How To Play Clean & Creative Sweep Picking Guitar Arpeggios
by Tom Hess
Want to play fast and clean sweep picking guitar arpeggios that sound expressive just like the pros?
Knowing how to effectively practice the right things helps you identify your mistakes to fix them more quickly.
Where do you learn these things?
Answer:
On this page.
Apply these sweep picking practice tips into your playing right away to get better in no time:
Sweep Picking Tip #1: Practice Creatively With Rhythmic Variety
Play guitar arpeggio patterns at different rhythms other than just straight 16ths.
Playing at rhythms besides just one note per click will help you to help you improve your ability to focus on playing correctly so you hear when notes are not in time.
As you develop your ability to hear these things, you will hear mistakes you make at fast speeds and know how to fix them.
Sweep Picking Tip #2: Use More Picking Hand Power
Picking with a weak attack keeps you from hearing mistakes that cause your technique to break down.
Picking with a lot of force causes shows you where guitar arpeggios fall apart and helps you understand how to play with both hands in perfect sync.
When you have perfect synchronization, it makes playing sweep picking guitar arpeggios fast and clean feel easy. Using picking power to find where your technique breaks down is an excellent tool to have.
Sweep Picking Tip #3: Hold The Pick The Right Way
Keep the pick angled towards the neck of the guitar when playing scales and scale sequences (instead of keeping it parallel to the strings).
This keeps your picking hand from bumping up and away from the strings to keep your picking economical.
This makes playing guitar faster feel easier no matter what technique you are using.
Sweep Picking Practice Tip #4: Turn Up The Dial
Playing a sweep picking lick at faster speeds than your maximum can have positive unexpected benefits for your playing.
Namely:
This makes the original speed you played at before feel easier since it is at a slower speed in comparison.
When you go back to play it at normal speeds, you are able to more closely see the mistakes in your playing/movement.
Sweep Picking Practice Tip #5: Master Every Note Of The Pattern
Play an arpeggio at your fastest speed to a metronome and listen to hear that the highest and lowest notes line up perfectly in time.
When you are able to do this, the other notes will start to fall in place as well.
This helps you focus better by dividing up your attention.
Part of your mind has to pay attention to keeping your hands lined up in time but the other focuses on how well you are synchronized in time with the beat of the metronome.
Focus on improving this awareness so you are able to sync up together with a real band more easily.
This is just as critical for both playing guitar solos and rhythm guitar chords (or both together).
Still want to learn more ways to master lead guitar playing speed and musical expression? Want to play guitar with crazy speed but don't know how to consistently get faster every day?
Start with just 2 strings. Find out what to do by playing these 2 string guitar licks.
About Tom Hess: Tom Hess is a guitar teacher, music career mentor and guitar teacher trainer. He teaches rock guitar lessons online to students from all over the world and conducts instructional live guitar training events attended by musicians from over 50 countries.
