Need help/advice on sweeping

[ll Mr Blonde ll]

So me and my guitar teacher are going through A TON of arpeggios and so i wanted to learn sweeping. My teacher isn't the best at it so i sortof have to learn how to do it on my own. All my teacher really told me was that i have to pluck the string hard so that the pick falls through to the other string( its hard to explain but i think you will ge the idea). How did you guys learn how to sweep and could you guys give me some tips? Thanks a ton : )

[razorsuppository]

You don't really have to go out of your way to pick hard. Just enough so that the note is audible. Remember to take your finger off of the note right before you pick the next one. Try muting all of the strings with your left hand and practicing your sweeping motion with the right hand by dragging it up and down the strings like this:
E-------------x--------------------|
B----------x----x------------------|
G-------x---------x---------------|
D-----x-------------x-------------|
A---x-----------------x------------|
E-x---------------------x-----------|

Also, try to start small and work your way up. Try going from two string arps to three string and then to four string, etc.

[nickcoumbe]

I disagree with "plucking hard".

I sweep with a firm, but consistent pressure across all of the target strings. I suppose that I might angle the pick slightly differently for the up and the down stroke. There is a lower speed limit that sweeping seems to sound right. Even so, pratice very slow. I keep my wrist fairly firm, and let my elbow do most of the work, but you may not be comfortable with that.

A friend of mine actually taught me after the pub on Friday nights. So maybe make sure you a relaxed, and full of chinese and beer!

Once I learnt 3 stringers, I pretty much stayed there for 5 years. Then, one weekend my girflfriend (now wife) was ill, and staying with me over a weekend, so I just looked after her and practiced sweeps. I wrote a progression which is just basically all the arpeggios in the g major scale. I started on the d major on the 2nd fret, and practiced changing position until I got all the way up the neck, and then went back down. I would play each 4 times, so my fingers could get used to the fingering before changing. Then I would do it twice per position, and finally once. Then I worked on the speed. I probably spent about 15 hours over the 2 days, and I was fast and clean a the end of it. Of course I could already sweep, so don't feel let down if you take a bit longer, but it worked for me. Also don't forget to try to vary the start note of the arpeggio when you are changing position, start at the high notes one time, then the bass notes another. When you can start at the middle note, or any other note on a 5 or 6 string arp, then you have gone too far, and should practice something else .

I find now that practicng 2 string triads first helps, as these are the basic building blocks of 3 string arpeggios. Don't stop there (as I did for years) work on 4 strings, then 5 and 6 as you get more confident.

Hope that helps.

[razorsuppository]

DO NOT play from the elbow. That is asking for tendonitis.

[mi2tom]

Originally Posted by razorsuppository

DO NOT play from the elbow. That is asking for tendonitis.

yes .... that's true... and razor you got one killer sweep ... hope I got a killer sweep like yours

[razorsuppository]

Originally Posted by mi2tom

yes .... that's true... and razor you got one killer sweep ... hope I got a killer sweep like yours

THANKS! There's nothing special about my sweeping man, I'm sure its nothing you couldn't do. Its just fast, thats all. Btw, I have some new music up at www.myspace.com/mattroberts . I think you'll dig it, its in Lydian and theres a clean part. Kinda vai-ish.

[mi2tom]

Originally Posted by razorsuppository

THANKS! There's nothing special about my sweeping man, I'm sure its nothing you couldn't do. Its just fast, thats all. Btw, I have some new music up at www.myspace.com/mattroberts . I think you'll dig it, its in Lydian and theres a clean part. Kinda vai-ish.

I'm not shy or ego to say someone is good if he is yes nice lydian and very vaish too...I've been trying to do weep for years but it's really hard for me... the string skipping works fine for me though

[razorsuppository]

Those are very kind words, thanks again. About the sweeping, try not to force it too much. Just practice it over and over again, even if its really sloppy. Keep doing it until you get it down smoothly, you'll have it in no time if you work hard enough for it.

[ll Mr Blonde ll]

thanks for all the advice guys! Especially from razor, the master of sweeping : ) Ive been practicing it a lot and i got the method down i just need to work on getting it fast and cleaner. Very nice song too razor, really enjoyed it.

[mi2tom]

Originally Posted by razorsuppository

Those are very kind words, thanks again. About the sweeping, try not to force it too much. Just practice it over and over again, even if its really sloppy. Keep doing it until you get it down smoothly, you'll have it in no time if you work hard enough for it.

I'll keep on trying then ....

[razorsuppository]

I'm really flattered, guys. Thanks a million for your compliments. Do you want me to make you guys a video? I can make it in a few minutes if you want, I'll go through some basic triads and play them slowly then quickly to try to give you a better idea.

[mi2tom]

Originally Posted by razorsuppository

Do you want me to make you guys a video?

that can do

[razorsuppository]

Here is the link to the video. - http://s18.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2...V13RUADFR8YJXN
Sorry it's short and a little slopy, I only have a digital camera to make this stuff with. Here are some tabs for the sweeps I was doing.

G Major:

E------------------3--7--3-------------------|
B----------------3-----------3----------------|
G-------------4-----------------4-------------|
D----------5-----------------------5----------|
A--------5----------------------------5-------|
E-3--7----------------------------------7--3-|

E-------------------7--10--7-------------------|
B----------------8-------------8-----------------|
G-------------7-------------------7--------------|
D----------9-------------------------9-----------|
A--5--10-------------------------------10--5--|
E--------------------------------------------------|

E------------------------10--15--------------------------|
B-------------------12------------12---------------------|
G---------------12--------------------12-----------------|
D-----------12----------------------------12-------------|
A-10--14--------------------------------------14--10--|
E-----------------------------------------------------------|

A minor:

E----------------5--8--5--------------------|
B--------------5-----------5-----------------|
G-----------5-----------------5--------------|
D---------7----------------------7-----------|
A-------7---------------------------7--------|
E-5--8--------------------------------8--5--|

E---------------------8--12--8------------------------|
B----------------10--------------10-------------------|
G-------------9-----------------------9----------------|
D---------10-----------------------------10----------|
A-7--12--------------------------------------12--7--|
E--------------------------------------------------------|

E-------------------------12--17--12------------------------|
B--------------------13-----------------13--------------------|
G----------------14-------------------------14----------------|
D-----------14-----------------------------------14-----------|
A-12--15--------------------------------------------15--12--|
E-----------------------------------------------------------------|

E diminished patterns:

E------3--6/9-6------|
B----5------------8----|
G--6----------------9--|
D-----------------------|
A------------------------|
E------------------------|

...etc, just keep moving that pattern up every three frets.

The reason I'm not going to tab every lick out that I played is because I want you to understand the basic concept and apply it yourselves to come up with your own ideas and phrasings. The stuff I showed you is pretty rudimentary as far as sweeping goes, so just learn where all of your notes are all over the fretboard, and then make arpeggios with triad construction (i.e. Major chord = root + Major third + minor third, minor chord = root + minor third + Major third, diminished chord = minor third + minor third, augmented = Major third + major third). It really isn't that difficult once you get the hang of it, and like I said in the video the possibilites of combinations are really endless.

[nickcoumbe]

Originally Posted by razorsuppository

DO NOT play from the elbow. That is asking for tendonitis.

Yep, I actually looked more at how I actually played last night, rather than how I thought I played. It is not totally from the elbow, there is probably 50% wrist movement. I do still move the elbow to some degree, but it can't be that much as I don't have tendonitis at all. I do get some in my wrist and thumb, but that is from using a computer.

[razorsuppository]

I've noticed that a lot of people tend to overstrain the elbow a lot when they tremolo pick. That **** is just terrible for your tendons.