Sweep Picking...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tawlks
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I agree. I just think it sounds stupid. I'd rather hear a cool tapping lick than a wanky sweep but thats just me. But I probably feel this way because I can't sweep :lol: :LOL:
 
I love it! However I cant do it right to save my FUCKING life :doh: :cry: :doh: :confused: :cry:
 
I think it's a little bit of waste of time, frankly. I mean, listen to Paul Gilbert doing a string skipping exercise at the same speed as Dragonforce doing a sweep picking lick? Which sounds better? Paul Gilbert, fo sho - and that's ignoring the fact that Gilbert is a far better guitarist.

You spend five years, at two hours a day practising this one technique that you will rarely use in a musical context. Most of the time musicians just use it as a quick blast of notes in the space of one second. Is it really worth it? I spent two years of my life practising it and can only sweep at an intermediate pace, and I have no use for it. I should of been practising chicken picking, down stroke attack or bending accuracy.

Sure, it can look cool and sound cool, but I think a slower sweep pick is far more musical than one of those stupidly fast Dream Theatre sweep licks.
 
I think it sounds cool, it's just another virtuoso technique to learn and tighten up those chops. Whether you use it properly or can find a way to use it is another story. I wish I could do it but I can't so more power to those who can :thumbsup:
 
Its just a tool...one that can be over-used or under utilized...
 
It always sounds like a trick -- "look at me, I'm sweeping!!"
 
I saw an instructional video by Bumblefoot one time. He was explaining how to play this one lick and he said something that went like this:

"Ok, so this lick uses what I guess is popularly called 'chicken picking' or 'hybrid picking' ... I don't know, I just always called it 'playing'..."

I think the point he was trying to make is that everyone has a name for this technique or that technique but in the end it's all just playing the guitar--doing whatever you need to do with your left, right, or both hands to get the notes to the listener exactly as you want them.

Thoughts?
 
Rezamatix":31y5mgf7 said:
I don't know dude...that rusty cooley vid was pretty shredtastic...
Click to expand...

yeah, it was shredtastic, but it sounded like shit
 
In all honesty, my OP was a bit offhanded.

Two of my all time favourite guitarrists use sweeps, Jeff Loomis and Paul Waggoner, but I've always prefered their stuff when they're not sweeping, I'm one of those teenage guitarrists who did learn to sweep pick, however I don't do it very well and I can rarely ever find places in the music I jam to or write myself when I'd want to put a sweep in. I'm usually utterly not impressed by people sweep picking that A minor 5 string arpeggio.. ugh. it's so fucking overused.

What I will say is cool, is an ascending lick consisting of 3 string arpeggios, also (something that I do occasionally) is do a rake/sweep from the 5th/6th string up to a bend on the first string, what I never do is play a sweep over and over agaain.

I'm currently learning Electric Gypsy by Andy Timmons, and after going over the octave tapping licks, I have to say, I'd be more impressed with someone who'd perfected that technique than at someone who can sweep 6 string arpeggios at 200bpm.
 
I think some of the more self indulgent shredding is called wanking for a reason.

All in all, a good fast flurry fits well in songs. Knopfler tossed in some judicious rakes in his leads. That is my standard for good taste in guitar. Was it in a Dire Straits song? :lol: :LOL: :lol: :LOL:

I like it all, can only do some, but IF the sweep pick thing finds it's way into my arsenal, I will do some awesome sweep picking right after blaring out Stairway to Heaven at the Guitar Center. :rock:
 
racerevlon":2r6hxv8c said:
I saw an instructional video by Bumblefoot one time. He was explaining how to play this one lick and he said something that went like this:

"Ok, so this lick uses what I guess is popularly called 'chicken picking' or 'hybrid picking' ... I don't know, I just always called it 'playing'..."

I think the point he was trying to make is that everyone has a name for this technique or that technique but in the end it's all just playing the guitar--doing whatever you need to do with your left, right, or both hands to get the notes to the listener exactly as you want them.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
We have to use specific terms when describing certain methods of expression regarding the guitar. Otherwise we'll all be Bumblefoot's - "well I play this then I play this and it gets music to ears of friends who like to play this because it plays good. Aren't I cool?!" :doh:

I mean, in all honesty, I agree that it's just ways of personally demonstrating what's in your head musically. But I didn't like that Rusty Cooley video because his guitar sounded like shit and because a pattern like that just isn't musical at the speeds he was playing. It's like taking a classical piece and increasing the speed on the record player. It sounds comical more so than anything.

But like we mentioned, if that's the way he wants his music to sound, and if he can depict that music in a certain way, good for him. I just don't think it sounds very good.
 
listen to perpetual burn...you can make sweepps every bit as emotional as a bend you have to master them then make melodies....bach sweeped on every other instrument and its amazing...its just fast arpeggios...the only bad technique there is is when somene doesnt use it right or cant do it clean
 
Sweeping is great when done tastefully, but in the metal world it's common to see 17 y/o guitarists that don't understand music just memorize sweeping patterns to get praise at small gigs. :doh:
 
Sweeping is a great tool and should be used tastefully.
Guys like Rusty and buckethead, while they have great technical prowess, lack any emotional connection to the instrument while doing it.
There are many players that do it with class, feel and taste.
Becker being one of the greats.
There are also many players that can easily do the mindless sweep shredding like those mentioned, but choose not to.
Guys like Govan, Lane, Vai, Friedman, etc.
They are far more concerned with proper phrasing and placement of a sweep rather than just showing their technical abilities.
Here's another guy that can do all that shedderiffic stuff, but places it properly with taste and feel.

 
i-fucking-love-sweeping-pic-29955-1262457030-25.jpg
 
Ancient Alien":1b9r1vmg said:
Sweeping is a great tool and should be used tastefully.
Guys like Rusty and buckethead, while they have great technical prowess, lack any emotional connection to the instrument while doing it.
There are many players that do it with class, feel and taste.
Becker being one of the greats.
There are also many players that can easily do the mindless sweep shredding like those mentioned, but choose not to.
Guys like Govan, Lane, Vai, Friedman, etc.
They are far more concerned with proper phrasing and placement of a sweep rather than just showing their technical abilities.
Here's another guy that can do all that shedderiffic stuff, but places it properly with taste and feel.

Click to expand...
i aggree but if u r playing a brutal song that is futuristic sounding you can use sweeping amelodically to great effect...sometimes i want taste sometimes i really enjoy tasteless
 
I don't think the problem is the sweep picking. If you have a lead and you put one or two sweeping arpeggios in there at the right place and they are clean you can hear all the notes killer :rock:

If you do a whole 5 minute lead with nothing but sweeping like all the vids above that sucks. Don't get wrong the guitarist are amazing but 100 sweeps in a row Come on....Come on

Moderation and good taste is the key to a good lead with sweeps.
 
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