LESSON 5 - SWEEP PICKING PERFECTION
Integrating sweep picking with other techniques
Integration is the key
Sweep picking is a one-of-a-kind technique. It's so radically different to perform than
alternate and economy picking (Though it is closer to the latter) For a long time I
wondered why I wasn't using sweep picking very much when I was soloing. Even
though I was very good at it, I didn't use that technique very much. Then I pinpointed
the problem and found out that I needed to integrate the technique with my other
picking styles in order for it to flow naturally . Integration is a concept that I
overlooked completely when I was first starting out. I used to know a lot of pretty
impressive runs and licks, but I couldn't really connect them into anything musical.
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
Muhammad Ali
A perfect blend
When ever you've learned to use a new technique it's very important that you spend
some time integrating it with what you already know and master. The cool thing
about this is that it's a lot of fun! when you've spend enough time on this process,
sweep picking will blend in perfectly with all your other techniques and you will not
even think about when you are using what technique. The outcome is to teach the
brain to use whatever technique suits the purpose best.
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