Why do i suck so much at sweeps?

[Scrubface05]

To get good at sweeps.
Lock yourself in your room for a few weeks, and just sweep away. Slowly at first like others mentioned, and then just continuously work it up slowly until you get to happy speeds for yourself. Then you're set.
That's exactly what I did. I just kept practicing them slowly, now I can do them almost perfectly at quick speeds. Not pro by any means but I'm past step one.

 

[nikolazjalic]

All it really takes is the patience. The way I learned was I started by familiarizing myself with the sweep patterns from Sequoia Throne by PTH. After I memorized the positions I went to around 50 bpm, one note per click, and started sweeping away. I find that its much more fun when your learning a song rather than just playing various shapes around the neck because then its an exercise and feels like its more of a chore. It only took me about a week to get the sweeps to full speed practicing about 5 hours a day. Seems like a lot but it really pays off in the end. Also like other people have said, really focus on muting the strings and synchronizing your hands because you want to practice good habits from the start. Hope that helps

 

[DeathBySnuSnuuu]

I was searching for help on sweep picks and I found this to be very insightful. I started on four worked up to five, trying to get three and six. After working on it for a year and a half my four and five still sound a little sloppy.

 

[Krucifixtion]

You guys think 5 strings sweeps are rough? Try 7 and 8 string sweeps those are a bitch. I've almost got 7 string ones but its a real bitch and there still a bit sloppy!

 

[TheBotquax]

Start by picking the arpeggios without sweeping them. Do this for a couple of months until you can play them perfectly at a modest speed. Then add the sweeping. I used this approach and it took me about a year to become a decent sweeper.

 

[Mn3mic]

To get in on this topic, been practicing sweeps for some time now (I think 1-2 years) and I'm finally gettin the hang of it (Chris Storey makes some juicy sweeps)...

I think it took me so long cause I've been practicing it the harder way.
I noticed that all my friends, who are way better at sweeping use a easier finger pattern on the left hand (that's what is bothering me)
The right hand of course takes time to get used to the PM and sweep motion, but what makes me sweat after a few minutes, is using all four fingers to do a sweep pattern.


|-19-15----------------------------15-19--|
|-------17----------------------17--------|
|----------16----------------16-----------|
|-------------17----------17--------------|
|----------------19-15-19-----------------|
|------------------------------------------|

4-1-3-2-3-4-1-4-3-2-3-1-4

As you can see this way you are using all your fingers which makes it hard to sweep fast around the 3-2-3-4 pattern on the 17th and 16th fret.

The "easier" way is to sweep using 2-1-2-4 pattern.
This makes it easier to hit to notes more clearly and to be faster.


|-19-15----------------------------15-19--|
|-------17----------------------17--------|
|----------16----------------16-----------|
|-------------17----------17--------------|
|----------------19-15-19-----------------|
|------------------------------------------|

4-1-2-1-2-4-1-4-2-1-2-1-4

I noticed that a lot of fast sweep artist tend to use this pattern, it's faster and as said, you will learn it quicker.

I'm still sticking to the harder version and there is only a little progress visible, I hope it's gonna be worth it in the long run

 

[Mindcrime1204]

^^^^

I deffinately use the 'easier' version. It doesn't feel natural to me the other way, but I use a similar shape for extended sweeps that have extra in between notes.

 

[simulclass83]

Best song to practice sweeps is probably:

Section around 2:00. Practice those arpeggios over and over until you're sick of them. Metronome is necessary.

 

[Mindcrime1204]

^^^^^^

You nailed it with practicing Becker... he pretty much 'tought' me how to sweep.

 

[Strobe]

I do not have technical advice, but I wanted to interject with some moral support. I have been working on them for over a year now, and I am starting to see some improvement. For context I have been playing the guitar for 17 years. That said, I played less metal and more hard rock until the last 3 years, but you are not alone!

In my experience, it takes a lot longer than one would expect to master most things. That is the norm. If that were not the case, everyone and their mother would be able to sweep because it's that #$&*&$# awesome. Hang in there!

 

[K3V1N SHR3DZ]

My two cents:

Let's say I was going for this:

|-----------------------10h14-19p14p10---------------------|
|--------------------12----------------12------------------|
|-----------------11----------------------11---------------|
|--------------12----------------------------12------------|
|---------9h14----------------------------------14p9-------|
|------10--------------------------------------------10----|
|-7h12--------------------------------------------------12-|


The first thin I would do is break that sombitch down into little pieces, like so:

||-------------------||------------------||-------------------||------------------||-------------------||
||-------------------||------------------||-------------------||------------------||----------12-------||
||-------------------||------------------||-------------------||---------11-------||-------11----11----||
||-------------------||------------------||---------12--------||------12----12----||----12----------12-||
||---------9---------||-------9h14-9----||----9h14----14p9--||-9h14----------14-||-14----------------||
||------10---10------||----10--------10--||-10--------------||------------------||-------------------||
||-7h12---------12---||-12--------------||-------------------||------------------||-------------------||

And repeat the f#ck out of each one.

I'd pay particular attention to BARRING in arps that contain them

|---------------------||---------||--------------||----------7-------|
|---------------------||-----9---||--------9-----||--------9---9-----|
|----h9----h9---9---9-||---9---9-||------9---9---||------9-------9---|
|-h9----h9----9---9---||-9-------||----9-------9-||----9-----------9-|
|---------------------||---------||-11-----------||-11---------------|
|---------------------||---------||--------------||------------------|
|---------------------||---------||--------------||------------------|


Also, I started muting my strings with a sock across the first few frets, then fretting arps with ONLY left-hand hammers. I concentrated on making small motions, relaxing, muting with l-h, and clarity. after about 3 days of doing this for 5 minutes, I noticed a VAST improvement in my L&R hand coordination, as well as tone.
this is a huge example, but of course you start smaller....

|-------------------------------h10-h14-19p14p10----------------------------|
|---------------------------h12------------------h12------------------------|
|-----------------------h11--------------------------h11--------------------|
|-------------------h12----------------------------------h12----------------|
|------------h9-h14------------------------------------------h14-h9---------|
|--------h10--------------------------------------------------------h10-----|
|-h7-h12----------------------------------------------------------------h12-|

 

[bonethug]

I'll definatly try that one when i get off work. all you guys post have helped me come along pretty quick. I wrote myself a 5 string sweep and have been practicing it along with my 3 strings and 4 so i dont pick up bad habbits, and of course with a metronome

 

[lemonlust]

All you gotta do is start off slow and basic. When you feel comfortable playing at that speed and you're getting all your notes in your sweep sounding good then increase your speed just a tiny bit and repeat. When i first started doing sweeps nearly 4 years ago I went straight into learning 5 string sweeps. Just start off slow and increase your speed. It's good to have a metronome on hand and just focus on your right hand doing the correct technique.

 

[Konfyouzd]

When I was trying to learn them I did them REALLY fast... Then REALLY slow... And back and forth I went... I also tried sweep patterns that were WAY too hard for me and eventually my hands just got used to the abuse. A mentronome helps a lot too. I didn't start using one of those for a while though bc I'm stubborn.

This is also something I OBSESSED over for a while. Every time I want to learn a new technique I go all uber-pedantic and do only that until I feel like I've gotten at least decent at it

 

[StratoJazz]

1. Go so slow that you want to cry.
2. Make sure your right hand is performing a constant and smooth action.
3. Your right hand and left hand are synchronized.

It takes a while, make sure you start out with smaller sweeps first, 3 strings are good and in my opinion are more musically applicable.

 

[Cybin]

When I first started sweeping I found that keeping the blade of my picking hand straight (like a karate chop) helped a lot. I had to learn 3 strings before i could do 5 and 6. Go slow and work on muting with your fret hand. Its very important to only be fretting one string at a time and be muting the rest simultaneously.

 

[Haunted Cereal]

When I was learning shweepies I had my metronome on 40bpm and just went up and down 2 or 3 different shapes at a time for 3 or 4 hours a night up and down the fretboard and gradually increase the speed as you get cleaner. After a few months I got really good at those shapes and did the same with different ones. The more you can mute by lifting your fretting finger just enough to kill the note the easier you'll make it on your picking hand. It takes a lot of practice and painstaking attention to the way your hands are moving and interacting with the strings. The key is to take it slow and relax even when you start playing them faster. Just relax and let it flow, don't force anything. If you can't do it cleanly at a certain speed it means you need to slow it down and get it perfect at that speed before you move up to higher bpm's. Have patience young padowan.

 

[shredguitar7690]

I used this site to learn. It's really helpful and you really just have to sit down and start slow. If you are truly dedicated to learning sweeps than it's just muscle memory.
http://www.insaneguitar.com/mc/sweeping.html
This other site is good but some of the exercises a little advanced
Shred Academy - Lessons database
This site has specific riffs from Jason Becker songs. There is also a similar one for yngwie riffs...whichever you prefer
Sweep Picking Exercises: 5 Jason Becker Licks « Guitar Teacher
Sweep Picking Exercises- 5 Yngwie Malmsteen Riffs to Boost Technique « Guitar Teacher

 

[WishIwasfinnish]

I use your so-called "easier" version, and I used to do your "hard" version, but there is not one good reason to use 4 fingers in that 2nd inversion sweep you're talking about. Using four fingers, I sounded sloppy, then after my teacher switched my technique, I improved dramatically. The other version isnt harder for any other reason than it being bad technique. Switch to the other way man

This response is directed at Mnemic btw

 

[littledoc]

I think it took me so long cause I've been practicing it the harder way.
I noticed that all my friends, who are way better at sweeping use a easier finger pattern on the left hand (that's what is bothering me)
The right hand of course takes time to get used to the PM and sweep motion, but what makes me sweat after a few minutes, is using all four fingers to do a sweep pattern.

I don't think the fingering has anything to do with it. Jeff Loomis plays that minor sweep the first way, with all four fingers. There's no getting around the fact that guitar demands all four fingers be developed and even if you can get away with using a different fingering for these sweeps, there are a bajillion different kinds of sweeps so you'll eventually use all your fingers anyway.

In fact, it might be wise to ease up on the sweeps and do some rudimentary legato finger-independence exercises, a la John Petrucci's Rock Discipline. Practicing those big sweeps is the slow way; I say, focus on rudiments that develop your weaker fingers, and work mostly on 3-string sweeps.