I suck at sweep picking. What the fuck am I doing wrong? I also find it really hard not to "pick" each string, I heard that's part of the problem. Help :(

RA has a video of his girlfriend fucking pwning me with sweeping ability.

I suck at it horribly too but thats probably because of the fact I can barely alternate pick so my cooridnation is way off. I can downpick and tremolo pick like a madman but I can't alternate pick for shit.

I can alternate pick really well

in fact, i can do tons of really advanced stuff, I just can't seem to get sweep picking done so it sounds "right"

I suck, but I think it's that I have a lazy fretting hand or something.

just start small...start with a 3 string pattern and get it clean...you probably pick very hard which makes sweeping difficult. you have to be pretty delicate with the pick hand....try not to pick too deeply, get the tip of the pick to make contact...and for the left hand, it's just key that you release the previous note without pulling off (making that open overtone that uglies everything up)

I'm still sloppier than I'd want to be a sweeping, but practice is all that cures it.

I'll try that. I need more advice though

like a fucking tutorial

Think of strumming more than picking.

Like dc said, try a 3 note arpeggio, and strum it slowly until you can do it fast.
DONT PICK.
Ill write a quick sweep tab

btw thanks brian and kok....I forgot you guys sweep pick. I just know distinctly songs with Andy and Tom sweeping so that's why I put them in the subject line.

_________________6______________________
______________5_____5___________________
___________6__________6_________________
________8_______________8_______________
________________________________________
________________________________________


getting it fast on the lower frets will also make it easier on the higher ones.

Andols is a sweep wizard.
He is the guitar Swifter.

yeah, brian said it best. start small, and work your way up. i definetly had a problem at first with it because i have a very heavy picking hand. just be delicate, the way you handle a beatiful 12 year old boy.

Different things work for different people, but I thought I'd share some things that worked for me. Especially since sweep picking is something that I've put a lot of concentration on over the last year.

1) I'm a WICKED heavy hitter. For the longest time I've used the yellow dunlop picks, and like you said yourself I had a lot of trouble not pronouncing every note. I recently switched to the grey nylon picks (.60). It's a HUGE difference, so it took a while to learn how to get the dynamics I usually get out of these picks, but after a while I noticed my ability to sweep pick got MUCH faster.

2) DON'T just concentrate on sweep picking arpeggios. It's called SWEEP PICKING, not SWEEP PICKING ARPEGGIOS. I used to practice the same 4-5 patterns over and over and couldn't get any faster. Then I started concentrating on the picking technique itself by working on 2 string exercises and it cleaned things up a lot. I have no clue how to write tab on here, so this might not work:

___________________________________
_______________________2____________
_________________2_3_5________________
___________2_3_5______________________
_____2_3_5____________________________
_3_5_________________________________



____________________________________
_________________________________3___
________________________3__1__4________
_______________3__1__4_________________
______3__1__4__________________________
1__4__________________________________

etc.. Concentrate on using the same downstroke to change strings on both exercises.

3) Do not concentrate on only one type of pattern. Go through a variety of 3, 4, 5, and 6 string shapes when you practice. Also, try to practice all the shapes ascending AND decending.

4) USE A FUCKING METRONOME!

5) www.chopsfromhell.com - absolutely TONS of excercises here.

6) Finally, plug into an amp and practice your patterns one-handed. No picking, just hammer on all the notes until you can play the patterns slowly and hear each note clearly. After you get it down, increase your tempo. By the time you grab your pick again, you'll be FLYING.

what is sweep picking???

you have to "pull off" to it is not just the picking.
i cant figure out how to even get the staff on here so i'm just going to put the notes, this is a goog one.

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

hey that's bullshit, i just fucking spent 15 minutes spacing this whole thing out and it came out gay like that.

i'll try again.

starting on the A string depending on how you tune it's really E for me

ascending
A 7 (hammer on)10
D 9
G 9
B 8
E 7 (hammer on)12 (pull off) 7 and decend the whole thing backwards

My easy way to get sweep picking....


Play this tab to a metronome, slowly and in triplets:


E---12p8--------------8
B----------10-----10---
G--------------9--------
D-----------------------
A-----------------------
E-----------------------



Then when you have that going good, once again do triplets but take the arpeggio across 5 strings instead of 3 like this


E---12p8-------------------------------------8
B----------10----------------------------10---
G--------------9----------------------9--------
D-----------------10--------------10-----------
A---------------------12--7h12----------------
E------------------------------------------------

So do that slowly to a metronome in triplets, then when you really want to sweep it, do it in sixtuplets. Don't alternate pick, its raking the whole way almost, just remember that it'll help if you let the tip of the pick almost rest against the next string as you sweep up.... that was a shitty explanation but you probably do it with your regular picking anyway.

While on the subject of sweeping

http://www.marcelcoenen.com/

wow.

http://www.metalagesmedia.com/marcel/video/boelmc7_2.mpg

holy christ!

there are far too many players out there that put my playing to shame

add a new one to the list of ones I know about

bump for LAZ input

Hey Nic, just saw this. Though Mr. Kok says I am the "sweep wizard" that is not the case -- our new guitar player Jeff has 1 or 2 sweep patterns that he does way cleaner that me. I have one sweep (I think it's a minor) that I use quite a bit, and I can play it ascending much better than descending. I'm at work and I can't do the tab without a guitar in my hands (I'm retarded), so I'll post the tab later. Other than just constantly drilling the sweep until you hate your guitar, try angling the pick one way for an upstroke and the opposite way for a downstroke, while lightly muting the unplayed strings with the heel of your palm. The correct combination will get you the cleanest sound. Again, I'm not that great at sweeping, somedays I can do them pretty good, and other days I suck hideously. Good luck with your sweeping mission.

* guitar swifter!

powerkok said:

Haha!

relax your right hand.

and get a metronome.

practice. there is no magic secret. start slow and practice.