Another sweep picking thread

[Sigar]

So here's the deal. I pretty much got the basic technique down. Lifting the fingers and resting them on the strings as i sweep.
Well the problem is string noise. I manage to keep it pretty controlled if i only sweep the three highest strings, but when i try to pull of something starting on the A-string for example:

|----------------10-15p10-------------|
|-------------11----------11----------|
|----------12----------------12-------|
|-------12----------------------12----|
|-10h13----------------------------13-|
|--------------------------------------|

The question is, how do you mute the strings as you sweep? I find the 12's really hard, and i don't manage to mute with my palm on the lower strings. All tips, ideas and sollutions are appreciated.

[reguv760]

are you alternate picking with this sweep? try muting the area between the bridge coil and the saddles...

... man i'm a dolt... i was practicing this using 8h13 :P

Reg

[Lefty Robb]

Originally Posted by Sigar

The question is, how do you mute the strings as you sweep? I find the 12's really hard, and i don't manage to mute with my palm on the lower strings. All tips, ideas and sollutions are appreciated.

Usually the side palm of your pick hand should hit the string/s right when you lift your finger off the fret/s. its a timing/practice thing. Or at least thats how I figured it out for the most part. Some people cheat by putting a string dampener on, but if you do that, you cant use any open strings, and it becomes a crutch.

[shogun]

Originally Posted by Lefty Robb

Usually the side palm of your pick hand should hit the string/s right when you lift your finger off the fret/s. its a timing/practice thing. Or at least thats how I figured it out for the most part. Some people cheat by putting a string dampener on, but if you do that, you cant use any open strings, and it becomes a crutch.

cheat? greg howe and dave martone as well as many other professionals would argue different. in my opinion, I will use anything that will help me express the notes I want to play. it is not about how you do it, it is about the music you are creating.

[Tobi]

Martin Goulding (Linear Sphere, teacher at London Guitar Institute) told me to sweep from the elbow and sort of karate chop your hand across the bottom of the strings near the trem, that and the finger resting you are already doing.
It's a long process but you'll find the way it works for you best.
Even after I was taught I eventualy started sweeping from the wrist and not muting with my palm at all lol, so yeh.

[Wild_Child]

Wow, plenty of conflicting info here.

I guess it goes to show everyone approaches it differently, and I think this is especially true of muting. Personally, I like to use the ball part of my thumb on the palm of my picking hand for muting the lower strings.

For the higher strings, I use the very edge (i.e. the side opposite to the nail) of the finger fretting the string above to make sure it can't make any sound, and have the fingers nicely arched so they won't touch anything else. For example, if I'm playing that Bb on the 2nd string coming from the D on the 1st, I'll have the edge of my 2nd finger just lightly touching the 1st string so it's not going to make any more noise. Nobody has ever taught me to do this, it's just something I do.

For the D and the G on the 12th fret, you need to be 'rolling' your 3rd finger between the two notes. Here you can use the same principle as I have explained for muting, since you need to have your finger covering both strings at one time anyway.

Also, forget about string dampeners! They are for crazy legato players and two-hand techniques, not to cover up poor muting!

[Eco]

I kinda sweep with a bit too much movement in my rist and thumb, but its the way that works for me, allows me to dampen the string i've just pulled off from with the fat part of my palm.

The main thing is timing, it took me a while to get it down (I had a few posts myself here asking similar questions )

You have to make sure your pick speed and your neck hand are in sync otherwise its going to sound very sloppy. The way i learnt was to learn a few shapes, get my left hand ready by playing the same shape over and over but alt picking the notes, no where near as fast but it built up the dexterity and memory for where i had to go with my fingers.

After that i set the metronome away and just swept up and down as fast as i could cleanly play them, after a few hours of practice the bpm setting on the metronome was on its way up

[shogun]

for the record, most people who use string dampeners, use them for tapping, not sweeping. noisy sweep picking is just improper technique.. What i will say is do not rush, if you are sweeping correctly, you will be able to slow it down on a recording and hear the notes as perfect 16's or triplets or however you are doing.. 90% of the people i hear trying to sweep dont spend any time learning it, and sound like complete @$$.. DO NOT sweep any faster than you can do so flawlessly, with complete clarity.

[Stringz]

I am a pretty good guitar player, I don't read music and I am for the most part self taught. I've been playing for close to 20 years and played in bands for close to 17 years. I enjoy every minute while I'm playing. I play classic rock, metal, blues and even alittle Chet Adkins style country pickin' and some blue grass. I've always found it easy to learn songs and solos,,, I have found with practice I can manage to catch on to pretty much any style of playing....I am dillegent when it comes to practice........................... BUT,,, for some reason I can't grasp the techniquic of Sweep Picking. I don't place a big priority on flash when I play, but I can't understand why I can't even fumble my way through a simple sweep picking lesson. (it's like my brain isn't wired for it). It sounds stupid and like I said I don't put a big priority into flashy stuff on stage, but sweep picking has defeated me,,,,,,,, I don't want to even think about how much time I have invested into trying to learn this techniquic. I feel like I have to prove to myself that I CAN learn it. Any constructive advise would be helpful.

[CalledToArms]

On my electric, I use a Boss NS-2 if I am sweeping live to clean it up, but I use the side of my hand/palm to mute as I play the strings.

In the studio Id use a hairband to completely clean the sound up on a part where a lot of sweeping is involved and no open notes are used (ie most of our solos)

[Lifeofsobriety]

Originally Posted by Stringz

I am a pretty good guitar player, I don't read music and I am for the most part self taught. I've been playing for close to 20 years and played in bands for close to 17 years. I enjoy every minute while I'm playing. I play classic rock, metal, blues and even alittle Chet Adkins style country pickin' and some blue grass. I've always found it easy to learn songs and solos,,, I have found with practice I can manage to catch on to pretty much any style of playing....I am dillegent when it comes to practice........................... BUT,,, for some reason I can't grasp the techniquic of Sweep Picking. I don't place a big priority on flash when I play, but I can't understand why I can't even fumble my way through a simple sweep picking lesson. (it's like my brain isn't wired for it). It sounds stupid and like I said I don't put a big priority into flashy stuff on stage, but sweep picking has defeated me,,,,,,,, I don't want to even think about how much time I have invested into trying to learn this techniquic. I feel like I have to prove to myself that I CAN learn it. Any constructive advise would be helpful.

Have you tried doing the same thing over and over EXTREMELY SLOW. You need to sit with the metronome and start it out as slow as you can handle. Pick a simple exercise or arp (the one at the top of this thread would work great) and keep it up nice and slow. Work on the rhythm between both of your hands and make sure they are on sync with each other. And remember your not strumming, just drop your pick from string to string.

I hope that helps a little bit. If you can get a hold of it try watching Petrucci's DVD. I think its called Rock Discipline. A lot of my friends/students have found that DVD very helpful for learning basic sweeping.

[Stringz]

thanks, I look for that DVD.