LESSON 1 - SWEEP PICKING PERFECTION
Learning sweep picking fast
More distance means less speed
The more distance there is between the notes you play, the harder it becomes to
play them using conventional picking techniques. Picking the notes of an arpeggio,
using alternate picking, and doing it fast, can be quite a challenge. This didn't keep
me from trying back when I was learning the secrets of shredding. I was an alternate
picking fanatic and if you used any other technique to produce the notes - you were
cheating! - from my limited perspective that is.
I developed this alternate picking religion from studying guys like Al Di Meola and
John McLaughlin, and it sure as heck didn't help much when Paul Gilbert entered the
stage.(He is still to this date the undefeated alternate picking master in my
experience) So when I was first shown how to sweep pick, it took a while before I
acknowledged the fact that, sweep picking is a vastly superior technique in some
cases.
I mpressive results fast
If you're into economy picking you're already sweep picking. The "sweep" is really
going from one string to another in one down- or upward movement . Sometimes
it's hard to tell when economy picking ends and sweep picking begins, but I'll come
back to that in a later article. In this series of articles I'm going to give you the best
advice I have on how to learn sweep picking in the fastest and most efficient way
possible, but I have to warn you: This technique is not one of the hardest one there
is, so you might get some pretty darn impressive results pretty darn fast.
I'm also going to show you how I integrate this technique with other techniques like
economy picking and alternate picking and I'll give you some licks that will show you,
how you can use all three techniques to produce a free flowing high speed
improvisation.
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