Hey guys, thought I'd just post a thread on one of the most over-used lead playing techniques... the Sweep Arpeggio!


First question, how do you guys play your 3-string sweep arpeggios?

Like this?

Figure A


E--12--8-----------------8----
B----------10--------10-------
G--------------9--9------------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
D-------------------------------


Or like this?

Figure B:


E--12--8-------------8-------
B----------10----10----------
G--------------9--------------
D------------------------------
A------------------------------
D------------------------------


I hate playing just one note on the lowest string (Fig B) because I can't up-pick the G-string and then down-pick the B string fast enough... but it seems more like a proper arpeggio than Fig A with the double-picked note on the G string...

Views and comments welcomed.


P.S.
All you tappers (the one hand and 2hand variety), stringskippers, legato-ers, overhand-ers keep out!

P.P.S.
Watch out for the Yngwe police!

This post has been edited by mournblade: May 31 2007, 08:09 PM

I think it all depends on the grouping of the notes...
Fig A has 7 notes, either you play a seventuplet in a quarter note, or group it in 3 and 4 or 4 and 3 in two eighth notes.

Fig B can be played with just a simple sixtuplet in a quarter note.

I think it all depends on which note you want to accent.

The second question:
How do you sweep pick?

One kick-a$$ malaysian guitarist recently let me in the secrets of the way he sweep picks...

He actually mutes all the notes, but it's not that audible when played fast. And he angles a little on his picking angle, to let the pick glide across the strings. John Petrucci's way of sweeping is quite hard, he doesn't really mute the picked strings with his picking hand (as described above), so the fretting hand need to keep up with the rolling and muting technique to keep everything nice and clean. And JP's picking angle is almost 90 degrees, that means JP digs in real deep when he sweep picks!

or like in Glass Prison on Gigantour. . . you bloody alternate pick the damn appregio xD

but of course thats off topic. . .

i've never been able to sweep well. . . sweep and tap are the things that i really have to work on. . . it sucks so bad i'm actually embarrassed to play it. . .

the thing is that there are so many different ways to sweep and it's for you to find out which suits you most. . .

i try to sweep hard but i can't get both hands right so it sounds like crap and when i sweep soft it lacks definition and tone. . . =(

Rossie any tips?

and i notice some people sweep in a circular motion and some sweep up - down. . .

I think you've nailed it there... There are so many ways to sweep the floor... oh no, I mean sweep pick, that everyone should go through them and find one method that's comfortable.

I've always thought that if I follow JP's instructions, I would never go wrong. But I always can't seem to get around his sweep picking. And never really bothered to practice it till I encountered a few sweeping parts in SFAM. There's one part of Fatal Tragedy that I always practice on when I sweep pick:

-----------14-18-21-18---------------------

---------14-----------19-------------------

-------15---------------18-----------------

-----16-------------------20---------------

---16-----------------------21-16-14-------

-14----------------------------------15-14-

It's basically a F# major barre chord shape running into an open-d-major chord shape played in F# major too.

I have never seen JP played this lick in this song correctly in DT's live shows. He only did an up and down on the first F# barre chord. It's just too freaking fast to play.

^
that is one crazy lick. i cant even play a simple c major sweep lick yet

Goodness that is one sick looking lick/series of arpeggios! Just wondering, all the notes on the 1st string are picked or slide from F# to Bb then hammer on C# pull off back to Bb then swept downwards? Or is the C# tapped?

And the notes on the A string...21st to 16th fret..that is quite a stretch!
No no no, more LIKE 21st to 14th fret!
Rossie we bow down to you!

This post has been edited by valkyrie1232: Jun 1 2007, 08:25 AM

Ha! No la... I didn't add the hammer/pull off/slide notations...
It's actually something like this:

-----------14-18s21p18---------------------

---------14-----------19-------------------

-------15---------------18-----------------

-----16-------------------20---------------

---16-----------------------21s16p14-------

|-14----------------------------------15-14-|

Makes much more sense eh?

Bruuuu-tal...

Hehe, palm-muted sweeps roxxors ftw!

...but only on ascending sweeps... can't seem to contort my right hand enough so I can actually palm-mute on the descending sweep, though...


...ok, maybe I pose question number 2.5...

Do you think that if you get passed a certain speed, there's very little apparent difference between sweeping (properly!) and raking?

Like, take the ultra-fast sweep arpeggios from e.g. Jason Becker's Serrana parts video (AIM clinic?), Rusty Cooley's Under the Influence and other ub3r-l33t-shredders on YouTube... it's hard to make out the low notes on the 5 and 6 string sweeps and pretty much the only thing that stands out are the notes on the first 3 strings...

I'm sure that their playing is clean, but speed and distortion kinda make it redundant... or maybe my brain just can't process the notes fast enough!

Ok.... I have a problem.....
As you all know, I usually play Pentatonics and Blues scales when I solo..... but I always have trouble fitting in sweeping arpeggios into my solos because of that...... an Em Arpeggio doesn't usually fit with my Em Pentatonic for example...
Should I just try harder (or do you have any tips/tricks) or just concentrate on my Pentas and Blues?
Or maybe you can help me out on where should I stop/start my arpeggios/pentatonic or just list down some cool licks?

Listening to Trivium and Dragonforce makes me want to pick up a broom and sweep!
Too bad none of the sweepers coming to the Gathering......

Common lah! This sunday only!!!!

This post has been edited by blacktrix: Jun 1 2007, 11:24 AM

7 string sweep teh r0x0r!

Technically, an Em arpeggio should fit in the Em Pentatonic... the Em arp is just EGB and your Em pentatonic has those notes too...

But you're right, it doesn't really sound like it fits in the Em Pentatonic... maybe because amost no one actually sticks a sweep arpeggio in the middle of a pentatonic/blues solo...

well, there's Malmsteen of course... see particularly Voodoo Chile from his G3 where sweep arpeggios come out of nowhere right smack in the middle of his "blues" solo...

bottom line, Blacktrix: you can do anything you want, as long as you're willing to live with the consequences...


EDIT:
ROXXORS FTW!!!!!!!!!

E|----------------------8-12-s17-12-s8---------------------|
A|-------------------10----------------10------------------|
D|-----------------9----------------------9----------------|
G|--------------10--------------------------10-------------|
B|------3-7-s12--------------------------------12-7-s3-----|
E|---5-------------------------------------------------5---|
B|-5-----------------------------------------------------5-|

But whether it can actually be played is a whooole different story..

This post has been edited by RustReaver4D1: Jun 1 2007, 11:38 AM

That's what I thought initially..... same notes.... should sound good, right? Well... beauty is in the eyes (or in this case, ears) of the beholder... so to me, it sounds..... urgh...... But I suppose you can add in a sweep arpeggio into a blues solo if:
a) you're damn good at it,
b) you know every single scale and lick by heart and super long fingers,
c) you have an ego the size of 5 Death Stars..... and then some,
or d)Your name start with Yngwie and ends with Malmsteen, which means you're all of the above.

You forgot to mention: You eat half a dozen cheeseburgers a day!

Shouldn't it depends on what chords are you playing over??? If you're playing over a Em chord, it shouldn't be a problem.

E|---------------------------14-15-14-------------------------|
B|----------------------16-------------16----------------------|
G|-----------------12----------------------12------------------|
D|-----------15--------------------------------15---------------|
A|------13------------------------------------------13----------|
E|--12--------------------------------------------------12------|

pushing sweep to the next level ..anyone ?

use it on E minor.something..forgotten . long time ..

push further ? sure


E|--------------------------------------------------------12--17--12----------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------10-----------------10---8-------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------7-------------------------------10-7-------------|
D|----------4--h7--4---------------4---h7-------------------------------------------7 h4-------|
A|-------6-------------6----------6---------------------------------------------------------6--- |
E|--5-8--------------------8-5-8--------------------------------------------------------------8-5|


you can use it on a Adim7 to Am7 transaction..




now...this is bullsh1t

valkyrie , everybody here knows that you can execute that sweep easily .
c'mon..admit it


This post has been edited by gapnap: Jun 1 2007, 01:50 PM

Yeah, the sweeping pattern I posted is quite a basic one...

Hey... where's the double-tap in the sweep mou?

see the topic

P.S.
All you tappers (the one hand and 2hand variety), stringskippers, legato-ers, overhand-ers keep out! tongue.gif

KEEP OUT ! scared anot !!

must create one for 'strictly pick everything like a mofo' thread.
you want to sweep? mppj always has openings.
you want to tap? go play the piano.

No lah..... if you want to tap, watch Mr. Bojangles or most of the early Shirley Temple movies.....

I'm a weird one.... I listen to Heavy Metal and watch Musicals as well.........