Three string sweep picking

Sweep picking, sometimes called economy picking, is an advanced guitar technique that allows you to arpeggio and one note per string runs much more fluidly than would be possible with alternate picking alone. The idea behind sweep picking is to have the pick travel fluidly across the strings in one quick sweeping motion.

Guitarists have used sweep picking for many years, but it really became popular when with the shred movement in the 80's where sweep picking allowed guitar players to play arpeggios at warp speed.

It is very important to understand that the sweep picking motion must articulate every note and it is not just a strumming motion, as many beginners believe. Sweep picking is a very advanced technique and will take a great deal of practice to perfect. Make sure that you play through the exercises in the following chapters slowly and cleanly before speeding them up. By playing slowly at first you will make sure that your left and right hands are fully coordinated when you start to speed up. Despite being thought of as just a picking technique, making sure your fretting hand is coordinated is integral in making the sweep sound good.

In order to play these sweeps cleanly we must always be aware of keeping unwanted string noise away by muting the strings with the right hand and practicing slowly. The aim of this technique is to play arpeggios quickly by cleanly.

The best way to get an understanding of the sweep picking technique is to get started with some very basic examples. Take your time with these exercises because they lay the foundation for your technique.

Exercise 1

Ok lets get started by look at the most basic of all sweep-picking shapes. This is a simple A minor 7 arpeggio shape. When you start playing this exercise you should begin to realise that alternate picking through this shape at speed would be very difficult indeed. Pay close attention to the picking directions in this example and play through it slowly. The aim of this exercise is simply to get you used to the feeling and idea of sweep picking. Try and play every note cleanly.

Exercise 2

Now that we have tackled the first exercise you should have a good idea about what this technique is all about. This next example shows you a repeating E minor 7 arpeggio. Always be aware of the picking directions. You want the guitar pick to pass slowly and fluidly across the strings.

Exercise 3

The next arpeggio shape we need to look at is the major triad arpeggio. Here it is played on three strings. Notice that the picking for this exercise is the same as in the previous example.

Exercise 4

The diminished arpeggio is a really handing sweep picking shape. You can shift this simple three-string arpeggio up and down the neck using slides to change positions. This type of sweep picking shape is typical of the neoclassical guitar style.

I hope you enjoyed playing through these three string sweep arpeggios. Take your time and have fun with them.