Sweeping - should I bother?

Thanks, Superhuman. :) You've got some awesome tracks there, by the way!

Never close any doors to any new technique or style :confused: , if you do you will never carry an original sound you will end up having this copycat sound. Learn it then change it to whatever you feel like, slow then fast etc. Sweep picking is one of the most challenging techiniques :mad: cause you have both hand and eye coordination and perfect execution. :eek: When I started learning it was challenging, but just take it slow then rip it up. Check out Benoit Nadeu's sweeping excercise it's on guitartricks.com it's called sweep picking 1 (yngwie malmsteen) or check www.ultimate-guitar.com under the video forums for sweep lessons well good luck !

[FONT=Arial]i want a sweep exercise for my futher skills to improve[/FONT]

Originally Posted by: jiujitsu_jesusOn the weekend, I got one of my first opportunities to jam on the guitar with a player other than my teacher. He was much better than me, so I mostly stuck to rhythm and let him play lead. Towards the end, though, he said that he wanted to try out a head that he'd come up with, so he switched to rhythm and asked me to improvise over it. So improvise, I did. He said that I was good (although I think he was just being kind), and he was surprised that I didn't know how to sweep arpeggios. He seemed to use a fair bit of sweep picking in his leads; he said that I should learn to sweep pick myself if I wanted to sound better. I don't know about this - I'm not much of a speed freak, and besides, I play fingerstyle, so I don't know whether it's even possible for me to sweep pick. What do you guys think - should I learn, or isn't it worth my while?

I agree...you should always try and learn new stuff...if sweep picking feels uncomforatble, I say play through it and learn until it feels natural...this is porgress (note: I dont mean physically uncomfortable...if anything hurts...stop doing it). Even if you dont use it often, it just adds something new to your bag of tricks...

1.Sweeping without a pick is like tapping With a pick-very cheesy-no matter how many exceptions there may be.
2.Should you learn sweeps-well does a plumber come to your house with just a pipe wrench ? Or your cable guy with just a pair of pliers ? No. Every guitarist is only as good as their "toolbox".Context and using the right tool for the job are pivotal.Sweeps are just another tool.So yes,if for no other reason than diversification of knowledge and style you should learn sweeps,and a plethora of other techniques,and USE A PICK!!!!(at least medium gauge)
3.The longer you extend your arpeggios,the more fretboard coverage you achieve,the more flavor and originality you bring to a sweep,the better.
4.Almost every contemporary "relevant" guitarist of note use arpeggios in some fashion.Be it tapping,triad sequencing,or full-on 6 string extensions.Remember all music is comprised of scales and chords,an arpeggio is simply a chord whose notes are played individually,as opposed to in unison(harmony).I can't imagine even debating this issue.Sweeps are an essential part of a guitarists repetoire,no different than tapping,speed picking or phrasing.
5.Exercises are fun and useful in practice.However,listening to sweeps "in-action" in the context of a song are often the most instructive.For really great sweepers I suggest listening to Richie Kotzen,Tony MacAlpine,Jason Becker (Perpetual Burn),and of course Yngwie Malmsteen.I'm sure there are others I have accidentally omitted.

Well, I tried sweeping, armed with everybody's wonderful advice :), but I couldn't seem to get into it. I was feeling a bit hung up about it - until yesterday, when I accidentally came up with a fingerstyle technique for playing arpeggios really smoothly. So, if I can develop that, I may not need to sweep! :eek:

yeah jiujitsu, i'm with you. i figured since there's no way i'll ever be able to sweep good, i'll alternate pick the notes instead. alternate picking owns everything!

if u would like to be able to sweep dont give up, everyone is capable of it, it might take some longer than others but you will get there. i for example have been trying to sweep for about a year and i am about to get it now. considerring how much i pracitice that is ages. i think if you want it enough, and try hard enough, you will get it.

Originally Posted by: Fret spiderif u would like to be able to sweep dont give up, everyone is capable of it, it might take some longer than others but you will get there. i for example have been trying to sweep for about a year and i am about to get it now. considerring how much i pracitice that is ages. i think if you want it enough, and try hard enough, you will get it.

Bingo.... it's all about persistence. Sweeps can be used tastefully, but I like to use them to show off.... :D Mix it up, play with soul and then let 'em have it with a ripping extended slide/sweep-tap arp.... mmmmm

Once you figure out that sweeping is easier if you use both hands to mute rather than just your picking hand, you'll be flying. Use a metronome to work the speed up and make sure you get all the notes... although if/when playing live and/or drunk, as long as you hit the bottom and top notes and get a few clicks in the middle no-one will know if you do it fast enough... just ask John Petrucci!

Good Lord! Just when I'd given up hope of ever being able to sweep - I can finally do it! :eek:

Now I just have to make sure that I don't turn into Frank Gambale and play nothing else.