Sweep Arpeggios

Yo AJ! My next lesson actually has a few sweeps and arpeggio ideas that might help get you started.

Also, some short and simple advice: Start looking for shapes within scales or chords that you know where you can practice sweeping ideas. But only add one string at a time as you get better and better. For example, get super comfortable with sweeping up and down between only 2 strings. Then after you have a lot of 2-string shapes down, add another string and work on 3-string shapes. And keep going until you’re eventually working on 6-string arpeggios.

Anyway, that’s totally vague. But my main point is to simply practice the technique with small string groupings first, then after that expand to larger string groupings. And of course keep the basic fundamentals of sweeping at the forefront of your mind: keep your picking hand motions smooth, and make sure each note is completely separated.

One thing I remember doing when I was learning to sweep was to start with just the right hand until the motion of ‘sweeping’ felt comfortable and I could maintain a consistent rhythm moving my pick up and down the strings. I used to mute the strings with my left hand and then practice sweeping from the D string down to the high E string and then back again just listening to the percussive sound of the strings until I felt like I had the motion down and could play without speeding up or slowing down at slow and moderate tempos.

Obviously I started pretty slowly with this allowing me to really concentrate on the right hand and then only started to use the left hand when I was happy with my right hand. I figured it would be easier to co-ordinate both hands if I felt comfortable with the right hand part first. I think it’s very hard to learn to co-ordinate both hands and get the sweeping motion consistent at first so separating the two out can be beneficial for a while.
🙂

Great advice Tom. And Rohan, spot on with Gambale. He is a master at sweeping.

AJ, I just got that new lesson up: https://www.infiniteguitar.com/viewlesson.php?lessonid=1009 I guess you can say it’s slightly in the vein of BTBAM too. Have fun with it, and practice slow! 🙂

@Tom Quayle 4850 wrote:

One thing I remember doing when I was learning to sweep was to start with just the right hand until the motion of ‘sweeping’ felt comfortable and I could maintain a consistent rhythm moving my pick up and down the strings. I used to mute the strings with my left hand and then practice sweeping from the D string down to the high E string and then back again just listening to the percussive sound of the strings until I felt like I had the motion down and could play without speeding up or slowing down at slow and moderate tempos.

Obviously I started pretty slowly with this allowing me to really concentrate on the right hand and then only started to use the left hand when I was happy with my right hand. I figured it would be easier to co-ordinate both hands if I felt comfortable with the right hand part first. I think it’s very hard to learn to co-ordinate both hands and get the sweeping motion consistent at first so separating the two out can be beneficial for a while.
🙂

Hey Tom,

Good point about isolating right-hand motions. I’ve noticed that Paul Gilbert often promotes that technique (right-hand only isolation) when he teaches (although his subject matter is usually related to alternate picking, not so much sweep-picking.) Also, it is easier to monitor the right-hand’s motions/technique when you’re not worrying about your left-hand’s motion. Peace!

~Bill Meehan~

@Richard Lundmark 4894 wrote:

Might pitch in that I will post a sweeping lesson before I go to Japan, a outtake from one of my more crazy tunes from the FretDance 2003 album. Stay tuned for that in the second half of October.

Hey Richard,

I’m very psyched to hear that you’ve got another lesson coming. Also, just so that you know, I’m making it a priority to order your “Fretdance” CD as soon as possible. It is still available right?

Anyways, really looking forward to that tutorial, and I love it when you guys can teach one of your own tunes without worrying about licensing or copyright issues. (I’m assuming that’s why the “In The Style Of” series remains similar, but not “note-for-note” analysis of the given artist, correct?

Keep up the AWESOME work Richard!

~Bill Meehan~