I would be glad to help you with this technique...On the old MS there was a thread like this, but it wasnt about "learning" the technique, I think it was called "how did you learn to play sweeps" or something like that...Anyways...If you dont know what sweep picking is...Well...When you're playing fast licks where the notes lie on different strings (like an arpeggio) its hard to get the desired speed using alternate picking...so you need Sweep Picking...to do this, your pick should flow across the strings using one smooth picking motion, you need to let the pick fall from string to string, so its like strumming a chord...your right hand should be like strumming a chord, but at the same time your left hand should be playing the individual notes...you can play each note individually by lifting your finger away from the fret enough to mute it...cause each one should be muted right after you have hit it ...or else they would ring together and sound like a chord...I dont know, its very hard to explain...it can take some...you'll think its easy at the end...so be pacient and take your time...

Sweep Picking should sound like this (just in case you dont know)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ovPXquI3GBk

If you need some extra help, you can check this site

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3mbx03mP5eg
this guy is awesome, and he really helped me out!!!

Some basic exercises...

||--------12-17-----------10-15---|--------8-13-----------10-15----||
||-----13--------------12----------|-----10-------------12------------||
||--14--------------12-------------|--10-------------12---------------||
||-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------||
||-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------||
||-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------||

||--------12-17-12---------------||
||-----13----------13-------------||
||--14----------------14----------||
||----------------------------------||
||----------------------------------||
||----------------------------------||

1 4 3 3 2 1 4 1 2 3 3 4 1
||----------------------12h-17p-12----------------------||
||------------------13--------------13--------------------||
||--------------14----------------------14----------------||
||----------14------------------------------14------------||
||--12--15--------------------------------------15--12--||
||---------------------------------------------------------||

the finger positions are almost the same here

||--------------5h8p5---------------------||
||------------5-------5--------------------||
||----------5-----------5------------------||
||--------7---------------7----------------||
||------7-------------------7--------------||
||--5h8-----------------------8p5--------||

If you're a really good player
you may think these are too easy...
so I'll post harder licks later...

Good Luck!!!

Wow good tabs and stuff its a good explenation, and good tabs given out, mabey you could tab out some Scales for us, and also i heard it try and practice on clean effects through the amp. and make sure you hear every note really well, and make sure it sounds all right and play slow and faster and faster at it, and evetually you will play as fast your suppose to, does this really work?

Well...you should play it on clean effects through the amp...cause its easier to notice what you're doing wrong...and also make sure you're not doing alternate picking...common error when playing at slow speed...let the pick fall from string to string, like strumming a chord...

I have that problem aswell, but i made sure that that didint happen, and just slow things down really slowly until everything sounds perfect, then just pick up speed after a while, i was wondering if there were any other techniques to follow aswell to help sweeping.

Thanks. I briefly looked over your thread and this helps. God I've always been so bad at sweep picking. Hopefully I will get better with this.

Learned this technique last winter. After you get it down its simple and effective

I tend to alternate pick really quickly when I solo, so this technique is really hard for me to learn, so I hope this helps me! Cheers!

Written by [user id=5969] on 17.05.2006 at 05:00

Learned this technique last winter. After you get it down its simple and effective

Everything is very smple when you learn it...

Hmmm, when i will get free from my fucking school, i will try to play guitar a little bit more and maybe i'll try to learn this technique. It looks so cool that i really wan't to learn it.

I can recommend the clinic of Kiko loureiro, he teach to pley the sweep picking in many speeds, for example when you start in the last chord at the seventh fretand after put that finger at the 12 fret in a very exselcive speed!

@ Aresius, I'm learning this stuff as well right now. But I was wondering, can you write down the fingerings of the licks you posted? That would be really helpful, then I will at least know that I wont be learning that wrong.

Written by [user id=12595] on 17.05.2006 at 03:57

I would be glad to help you with this technique...On the old MS there was a thread like this, but it wasnt about "learning" the technique, I think it was called "how did you learn to play sweeps" or something like that...Anyways...If you dont know what sweep picking is...Well...When you're playing fast licks where the notes lie on different strings (like an arpeggio) its hard to get the desired speed using alternate picking...so you need Sweep Picking...to do this, your pick should flow across the strings using one smooth picking motion, you need to let the pick fall from string to string, so its like strumming a chord...your right hand should be like strumming a chord, but at the same time your left hand should be playing the individual notes...you can play each note individually by lifting your finger away from the fret enough to mute it...cause each one should be muted right after you have hit it ...or else they would ring together and sound like a chord...I dont know, its very hard to explain...it can take some...you will think its easy at the end...so be pacient and take your time...

Sweep Picking should sound like this (just in case you dont know)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ovPXquI3GBk

If you need some extra help, you can check this site

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3mbx03mP5eg
this guy is awesome, and he really helped me out!!!

Nice explanation dude. I've been wondering what sweep picking is for a while now. Unfortunately, I'm only coordinated enough to play the rainstick

i suck at it...i just dont get it right, dont know what to do more, ive practised and practised but i dont get it. i dont even understand fully how it is supposed to be done. this vacations ill need classes!

Google something like 'sweep picking lesson' or 'sweep picking video'. There are number out there that are REALLY helpful, and that spell out exctly what you have to do.

edit- just found a really good one- http://www.insaneguitar.com/mc/sweeping.html. Once you know what your fingers are meant to do, though, all you can do is practise. Sit down with a metronome and work on it. It's gonna take a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong time, but if you put in the effort to make sure you do it cleanly the results are totally worth it.

tks for that ~~

I got a question about the last one tab.
I understand playing up-down and down-up but what's with this 5h8p5? How should i play it (correctly)? Should i play it using alternate picking or how? I can't use sweep picking because these all are on one string.

And what does that h mean? Maybe it is answer to my question?

Sorry guys...I've been abscent for a couple of days...Well, lets see...

@ Eddie: I already did, thanks for that...sorry, I totally forgot

@ Pyroleprechaun: Thats great...at first I wanted to play the rainstick, but I didnt have the skills to play it...so Im playing guitar now...that sucks...

@ BloodTears: Please watch the second video...and read my
explanation...its not that hard...

@ W-Lash: Oh man...dont use alternate picking there...you should use your little finger to hammer on...if you use alternate picking there, it will sound awful...this is a very advance technique and it takes some time to get used to...but dont worry man, just practice, in a couple of weeks you'll think its easy...

Do you have any harder exercises?

yeah sure...these two are a little bit harder...well, thats what I think...its up to you...

||------------7-12p7-------7s15p12------|
||--------5s8--------8---8---------12-----|
||------4--------------9--------------12---|
||----5-------------------------------------|
||--7---------------------------------------|
||------------------------------------------|

and then

-----12s19p15------------------------||
--12-----------17---------------------||
------------------16-------------------||
---------------------17-16-14--------||
----------------------------------------||
----------------------------------------||

this one in particular...Im having trouble with it

||-----------------12h17p12-------------------------|
||--------------13----------13------------------------|
||-----------14----------------14----------------12--|
||--------14----------------------14-----------12----|
||--12h15---------------------------015-10h14------|
||------------------------------------------------------|


-----10h15p10-----------------------------12h17p12--|
--12----------12----------------------133---------------|
-----------------12----------------14--------------------|
--------------------12----------14-----------------------|
-----------------------14-12h15-------------------------|
-----------------------------------------------------------|


-----------------------------||
--13------------------------||
-----14---------------------||
--------14------------------||
-----------15p12-----------||
-----------------------------||

enjoy

Also...I'm learning on an Atreyu song [don't shoot me...gimme a second!]. For learning purposes ONLY, Bleeding Mascara has a great 3 string sweep in the intro, thought I'd share. It's going well for me, I guess I'm taking it slow.

Thanks. Keep 'em coming...

Written by [user id=12595] on 05.06.2006 at 01:02

@ W-Lash: Oh man...dont use alternate picking there...you should use your little finger to hammer on...

Oh fuck...So easy. But i tried to play it with alternate picking and i couldn't understand why can't i play it normally.
Thx very much.

I recommend for anyone that is starting out sweeping, try to start out with some three strings Children of Bodom sweeps, they helped me out, like in the song Everytime I Die, and Follow the Reaper.

Written by Immortal Plague on 20.06.2006 at 05:22

I recommend for anyone that is starting out sweeping, try to start out with some three strings Children of Bodom sweeps, they helped me out, like in the song Everytime I Die, and Follow the Reaper.

I totally Agree you can also try playing 4,5-string sweeping begin slow and run up the tempo believe you'll make it in the end

Much thanks Aresius. Ive been having somne trouble sweep picking. Hopefully I get a little better.

Written by [user id=3104] on 22.06.2006 at 20:18

Much thanks Aresius. Ive been having somne trouble sweep picking. Hopefully I get a little better.

Oh man...just take it easy and dont get frustrarted...yeah I know its a hard thing to learn, but there are no shortcuts, just practice and you'll start to see results...if you have any specific question, please let me know...Ok?

Ok, I have a specific question.

What exactly is the technique for the actual picking? The "sweep" if you will. I dont understand how you can make a fluid sweeping motion and at the same time mute the other strings. Is this making sense? If so, please answer.

Written by [user id=3104] on 23.06.2006 at 22:47

Ok, I have a specific question.

What exactly is the technique for the actual picking? The "sweep" if you will. I dont understand how you can make a fluid sweeping motion and at the same time mute the other strings. Is this making sense? If so, please answer.

well...I dont get your question...its almost like strumming a chord, but you have to mute the strings with your left hand (right if you're left handed) at the same time...its easier than it sounds...well, read my explanation again, and if you still dont get it, please watch the second video I posted...it has a very good explanation...

Ok, thanks, dude. I get it now. Appreciated.

Written by iMPERiAL_iCE on 22.06.2006 at 16:58

Written by Immortal Plague on 20.06.2006 at 05:22

I recommend for anyone that is starting out sweeping, try to start out with some three strings Children of Bodom sweeps, they helped me out, like in the song Everytime I Die, and Follow the Reaper.

I totally Agree you can also try playing 4,5-string sweeping begin slow and run up the tempo believe you'll make it in the end

Yes i agree, you can start with any amount of strings, just takes time, practice playing it slowly perfectly, and once you can play it a bit faster each time and make sure its perfect, and then just get faster and faster, but make sure it stays perfect, its just the fact to get your fingers use to getting to the notes you need to get to, once they know where their going it takes no effort to do it, because they already and practiced so many times perfectly what to do, it cant go wrong.

So in that case...is it more like you're learning each individual sweep, and you start all over again in the slow learning process for say, another set of notes? Or is it a actual technique, per se, in which once you learn one particular arpeggio, it's easy to do them all?