Sweep Picking Basics

Sweep Picking is probably the most fascinating technique on the guitar ever. Never have I been asked so much about techniques as about Sweep Picking.

What is “sweeping”?

As the name suggests, sweeping means to sweep. So, you sweep across the strings with your pick. You don’t play each string individually, like with Alternate Picking, for example. The difficult part is coordination. The right hand has to be as fast as the left hand. The slightest deviation of both hands leads to an unrecognizable mess of ghost notes and empty strings that somehow sound uncontrolled.

Exercises

To integrate a new technique well into playing, it must be well practiced. Let’s take a look at some of the “classics.”

In the first example, it’s important to pay attention to the logical movement of the right hand. The numbers above the tabs show you the picking direction.
V = from bottom to top (from the high e string to the high E string).
A bar (which almost looks like a PI) means from top to bottom (from the low E string to the A string).

It’s also important here not to leave the fingers down but only to press them when the string is actually being played and then release them immediately afterward.
The reason is that two notes should never sound simultaneously, only one at a time.

Now let’s move on to the basic patterns. These are the ones you absolutely must know because you can apply them so often.

In the following patterns, we see different ways to play them. Ultimately, there is no right or wrong; it must feel comfortable to each individual.

It’s best to play the aforementioned patterns frequently and try to incorporate them into your improvisation. After some time, these patterns won’t be so difficult anymore.