Two sweeping questions

Okay, as I said in some other thread, I finally got the hang of sweep picking about a week ago. Since then, I've just been practicing some basic major and minor 3-string arpeggios. This morning, however, I had a brainwave. I realised that I can sweep arpeggios just by using the sweeping picking-hand technique while holding chord shapes. I suppose that means I must be pretty good at palm-muting, if nothing else, because it means I can get a clean sweeping sound without having to move and mute with my left hand. My first, and possibly rather stupid question, is: is this real sweeping, or am I cheating - or not even playing proper arpeggios at all?

And my second question: when and how do you guys use sweeps in your improvisation? I just can't seem to make them fit into my phrases. The only sweeping licks I've been able to come up with are extended Frank Gambale-style wanks - and believe me, Frank Gambale is the last person I want to sound like :eek:.

Thanks everybody. :)

Originally Posted by: jiujitsu_jesusAnd my second question: when and how do you guys use sweeps in your improvisation? I just can't seem to make them fit into my phrases. The only sweeping licks I've been able to come up with are extended Frank Gambale-style wanks - and believe me, Frank Gambale is the last person I want to sound like

That's a little hard to answer exactly since when I improvise solos I, err, improvise them. :rolleyes:

But as a general rule I use sweeps pretty sparingly, to add texture to a solo. Speed adds a bit of tension or excitement and so I guess I employ sweeps as a build up to a resolution. If I'm playing very diatonically I'll throw a sweep in to add some more interest. Other times I might sweep a diminished arpeggio to really get some tension going and then I might hop over to a sweet-sounding major run or a bend that targets a chord tone in order to let the listeners relax. Does that help? :)

Yes, it does. Cheers :)

Your suppose to use your fret hand to mute the other strings as opposed to your picking hand becuase you won't get that sweep "sound" if you don't do it like that. Even though you are getting that sound I would advise practicing it the proper way because if your just holding a chord, that will leave little room for sliding, hammer ons, pull offs and such. And when you want to start sliding or use legato in your sweeps, It'l be harder to adapt to since you were use to just holding a chord and sweeping.

I usually use the minor shapes as you do but I use the left hand muting as well. I'm just starting to be able to slide with some decent speed and accuracy. If you wanna see an example of how I'm using them you can check out Not All About You and the May GT Solo on my soundclick page. It's nothing spectacular mind you but with us being nearly around the same point you may get an idea of how you can use what you know now.

Thanks guys. :) I think I'll try and get more fluent with the proper technique, but I'll keep the "barre-and-sweep" technique up my sleeve as a shortcut, should I need it.

I don't really use them but listen to enough songs with them in them and have noticed that a sweep would be more like a "Metal Turnaround" vs. a "Blues Turnaround".

Like MP said it is a good "tension" builder. So to use in ipmprov try to stay toward the "end" of the chord progression or if you feel you are running out of ideas--while soloing-- A good sweep followed by a sustained note or bent note can buy you some time.

2 cents.

I tend to sweep 3 or 4 arps in a row diatonically (or at least close to diatonically) as kind of a 'break' to add some colour - either that or at the peak of a solo I'll get faster / higher and end with a sweep & tap etc....

I don't use them alot, but when I do it tends to be gratuitous... I'm not sure I could claim I add them 'for the music'.... I just like to do it.

As a variation on the theme, I tend to rake quite alot as well - not quite the same but I do it for the same sort of reason, just to break it up. I do an instrumental piece while the singer takes a quick break in the set, and I feel that 5 minutes of constant shred isn't too pleasing to the non-guitarist ear. A few percussive clicks also have their place....

When I first learnt to sweep 5 strings I used to just thrown in a minor arp up and down when improvising od whatever key I was playing in - helped me to get my ears around their sound, and to understand how to make it fit. I've now got a couple of really tasteless pieces I'm working on that are totally swept, which are more for practice of all the shapes than anything else - I might use bits of them live, but i already over-play, and it's a bit of a bad habit no matter how much I enjoy it...

I sweep like crazy in just about everything I play - that's the problem , once you get into sweeping in a big way it gets very addictive;-)

My advice is as follows:
Now that you've started getting a handle on the technique make sure that you elimnate any potential bad habits as they will be become next to impossible to correct at a later date. I really have to suggest that you try lifting each finger after the note is played... this is very difficult but it is more than worth the effort. Muting the strings is something that you should do with both hands, the fretting hand is easy, the trick with the right hand is to use the ridge of the thumb holding the pick. Also, there are a lot of different ways to sweep the same set of notes (different positions) - try to master them all, opens new doors plus stops you from being a one trick poney. As far as jamming goes, I only got to be able to add serious sweep picking in after I wrote a number of solos and experimented with what works where. Just stick to practicing them and they hould fall into line eventually. My 2 cents!

Thanks again, y'all. :)

Take it from John Petrucci.
He writtes in his book "Wild Stringdom"

To play sweep arpeggios correctly, you have to mute each note with the left hand immediately after picking it.
The best way to learn sweep arpeggios is to isolate the right-and left-handed techniques, master them separately, and then coordinate them.
c 2000 WARNER BROS. PUBLICATIONS

If you have a G major chord as the backing, and you sweep the same triad, you are not adding tension at all; you can sweep a G maj9 or any other extention of the triad, and then you will be adding tension.

Start slowly with three strings sweeps and after you master those, add sweeps that involve four, five and six strings.

Listen to great sweepers to learn from them, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie, etc.

Hope that helps a little.

My thanks once again! :)