Sweep Picking guitar

I would like to thank all who have chosen to read this blog. Please comment both positive and negative thoughts about my views.

JP

My first subject is a topic that the majority of guitarist are learning and that is Sweep Picking.
I will begin by explaining what a Sweep Picking Arpeggio is.

An Arpeggio is a chord such as this

-0--------------------------------------
-1--------------------------------------
-2--------------------------------------
-2--------------------------------------
-0--------------------------------------
-0--------------------------------------

Now instead of strumming all of these notes at one time you would individualy strum each note and let it ring.

----------------0-----------------------
-------------1--------------------------
----------2-----------------------------
-------2--------------------------------
----0-----------------------------------
-0--------------------------------------

To turn this Arpeggio into a Sweep you alter the chord by taking out notes and adding additional ones, and cutting off the notes after playing each one. I have started this sweep on the next octive up.

------------------12h17---------------------
---------------13------------------------
------------14---------------------------
---------14------------------------------
-12h15--------------------------------------
---------------------------------------

Now play it in reverse.

-17p12--------------------------------------
-------13--------------------------------
----------14-----------------------------
-------------14--------------------------
----------------15p12-----------------------
---------------------------------------

This makes a sort of Sweeping cadence with the pick hand.

The ability to Sweep does not define a guitarist ability to play. This is just one of many soloing techiniques. The actual talent in Sweeping is

1. How clean the Sweep is.
2. Whether or not they are using the same shape but just starting on a different fret.
3. Whether or not they are using the correct Arpeggio for the key that the rythem is in.

Just because a guitarist can sweep doesnt mean they are some guitar god. It only shows that they have taken the time to learn how to do it.

Yeah it sounds really cool and it looks awesome, but if the guitarist is not playing them correctly(in reference to the above listed) then they are just mediocre.

For some good examples of Sweeping look up Paul Gilbert or Rusty Cooley

JP