Not disagreeing with you here, but what would you recommend doing to get past a certain hurdle? Surely there are certain types of practice that will develop desired results for a certain particular hindrance.
Sweep practice.
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Not disagreeing with you here, but what would you recommend doing to get past a certain hurdle? Surely there are certain types of practice that will develop desired results for a certain particular hindrance.
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Koshchei
Banned
I'd suggest breaking the problem you're having down to a series of smaller problems -- ie what specifically about the exercise is giving you trouble?
Here are some examples:
1) Are you having trouble making each note ring out clearly?
Solution: Slow down. You're muffling strings because your picking is out of sync with your fretting. If you rush yourself, you'll be learning only how to muffle strings.
2) Ascending runs are easier than descending.
Solution: Start descending -> ascending -> etc.
3) Certain parts of the shape (ie position shift, multiple notes per string) are slowing you down:
Solution: Break the shape into smaller shapes that incorporate and book-end the difficult part. Slowly integrate these smaller shapes into the larger one.
4) Difficulty maintaining rhythm as you speed up.
Solution: Play the notes in different rhythms and with different note values.
How do you break out of a rut? Chances are that what you see as a rut actually isn't. If you're not developing your technique because your muscles aren't ready for the higher strain of a faster tempo, work on your ears, phrasing, and actually having something meaningful to say with your newfound technique.
Music isn't a triathlon endurance race -- it's a form of story-telling/picture painting that transcends language. If you have nothing to say or share, of course you'll find yourself "in a rut".
Here are some examples:
1) Are you having trouble making each note ring out clearly?
Solution: Slow down. You're muffling strings because your picking is out of sync with your fretting. If you rush yourself, you'll be learning only how to muffle strings.
2) Ascending runs are easier than descending.
Solution: Start descending -> ascending -> etc.
3) Certain parts of the shape (ie position shift, multiple notes per string) are slowing you down:
Solution: Break the shape into smaller shapes that incorporate and book-end the difficult part. Slowly integrate these smaller shapes into the larger one.
4) Difficulty maintaining rhythm as you speed up.
Solution: Play the notes in different rhythms and with different note values.
How do you break out of a rut? Chances are that what you see as a rut actually isn't. If you're not developing your technique because your muscles aren't ready for the higher strain of a faster tempo, work on your ears, phrasing, and actually having something meaningful to say with your newfound technique.
Music isn't a triathlon endurance race -- it's a form of story-telling/picture painting that transcends language. If you have nothing to say or share, of course you'll find yourself "in a rut".
Not here to derail this thread or incite an argument, but I disagree with some bits of advice in here simply from my own experiences. While I agree about raising action, lowering gain, etc. if you want to become the grand master of sweeping, there's a lot to be had from practicing and sharpening your technique under optimal circumstances.
I'm by no stretch the *best* sweeper out there, but here's been my journey... I set out trying to learn how to sweep, learning from the purists. "Use your clean channel, passive pickups, roll back the gain and roll back your volume if you want to play well. Everything else is just faking it. 10 hours a day infront of a metronome or you're not serious" You know what happened? About 8 years where I went nowhere. I didn't know what it was supposed to sound like, how the strings were supposed to feel as I moved over them... the mechanics were completely missing.
It wasn't until about 2 1/2 years ago that things started clicking. Lowered my action, dimed my gain, hair-bands on the low frets, light strings, set a medium speed metronome and worked on just 3-string sweeps. I'll be the first to admit there's no "perfecting" your playing and I would most certainly never suggest I've come close, but finally it started to connect.
I did this almost exclusively for months before I even got up the courage to trying sweeping on a less comfortable setup, simply because I was aware that I'd gone against the advice of everyone, took shortcuts and I was going to sound like crap. The result? Sounded pretty damn close to the same. Regardless of how "different" the setup is, the mechanics are pretty much identical. The things that were glaringly wrong in my technique were barely (if at all) enhanced when I switched to the "tougher" setup.
That said, I'd *personally* save the "path of most resistance" stuff for when you're an expert. Maybe one little change at a time if you're trying to extract *little* nuances that you're missing, but most of corrections you need to make you can find by turning off the metronome and slowing down because, as far as muscle memory is concerned, you'll almost certainly trip over the same things at most speeds. The only real stumbling block I found was eliminating the hair-bands but I was mostly using those because I wanted to get down the left hand technique (practically playing it using hammer-ons only) and believe me... there was a lot even those don't mask.
Back to the original point of my post, the purist approach is appreciated but it's not the 'be all to end all' when it comes to practicing. Infact, in my case, I made literally zero progress taking this approach because the learning curve is sharp and it's hard to gauge your success when all of what you play starting out sounds like shit.
I'm by no stretch the *best* sweeper out there, but here's been my journey... I set out trying to learn how to sweep, learning from the purists. "Use your clean channel, passive pickups, roll back the gain and roll back your volume if you want to play well. Everything else is just faking it. 10 hours a day infront of a metronome or you're not serious" You know what happened? About 8 years where I went nowhere. I didn't know what it was supposed to sound like, how the strings were supposed to feel as I moved over them... the mechanics were completely missing.
It wasn't until about 2 1/2 years ago that things started clicking. Lowered my action, dimed my gain, hair-bands on the low frets, light strings, set a medium speed metronome and worked on just 3-string sweeps. I'll be the first to admit there's no "perfecting" your playing and I would most certainly never suggest I've come close, but finally it started to connect.
I did this almost exclusively for months before I even got up the courage to trying sweeping on a less comfortable setup, simply because I was aware that I'd gone against the advice of everyone, took shortcuts and I was going to sound like crap. The result? Sounded pretty damn close to the same. Regardless of how "different" the setup is, the mechanics are pretty much identical. The things that were glaringly wrong in my technique were barely (if at all) enhanced when I switched to the "tougher" setup.
That said, I'd *personally* save the "path of most resistance" stuff for when you're an expert. Maybe one little change at a time if you're trying to extract *little* nuances that you're missing, but most of corrections you need to make you can find by turning off the metronome and slowing down because, as far as muscle memory is concerned, you'll almost certainly trip over the same things at most speeds. The only real stumbling block I found was eliminating the hair-bands but I was mostly using those because I wanted to get down the left hand technique (practically playing it using hammer-ons only) and believe me... there was a lot even those don't mask.
Back to the original point of my post, the purist approach is appreciated but it's not the 'be all to end all' when it comes to practicing. Infact, in my case, I made literally zero progress taking this approach because the learning curve is sharp and it's hard to gauge your success when all of what you play starting out sounds like shit.
GuitaristOfHell
The Optimist Prime.
I have a bit of trouble sweeping, could it be the fact I use 11's? ( I tune to drop D for now. I use drop D, drop C, Eb Standard, and B standard for the record)
ShadyDavey
7ibrarian
Quite honestly I would agree on a personal level - playing with the path of least resistance works for me because I don't see the point in complicating matters or increasing the difficulty beyond the level that already exists......but that's just me...some people like the increased difficulty approach and I'll assert that it can be great for rut-busting 
With threads like these theres so much advice being given (some of it contradictory) that it can be utterly confounding but the bottom line is really to discover what works on a personal basis and stick to it. I've checked out Frank's Ibanez at a Chick Corea gig (really nice guy - he stayed on to chat while everyone else left) and the action was incredibly low......not only that but at the time he played with quite a lot of distortion. Clearly it wasn't an issue for him and his technique developed to the point where he can sweep on anything so if anything.......just do what works, play music and don't worry too much.
With threads like these theres so much advice being given (some of it contradictory) that it can be utterly confounding but the bottom line is really to discover what works on a personal basis and stick to it. I've checked out Frank's Ibanez at a Chick Corea gig (really nice guy - he stayed on to chat while everyone else left) and the action was incredibly low......not only that but at the time he played with quite a lot of distortion. Clearly it wasn't an issue for him and his technique developed to the point where he can sweep on anything so if anything.......just do what works, play music and don't worry too much.
Koshchei
Banned
The ultimate goal of building technique is to play demanding music.
Adopting a purist approach, where the technique itself is the ends, rather than just an expressive tool, misses the point entirely.
Playing 10 hours a day in front of a metronome will make you a champ at whatever it is you're practicing, but unless you flex and develop your creativity as well, you'll just end up producing non-musical drivel that massively overuses the one single technique you're good at.
I remember back in the day when all the LA guitar heroes were copying Yngwie. A lot of them were cleaner and faster than he was, but sounded terrible, because what they were playing made no sense from a musical perspective. There was no story, no interpretation, just metronomic lick spitting.
When everything is played at one volume and one tempo, everything ends up sounding exactly the same and people forget to breathe because there's no pacing and no musical punctuation just a lot of notes that aren't saying anything because not saying anything and still using a lot of words still somehow demonstrates how good you are doesn't it?
See what I mean?
Adopting a purist approach, where the technique itself is the ends, rather than just an expressive tool, misses the point entirely.
Playing 10 hours a day in front of a metronome will make you a champ at whatever it is you're practicing, but unless you flex and develop your creativity as well, you'll just end up producing non-musical drivel that massively overuses the one single technique you're good at.
I remember back in the day when all the LA guitar heroes were copying Yngwie. A lot of them were cleaner and faster than he was, but sounded terrible, because what they were playing made no sense from a musical perspective. There was no story, no interpretation, just metronomic lick spitting.
When everything is played at one volume and one tempo, everything ends up sounding exactly the same and people forget to breathe because there's no pacing and no musical punctuation just a lot of notes that aren't saying anything because not saying anything and still using a lot of words still somehow demonstrates how good you are doesn't it?
See what I mean?
ShadyDavey
7ibrarian
Could be your technique (left or right hand) your tone, your action, your general practice approach.......and yep, your string gauge. Just experiment and see what changes benefit your sweeping the most
Quite honestly I would agree on a personal level - playing with the path of least resistance works for me because I don't see the point in complicating matters or increasing the difficulty beyond the level that already exists......but that's just me...some people like the increased difficulty approach and I'll assert that it can be great for rut-busting
With threads like these theres so much advice being given (some of it contradictory) that it can be utterly confounding but the bottom line is really to discover what works on a personal basis and stick to it. I've checked out Frank's Ibanez at a Chick Corea gig (really nice guy - he stayed on to chat while everyone else left) and the action was incredibly low......not only that but at the time he played with quite a lot of distortion. Clearly it wasn't an issue for him and his technique developed to the point where he can sweep on anything so if anything.......just do what works, play music and don't worry too much.
Agreed and agreed. I think I'm just bitter because I didn't adopt a "Just do what works" approach until I got much older and experienced a lot of frustration.
GuitaristOfHell
The Optimist Prime.
thanks. I've never been into the insanely low actions either. My rythem playing I've been told though is pretty tight.Could be your technique (left or right hand) your tone, your action, your general practice approach.......and yep, your string gauge. Just experiment and see what changes benefit your sweeping the most
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