Sweep Picking Method Pdf 16
Darnell Rempe
Sweep picking is a guitar-playing technique. When sweep picking, the guitarist plays single notes on consecutive strings with a 'sweeping' motion of the pick, while using the fretting hand to produce a specific series of notes that are fast and fluid in sound. Both hands essentially perform an integral motion in unison to achieve the desired effect.
The technique was first used and developed by jazz guitarists Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Tal Farlow and Barney Kessel in the 1950s, as well as rock guitarists Jan Akkerman, Ritchie Blackmore and Steve Hackett in the 1970s. In the 1980s, sweep picking became widely known for its use by shred guitarists. Jazz fusion guitarist Frank Gambale released several books and instructional videos about the technique, of which the most well-known is Monster Licks & Speed Picking in 1988.[1][2]
Guitarists often use the technique to play arpeggios at high speed. A common fretting shape is the one- or two-octave stacked triad. In scalar terms, this is the first (tonic), third (mediant) and fifth (dominant) of a scale, played twice, with an additional tonic added at the high end. For example, an A minor stacked triad is A-C-E-A-C-E-A. When the guitarist plays such a series of notes quickly up and down as an arpeggio, the phrasing sounds typical of pianos and other instruments more associated with such arpeggios. Unlike pianos, woodwinds, and many other instruments, the guitarist can change key by moving the same arpeggio shape up and down the fretboard.
Compared to other techniques, such as alternate picking, sweep picking requires few strokes. In some instances, however, a guitarist uses hammer-ons and pull-offs to produce a legato sound instead of actual pick strokes. This applies when a certain string must sound two notes in the shape due to the natural limits of a fretted string instrument.
Jazz players from the '50s, such as Les Paul, Barney Kessel and Tal Farlow, would use the approach in their improvisations, and country guitar genius Chet Atkins was known to eschew his signature fingerstyle hybrid-picking technique from time to time and rip out sweep-picked arpeggios, proving that the technique is not genre specific.
Charlie Griffiths plays guitar in acclaimed prog-metal outfit Haken, and has a wealth of experience handling corporate and session gigs for genres as diverse as rock, heavy metal and pop. He has been a regular contributor to Total Guitar, Guitar Techniques, and Guitar World for over a decade, and released his debut solo album Tiktaalika in 2022.
I was wondering how you would approach the picking and also the fingering at these speeds. Note that the fingering (and also some notes) in the tab are not necessarily 100% correct, the only way to hear it is to slow the lick down. But, changing one or two notes is ok, as long as the arpeggio effect remains. Any suggestions on how you would approach this lick are welcome. NOTE: the first triplet in the first bar starts with the 9th fret on the A string, also the ascending arpeggio in the second bar probably involves a string skip, so instead of the 14th fret on the G string, this becomes the 10th fret on the B string. The part that gives me the most trouble is the 1st descending part 202E80C1-8375-4CA5-B0A0-D6635FD48ED2.jpeg750602 49.5 KB
As I started playing around with it again, I noticed that one possible solution of making the descending run easier is to play it in the position where the 1st finger is on the 8th fret, so the last three notes of the run are 9th-G string, 11th-D string and 9th-D string.
I was wondering how you would approach the picking and also the fingering at these speeds. Note that the fingering (and also some notes) in the tab are not necessarily 100% correct, the only way to hear it is to slow the lick down. But, changing one or two notes is ok, as long as the arpeggio effect remains. Any suggestions on how you would approach this lick are welcome. NOTE: the first triplet in the first bar starts with the 9th fret on the A string, also the ascending arpeggio in the second bar probably involves a string skip, so instead of the 14th fret on the G string, this becomes the 10th fret on the B string. The part that gives me the most trouble is the 1st descending part
I consider this the easiest 16th note pattern of the whole solo (apart from the stretches). The trick is to start with an upstroke then two downstrokes (sweeped). So the note before the pull-off is ALWAYS an upstroke. You can do this easily with DWPS. If you have difficulties understanding this, I can upload a video for you.
Hope you're doing well. I would like to request a lesson on SRV style sweep picking - like the solo's in Lenny, Riviera Paradise and Tin Pan Alley for example, where SRV goes lightning speed. I have my sweep picking down okay, and I can kind of keep up with SRV when I play along, but I would love for Tomo to make a lesson on this technique so that I can become a master. Thanks! Cheers from Toronto.
Thankyou for your comment, I don't think this has anything to do with developing my style. I'm trying to enhance my technical ability by using someone else's style as reference - and it's also totally okay as a guitarist to learn other people's music and technique and then apply it to your own playing. If you look on the lessons there are lots of videos on other player style - for example john mayer #51. So I thought it would be cool for Tomo to do SRV style videos. Not sure what style development had to do with my post, but anyways I'm all about positivity and happiness - so peace and love (:
I think it was someone from the Beatles who said no music is truly original. We all playback interpretations of things we have heard or scene. If you appreciate SRV, as do I, there are many lessons out there on how to come close to his style of playing. I know he used very heavy gauge strings. Even John Mayer said he could only play like SRV for about 2 minutes so knowing "how" is different than being able to do it. Many football coaches can't play.
I think what A G was trying to say is that to get the sound you are looking for- find your own way to the end zone. This actually makes sense. I don't believe he is saying you shouldn't try to play like SRV if that's what you like, but develop your own method for getting there. You can watch countless videos that "try" to teach his popular style- go for it, and simply pick the technique that works for you- that's all. As part of your musical repertoire, there is nothing wrong with "playing in the style" of whomever you like. It showcases great music and is the reason why tribute bands exist.
There are many techniques that SRV utilizes that he developed over his (far too short) lifetime. Tomo shows some of them; as does John Mayer and frankly, just watching SRV's own videos. Intensity is at the core but that intensity is complimented by silence, by patients. He let's the band sing, then he does his thing. Like a great speaker- first he is a great listener but when he speaks he makes every word count. You might also want to study the styles of Albert King and T-Bone Walker as they were a heavy influence on his playing. Again, to A G's point, SRV also appreciated and learned from their style(s) but then he made it his own.
Another big thing to play like him is to find his tone. If you dial in his tone, you will be inspired to play like him that much more. I'm a big fan of the Fractal FX processors and either the FM3 of coveted AxeFXIII can really dial it in- presets already exist or you can buy SRV packs. It's an important detail. In YT
Thankyou for commenting. Again, I understand style influences and all that. Maybe I should have taken out the "SRV" part in the title. I just used him as an example of what you can do with sweep picking in blues licks. This post is just meant to ask tomo to make a sweep pick video lol, thats all.
I agree, would like to skype chat with him sometime to pick his brain on the exercises, and approach he uses in this area. He seems to have gotten the method down of how to practice in this area cause it shows in his videos.
When you pick the strings - are you letting the angle of the pick move when you change direction? You should be able to feel the pick change angle when you change direction, and your grip should be solid - but should be just loose enough to allow you to do that.
There are ways of sweeping with a stiff grip on the pick like that but it involves forearm rotation to change the pickslant more actively, you could also try that way. Jason Richardson seems like he does something like that.
So after 20 minutes of figuring out how to apply what was suggested in this thread by @cmcgee11235 and @Jacklr here are some sextuplets at 100bpm. Much much better. Going to take some practice to speed up, but immediate improvement in my opinion. Much smoother, much less bouncy.
So after 20 minutes of figuring out how to apply what was suggested in this thread by @cmcgee11235 and @Jacklr here are some sextuplets at 100bpm. Much much better. Going to take some practice to speed up, but immediate improvement in my opinion.
Because they actually can be very useful in developing the technique, and to very gradually and cleanly push your limits. They can also more easily be used to open up more rhythmic deviations than just triplets or sextuplets that are more commonly performed with 5 string arpeggios.
I also used to think that way too, then when I went to college and started taking lessons from a guy named Joe, I began to see the error in this thinking. I realized that while it was easy for me to sweep across 5 strings very fast as kind of a trick, it was hard to rhythmically control sweeping across three, and damn nearly impossible for me to do two string ones (think the break down in the song Rising Force). It forced me to rethink this a bit and take a step back. It all has a place.
Sorry for such a late response. Just so we are on the same page, are you talking about a sweep sound closer to this. I posted a simple 5 string sweep on this thread a while back, and it popped up again which reminded me that I had something on here that might sound close to what you are describing.
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