A Rake

[klp2332]

Whats a rake, i searched it and still cant figure out what it is. I have the overall idea of what it is but i jsut cant do it.
Heres a peice from For The Love of God

---------|22-19-------|
--12s15-|------20-----|
---------|--------21---|
---------|-----------19|
---------|-------------|
---------|-------------|
| RAKE |

4:08 to 4:14 in the song

[moro]

For the last four notes, you're using a (mostly) continuous upwards motion with your picking hand. That's the "rake." (I think "sweep" is the more common term.) For me, it helps to think of it as pushing through the strings. So when you pick the high E, go through the string so that your pick comes to rest against the B. Pause. Pick the B and let the pick come to rest against the G. And so on. So it's all upwards motions, but it's not the same as strumming a chord with an upstroke. It's more like a thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk motion.

With your fretting hand, you want to be muting each string after it's picked.

As with everything else, it helps to start out insanely slowly. Like 2 notes per second. Or slower.

John Petrucci explains this well in his video.

[Koss]

Originally Posted by moro

For the last four notes, you're using a (mostly) continuous upwards motion with your picking hand. That's the "rake." (I think "sweep" is the more common term.)

If im not mistaken, a rake is a motion in only one direction (one upstroke, or one downstroke.) Unlike a sweep where it is continuously up and down strokes. Something like the beginning of the first comfortably numb solo by Pink Floyd is a good example of a rake.

I may be mistaken however and it may be also known as a sweep...

[moro]

Originally Posted by Koss

If im not mistaken, a rake is a motion in only one direction (one upstroke, or one downstroke.) Unlike a sweep where it is continuously up and down strokes. Something like the beginning of the first comfortably numb solo by Pink Floyd is a good example of a rake.

Oh, that makes sense.

So a rake is somewhere between a strum and a sweep?

[Koss]

Originally Posted by moro

Oh, that makes sense.

So a rake is somewhere between a strum and a sweep?

Pretty much. Just think of how you would actally rake your yard, and how *some* people sweep their kitchen. You don't take a rake in the yard and swing it back and forth

[moro]

Originally Posted by Koss

Pretty much. Just think of how you would actally rake your yard, and how *some* people sweep their kitchen. You don't take a rake in the yard and swing it back and forth

What if you have a leaf blower?

[fettouhi]

Originally Posted by Koss

If im not mistaken, a rake is a motion in only one direction (one upstroke, or one downstroke.) Unlike a sweep where it is continuously up and down strokes. Something like the beginning of the first comfortably numb solo by Pink Floyd is a good example of a rake.

I may be mistaken however and it may be also known as a sweep...

Muted sweep .

Regards

André

[klp2332]

thanks guys...

[gmoneymcfly2k]

it's all part of the economy package anyway. right guys?

[elcid]

Seeing as the rake is in the first measure, and what I know of raking isn't raking when you sweep trhough a couple of muted strings before you play the notes?
Maybe there should be a couple of XXX on the d and g strings

[AirGuitarHero]

I agree with elcid. I've always thought of 'rake' as a 'muted sweep', and it is usually transcribed as XXXX. Perhaps the legend on the tab should be 'sweep'?

[Shep]

Originally Posted by AirGuitarHero

I agree with elcid. I've always thought of 'rake' as a 'muted sweep', and it is usually transcribed as XXXX. Perhaps the legend on the tab should be 'sweep'?

Yes .thats right...it's a sweep where the note's are really just clicks....

[Koss]

Originally Posted by Shep

Yes .thats right...it's a sweep where the note's are really just clicks....

Like the first comfortably numb solo

[sniperfrommars1]

I would call a rake a completely muffled sweep. A muted sweep on the other hand is just a muted sweep to me

[nickcoumbe]

I know with these things everyone says to start slow, but does anyone else find that there is a kind of critical speed, below which sweeping just doesn't really work? I know for practice you out to follow the maxim, but I am just curious.

Back on Topic:

I have always thought a rake was when you scratched your pick down (or up) the strings. As in to rake your fingernails acorss a blackboard.