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Sweep Picking I

William B.

Hot Topic Tourer
  • Nov 11, 2019
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    Sounds pretty good so far, try to really focus on the snare on 2 and 4 to make sure you are on the beat. Playing in time makes it sounds that much better.
    Thanks for the tip, you mean accent it? I was focusing here mostly on going faster, connecting them and holding the pick. I edited out the slow parts, had a rocky start and didn't want to make the video too long.
     
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    idssdi

    Sold-out Crowd Surfer
    Nov 11, 2019
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    Thanks for the tip, you mean accent it? I was focusing here mostly on going faster, connecting them and holding the pick. I edited out the slow parts, had a rocky start and didn't want to make the video too long.
    No, I mean lock in with the drums. It sounds as if you don't play in time. Usually the snare hits on 2 and 4 so most of the time that's what you would focus on to keep time. Playing fast is great but it still has to be in time and It sounds like you're floating a little bit here 😅
     
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    William B.

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    No, I mean lock in with the drums. It sounds as if you don't play in time. Usually the snare hits on 2 and 4 so most of the time that's what you would focus on to keep time. Playing fast is great but it still has to be in time and It sounds like you're floating a little bit here 😅
    I wasn't paying attention to the backing track, this is my new fast speed. Next time I practice it I'll put the drums faster and try to play to it. Still getting mixed up and haven't finished the lesson. So you mean by 2 and four on snare, fit it all in 2 snare drums? 2 and 4 sounds to me like double time. I don't know how to do it probably.
     
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    idssdi

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    I wasn't paying attention to the backing track, this is my new fast speed. Next time I practice it I'll put the drums faster and try to play to it. Still getting mixed up and haven't finished the lesson. So you mean by 2 and four on snare, fit it all in 2 snare drums? 2 and 4 sounds to me like double time. I don't know how to do it probably.
    Ok, I understand. In general in 4/4 you count 1 2 3 4. There's a bass drum on 1 and 3, a snare on 2 and 4 and usually a hi-hat on 1 2 3 4. Most people pay attention to the snare to keep time. This is all in one measure.
     
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    William B.

    Hot Topic Tourer
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    Ok, I understand. In general in 4/4 you count 1 2 3 4. There's a bass drum on 1 and 3, a snare on 2 and 4 and usually a hi-hat on 1 2 3 4. Most people pay attention to the snare to keep time. This is all in one measure.
    Ok, I'll check it out tomorrow, thanks for the recommendation. I'll post an update here if I get it right.
     
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    Synner Endless Summer Collection

    idssdi

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    How long should it take to learn his up to speed? I've been at it for months now.
    It's really arbitrary how long it takes to get something down. Everybody learns at a different speed and in a different way so it's impossible to give you an exact number. It's also not a problem to practice something else if you feel a bit discouraged at this point 😅
     

    Ben Grosskreuz

    Garage band Groupie
    Nov 11, 2019
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    Hey @Syn Gates . I noticed I have a weird tendency to be using my middle finger in what seems like an unnatural way in this exercise. So, whenever the notes on the E and B strings are played on the same fret (for example, right before the bend, we get to play the 16-12-12 section on the E and B strings), I have the tendency to want to use the middle finger on the B string.

    However, I'm guessing this is a habit that I wouldn't want to stick to, so my question is: how can I make it easier to deal with such sweeping scenarios without getting fatigued? Because whenever I try using only the index finger, I tend to move my hand a lot and that makes it tired.
    Hey,
    You use your pinky for the 16th fret I'm understanding but then index for 12th fret E string and middle finger for 12th fret B string?
    It doesn't make sense that your hand would move MORE when you use index & middle finger as opposed to just your index.
    Do you have a video or something?
     
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    Synner Endless Summer Collection

    Ian Marshall

    Free Bird Player
    Nov 11, 2019
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    How do you practice it? There are multiple strategies to use for efficiently learning these without burning yourself out too quickly.
    I got the 1st and 2nd exercise to 100% speed playing perfectly. 3rd exercise I have to 80%, I start at 70% then slowly work to 80%, then push it to 90%-100% for a little, then go back to 70%. 4th exercise I can play it fully at 30% speed. Is that a good way?
     
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    Chris Johnston

    Music Theory Bragger
  • Nov 11, 2019
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    I got this far my fingertips hurt. Feels nice to play like this, need to work on it more and learn how to use it.


    It's definitely getting there man! A couple of things I'd do at this stage if I were you, (to really clean things up and get the most out of working on the technique - none of the things are exciting, but I think they're essential):

    - Sit with a metronome at a really slow, easy speed and line every single note that you hit up with each click.
    - Aim for the clearest/strongest note possible with every sing note you play. Be really strict with this!
    - Make sure that the timing of each note is even, like as soon as the click clicks, your on the next note exactly at that point.
    - When practicing at the slow speed, try and concentrate on putting 20% more strength than necessary into every note. (This is so that when your hands are perfectly synced & strong with the sweep, you can ease up and keep the same accuracy, and move quicker - that's where the speed will come)
    - Do this with each sweep shape individually before lining everything up together.
    - Set yourself a repetition goal, like say 'I'm going to run through this 20 times, 50 times - so that you don't zone out while working on the technique (I'm bad for getting mentally side tracked so the goals help me)
    - Listen out for any noise that's not the note you're playing and use either your left or right hand to mute. Be really strict with this too!


    Doing all of the above is what really tightened up my sweeping. With this technique, I feel like speed is the least important factor to it sounding amazing, it's more the time taken to synchronize your left & right hand and make sure every note has equal clarity/strength in the sweep. That's what makes it sound impressive when people do it, the speed in which strong, even, confident notes are ripping past your ears. Once you've got everything sounding clean & feeling in control at a slow speed, the quicker speeds will come easier, and nothing will be out of sync. It's basically like slowly training a robot hand to do tiny, well executed movements, so that the technique is dialed in. You'll definitely see results if you take the time to do it :giggle:
     
    Synner Endless Summer Collection

    William B.

    Hot Topic Tourer
  • Nov 11, 2019
    2,157
    1
    3,144
    18
    It's definitely getting there man! A couple of things I'd do at this stage if I were you, (to really clean things up and get the most out of working on the technique - none of the things are exciting, but I think they're essential):

    - Sit with a metronome at a really slow, easy speed and line every single note that you hit up with each click.
    - Aim for the clearest/strongest note possible with every sing note you play. Be really strict with this!
    - Make sure that the timing of each note is even, like as soon as the click clicks, your on the next note exactly at that point.
    - When practicing at the slow speed, try and concentrate on putting 20% more strength than necessary into every note. (This is so that when your hands are perfectly synced & strong with the sweep, you can ease up and keep the same accuracy, and move quicker - that's where the speed will come)
    - Do this with each sweep shape individually before lining everything up together.
    - Set yourself a repetition goal, like say 'I'm going to run through this 20 times, 50 times - so that you don't zone out while working on the technique (I'm bad for getting mentally side tracked so the goals help me)
    - Listen out for any noise that's not the note you're playing and use either your left or right hand to mute. Be really strict with this too!


    Doing all of the above is what really tightened up my sweeping. With this technique, I feel like speed is the least important factor to it sounding amazing, it's more the time taken to synchronize your left & right hand and make sure every note has equal clarity/strength in the sweep. That's what makes it sound impressive when people do it, the speed in which strong, even, confident notes are ripping past your ears. Once you've got everything sounding clean & feeling in control at a slow speed, the quicker speeds will come easier, and nothing will be out of sync. It's basically like slowly training a robot hand to do tiny, well executed movements, so that the technique is dialed in. You'll definitely see results if you take the time to do it :giggle:
    I haven't been practicing much guitar, I hurt myself pretty bad. Not sure when I'm going to continue for now. Thanks for the tips, long read for me, I'll make a new video next time I practice this lesson. I was learning the longer riff part, it's really cool.