sweep picking - what is it?

[trajectory fish]

forgive me if this has been asked before, but could someone explain sweep picking? i've seen it mentioned numerous times in multiple threads... *i have a vague idea of what it could be; playing a chord so that it sounds like you're going up a scale in thirds realy fast?
help ease my confusion
thanks

[Kremlin]

Basically, you "sweep" the pick across the strings as if you're strumming a chord, but you keep the notes separated. I'm sure someone else here can explain it better, as I suck at sweeping

[JT Szymanski]

It not exactly a strum but it is more a strum than a coventional pick attack. *

Here what I have learned:
1) A sweep is a smooth motion across more than one string. *Most of the time it is used to sweep an arpeggio, that is the notes of a cord played individually.

2) Hold the pick in a way that not to much is sticking out to slow things down.

3) When sweeping from the low (such as the low E) to a high sting, let the tip of the pick point slitely toward the sky. *When sweeping from the high string (such as the high E) to a low one, let the tip of the pick point slitely towards the ground. *This will make thing smoother.

There is a lot more info on this forum to help you so look around.

[jem7vwh]

a few tips and thoughts:

* the purpose of sweep picking is to articulate the most amount of notes with the smallest expenditure of energy. *There are some who would say they could alternate pick much faster than they could sweep, however, alternate picking is a much heavier use of muscle.

* sweep picking centers primarily on coordination. *Yngwie Malmsteen has been quick to point out that he probably is not as fast as some might think, but the clarity of his picking creates the illusion of quickness.

* It is easiest to sweep pick with a very heavy pick. *The heavier the pick, the less energy you have to spend trying to articulate each string. *The idea here is to use just enough force to strum each string in succession.

[rosskoss]

Sweeping is when you move the pick in one continuous motion across the strings(similar to rakes).In other words its an extended form of economy picking.

Remember to properly mute the strings when you sweep otherwise the notes will ring out.Use both your left hand and your right palm for this.

Heres an example..


-------------------9------------------5---------
---------------10------------------5-----------
------------9--------------------6--------------
--------11--------------------7------------------
---12--------------------4-7------------------
-----------------------5------------------------

I don't have a guitar with me and I wrote those shapes from memory.(so check first)

There are lots of sweep patterns....major,minor etc.You can find them all over the internet.

[sixstringphoenix]

Quote: from jem7vwh on 2:49 pm on Aug. 30, 2001
The idea here is to use just enough force to strum each string in succession.

Quick correction, not trying to p!ss anyone off: you mean pick, not strum, right?

-Justin

[trajectory fish]

thankyou all for your posts... * looks like i have the right idea of it, just i call it something different... *i think the closest thing mentioned was the quick arpegiation of a chord such as Cmaj7 by playing *with a quick, continuous picking motion...


--------------------7--------
------------------8----------
----------------9------------
------------10--------------
-----------------------------
-----------------------------
-----------------------------

or B-
--------------------------------
--------------------------------
----------------11-------------
-------------12----------------
----------14-------------------
--------------------------------
--------------------------------
hope this doesn't add to any confusion... * its just my homemade version of sweep picking... * *its realy something i've been doing for the past few months because it sounds cool... the reason i ask is because i was wondering if there's a technical name for it... *

[littlegreenman]

There were some good ideas on sweep picking here

Good luck
Jeremy