Sweeping, Arprigos, legatos what are they?!?!

Up to now, i ve just been playing for fun, so i m not quite a beginner. I want to take my practice to a new level. What is sweeping, arpergios and legatos? I have minor thoery of music like scales, and other things minor. Also where are good exercises for these techniques but not too hard?

sweeping: a.k.a. economy picking

With alternate picking you pick up-down-up-down.... the whole time, even when going from one string from another. Now, with economy picking, you're trying to minimize your movements(hence the term economy). I'll explain with a 3 note per string ascending scale. It's would be something like this: down-up-down-down-up-down-down-up-down-down... As you notice, between every 3rd and 4th note, you go from one string to another, but you downpick both those notes.
So basically a economy picking is picking notes from adjecent strings in one continous motion.

arpegios: chords with each notes picked seperately in a descending or ascending order

Economy picking is very often used to get those lightning speed arpegios.

Legato's: I think this means "smooth"

Basically it means you play a bunch of notes without picking them. Thus, using hammer-ons and pull-offs(and maybe even slides).

But ain´t sweeping and arps almost the same thing except that you can pull of the same lick much faster with a sweep?

Originally posted by Dejan Sajinovic
But ain´t sweeping and arps almost the same thing?

They are two completely different things.
Sweeping is a picking technique, whereas arpegios are just notes from a chord played seperately.

Just because sweep picking is often used on arpegios, doesn't mean they are the same thing.

it all makes sense know, thanks!

Try entering one of those words in the search engine on the main Guitar Tricks page. You'll probably get a whole ton of examples with MP3's attached.
(Make sure you spell them right though...cause I think arpergios is Spanish or something... comecei a estudar escalas novas, arpergios e sweep picking :p

i know the concept of the search but i cant get to search, unless i go to new entires and the title "search" is on the top...do u know how to get it anybetter way?

Go to the home page or any host page. It's in the top right hand corner.

yea that the search for the exercises but is there a faster search for forum q & a 's?

Originally posted by Dejan Sajinovic
But ain´t sweeping and arps almost the same thing except that you can pull of the same lick much faster with a sweep?

Tapping is mostly arpeggios too, also some arpeggios can be done on two strings with alternate picking & legato's .

Sweeping is one of the most famous techniques for executing arpeggios.

Originally posted by aiwass
Economy picking isn't the same as sweep picking (a.k.a. sweeping).

As far as I know they are exactly the same. Jazz guitarists just seem to prefer the name economy picking, whereas rock guitarists prefer the name sweeping. Simple as that.

Originally posted by aiwass
Well if you understood my description, you'd see why they're different. Economy picking is alternate picking but sweeping two notes each time you change string.

I understood your description. And I see the difference you're trying to show. But in reality they are exactly the same.
Both terms are the opposite of alternate picking. Whenever you jump from one string to an adjecent one, but pick in the same direction, you can call it either sweep picking or economy picking. The number of picked adjecent strings doesn't matter. And neither does the amount of alternate picking you do between each sweep or economy picked part.


[Edited by trendkillah on 12-05-2002 at 12:58 PM]