Master Of Shred
09-01-2005, 05:13 AM
Sweep Picking ? The Basics
Introduction:
Hi there. This is my lesson about the technique ?sweep picking?. Sweep picking is considered as the hardest technique to play on guitar. It might be. But it?s seriously overrated in difficulty as well. I?ll give you my tips on sweep picking and explain the technique as best as I can. I hope that I will make someone happy with this lesson.
What is sweep picking?
Sweep picking. Is basically playing chords. Only fast. You play exactly the same notes that are in the chord you sweep. So that?s why sweep picking sounds like a chord progression. You lift every finger up from your fretting hand after you?ve play the note: Don?t play it staccato (mute every note right after you?ve played it) but let it flow into the next note. Then mute it. I mute when I play upstrokes with my pinkie of my picking hand. And with down strokes I mute with my palm of my picking hand.
The picking hand:
You make one motion. So you don?t pick every note. It?s like, playing rhythm guitar strumming. Only slower (most of the time) so even if you start to practise it with quarter notes at 40 bpm: Try to make the same motion as with your rhythm guitar strumming. I don?t think that it really matters if you sweep pick from your elbow or wrist. Like Vinnie Moore said: ?I sweep pick from my elbow. Because it feels more natural to me.? It just preference.
The fretting hand:
Like I said it before. You lift every finger up when you?ve played it. (Don?t grab chords of course) And don?t play staccato. Nothing special here. Just practise.
The ?cage? system:
This can be used with many things. But I use it a lot with sweep picking / sweep picking exercises. What is the cage system? The cage system is that you can grab most of the chords in the shape of the C major chord, a major chord, G major chord and the E major chord. All in the first root. Where the **** is he talking about? :
A major played in the shape of E major:
5
5
6
7
7
5
Play this 5 frets back. And what do we have then? Yes it?s an E major. You understand this now? I?ll give you some more examples:
D major in the shape of C major:
2
3
2
4
5
More 2 frets back. It?s the C major shape =)
so just sweep pick this. And try to come up with your own chord progressions and try to play the chords in different shapes. Very good example to look into this : The famous Serrana arpeggios by Jason Becker.
Some sweep songs :
Some good sweep pick songs to look into ( Or parts of it ) :
Cacophony ? Go Off
Cacophony ? Speed Metal Symphony
Jason Becker - Altitudes
Jason Becker ? End Of The Beginning
Jason Becker ? Perpetual Burn
Jason Becker ? Serrana
Joe Stump ? Demons Eye
Michael Angelo ? No Boundaries
Just a few. And basically any Becker song. He always throws some cool sweeps his songs.
Hope you liked this lesson. I?ll post a lesson later for the more advanced sweep pickers under us. And some other lessons as well.
Cheers. Mos
Introduction:
Hi there. This is my lesson about the technique ?sweep picking?. Sweep picking is considered as the hardest technique to play on guitar. It might be. But it?s seriously overrated in difficulty as well. I?ll give you my tips on sweep picking and explain the technique as best as I can. I hope that I will make someone happy with this lesson.
What is sweep picking?
Sweep picking. Is basically playing chords. Only fast. You play exactly the same notes that are in the chord you sweep. So that?s why sweep picking sounds like a chord progression. You lift every finger up from your fretting hand after you?ve play the note: Don?t play it staccato (mute every note right after you?ve played it) but let it flow into the next note. Then mute it. I mute when I play upstrokes with my pinkie of my picking hand. And with down strokes I mute with my palm of my picking hand.
The picking hand:
You make one motion. So you don?t pick every note. It?s like, playing rhythm guitar strumming. Only slower (most of the time) so even if you start to practise it with quarter notes at 40 bpm: Try to make the same motion as with your rhythm guitar strumming. I don?t think that it really matters if you sweep pick from your elbow or wrist. Like Vinnie Moore said: ?I sweep pick from my elbow. Because it feels more natural to me.? It just preference.
The fretting hand:
Like I said it before. You lift every finger up when you?ve played it. (Don?t grab chords of course) And don?t play staccato. Nothing special here. Just practise.
The ?cage? system:
This can be used with many things. But I use it a lot with sweep picking / sweep picking exercises. What is the cage system? The cage system is that you can grab most of the chords in the shape of the C major chord, a major chord, G major chord and the E major chord. All in the first root. Where the **** is he talking about? :
A major played in the shape of E major:
5
5
6
7
7
5
Play this 5 frets back. And what do we have then? Yes it?s an E major. You understand this now? I?ll give you some more examples:
D major in the shape of C major:
2
3
2
4
5
More 2 frets back. It?s the C major shape =)
so just sweep pick this. And try to come up with your own chord progressions and try to play the chords in different shapes. Very good example to look into this : The famous Serrana arpeggios by Jason Becker.
Some sweep songs :
Some good sweep pick songs to look into ( Or parts of it ) :
Cacophony ? Go Off
Cacophony ? Speed Metal Symphony
Jason Becker - Altitudes
Jason Becker ? End Of The Beginning
Jason Becker ? Perpetual Burn
Jason Becker ? Serrana
Joe Stump ? Demons Eye
Michael Angelo ? No Boundaries
Just a few. And basically any Becker song. He always throws some cool sweeps his songs.
Hope you liked this lesson. I?ll post a lesson later for the more advanced sweep pickers under us. And some other lessons as well.
Cheers. Mos