speeding up the metronome. Start with a slow tempo. Once you can play it at that speed for at least 3-5 minutes, kick it up 10-15 beats, and work your way through that tempo. Keep working your way up until you find a tempo you struggle to play, and then practice. For hours. Next day, work your way up to that tempo and continue where you left off, until you can play the arpeggio at that tempo cleanly. Repeat as you move up in tempo. 2 weeks and you'll be shredding arpeggios like a madman.
6. Make sure your right hand sweep picking motion is always in sync with the left hand as it moves up and down the neck. This is what will make playing arpeggios fast extremely difficult for the first few weeks practicing. Once you get it down though, sweeping is seriously the most stupidly easiest technique on guitar. Way overrated.
7. Heres a three string arpeggio that doesnt have complex fingering, in case the 5 string is too overwhelming. This is a shorter version of it that doesn't include the difficult roll down fingering.
E|----12h17p12----
B|--13--------13--
G|14------------14
D|----------------
A|----------------
E|----------------
I bet the thread OP can already sweep pick; LOL. So pointless in posting this, but whatever.
2. Unplug the guitar.
3. Don't ever lift your picking hand.
4. Start off slow with a slow tempo. Against all recommendations, I suggest learning 5 string arpeggios first, because they really develop the sweep picking motion that lacks in a 3-4 string sweep arpeggio. After you get 5 strings down, the smaller arpeggios are like cake, and the monstrous 6 string arpeggios are a small transition. I'll quickly tab out the stereotypical beginner arpeggio every sweeping guide recommends. It has a little of everything, from the rolling motion, to various hammer ons. It lacks a little left handed finger coordination, but that will be hammered out in the 3 string arpeggios.
E|-----------12h17p12------------
B|---------13--------13----------
G|-------14------------14--------
D|-----14----------------14------
A|12h15--------------------15p12-
E|-------------------------------
5. Once you nail the sweep picking motion, and can cleanly play every single note without the predecessing note ringing out, begin speeding up the metronome. Start with a slow tempo. Once you can play it at that speed for at least 3-5 minutes, kick it up 10-15 beats, and work your way through that tempo. Keep working your way up until you find a tempo you struggle to play, and then practice. For hours. Next day, work your way up to that tempo and continue where you left off, until you can play the arpeggio at that tempo cleanly. Repeat as you move up in tempo. 2 weeks and you'll be shredding arpeggios like a madman.
6. Make sure your right hand sweep picking motion is always in sync with the left hand as it moves up and down the neck. This is what will make playing arpeggios fast extremely difficult for the first few weeks practicing. Once you get it down though, sweeping is seriously the most stupidly easiest technique on guitar. Way overrated.
7. Heres a three string arpeggio that doesnt have complex fingering, in case the 5 string is too overwhelming. This is a shorter version of it that doesn't include the difficult roll down fingering.
E|----12h17p12----
B|--13--------13--
G|14------------14
D|----------------
A|----------------
E|----------------
I bet the thread OP can already sweep pick; LOL. So pointless in posting this, but whatever.
