Scale Sweep Picking This is a lesson on sweep picking scales - an alternative to strict alternate picking that involves using a downstroke to begin each new string ascending and an upstroke to begin each new string descending that many people including myself have found to be a faster way of playing scales. It also has a very light,pretty, fluid tone much like slurring or sweeping arppegios. Please do yourself a favor and do not attempt this untill you read all of my lesson on it because there are some very important details about it that are necessary for it to work smoothly. I think I also should add that this way of picking scales is NOT rythmical - the tone "evens out" rythmicaly so if you are concerned with having alot of rythmical texture to your playing you wont like this! If that is the case you will want to pick scales strictly up and down all of the time - even when changing strings because it is far more rythmical sounding. I think sweep picking is the most logical way of playing scales for the same reasons that using up strokes and not only playing with downstrokes is faster. A complicated way of describing a basic thing - say you were to play 2 notes on the G string and pick them both with downstrokes. After you made the first downstroke your pick would be about halfway between the G and B strings. To make another downstroke you would have to move the pick up and over to the other side of the G string to make the next downstroke wich is the exact same motion as an upstroke without hitting the string. You might as well be hitting the string on your way back with an upstroke so that you can play twice as fast! I think sweep picking is as much more logical as that than strict alternate picking when changing strings. You are traveling the smallest distance to the next string AND using the least amount of movement because, as I will explain, you are sounding 2 notes with one continuose pick stroke much of the time. Thats the important detail that makes it work smoothly because otherwise it would be the very WORST way to pick scales!!! Dont try it yet!!! I did this very incorrectly for a long time and it sucked so hopefully Ill explain it in enough detail. If you dont get it after this I wouldnt mind answering E-mail and there are also several instructional videos on this technique. Im going to try and explain it now. Try strumming a chord slowly up and down all six strings with your pick held firmly. Note that when you move your pick up and down the strings it is with one COTINUOSE stroke in each direction and not individual motions with the pick for each string. That is "sweeping". You can use that same motion to play an arpeggio if you slow it down a bit and add a few notes. Example E minor arpeggio p E----------------7-12-7------------------------------------------------- B--------------8--------8----------------------------------------------- G------------9------------9--------------------------------------------- D------h---9----------------9---p--------------------------------------- A-----7-10--------------------10-7-------------------------------------- E----------------------------------------------------------------------- d d-d-d-d u u-u-u-u <----pick strokes When you pick this you pick the first note (E) with a downstroke, hammer-on to the 10th fret, then use a CONTINUOSE downstroke like strumming a chord over the notes marked d at the bottom ( d-d means a continuose downstroke that keeps moving over the strings ), pick the 12th fret of the high E string with an upstroke, pull-off to the 7th fret of the high E, then use a CONTINUOSE upstroke over the notes marked u at the bottom like strumming a chord and pull off from the 10th fret to the 7th fret of the A string. Im probably boring those experienced with neo-classical showing a typical lick like this but Im getting to an important point here!!! And it still sounds nice anyways! Anyways - that same method of using continuose, sweeping strokes to play more than one note with a single motion of the pick can also be applied to playing scales ( and scalular music ). Ill note that while I think thick picks give you more speed with less work it is nice to learn sweep picking for arpeggios and scales with a thin ( .50mm ) pick because it allows more freadom learning new movements. Now scales. The usual way is to pick up and down strictly even when changing strings. Obviosly you can get fast this way but you make some rather large movements half of the time changing strings. Example A major scale using strict alternate picking -------------------------------7-9-10-9-77------------------------------ ------------------------7-9-10------------10-9-7------------------------ ------------------6-7-9--------------------------9-7-6------------------ ------------6-7-9--------------------------------------9-7-6------------ ------5-7-9--------------------------------------------------9-7-5------ 5-7-9--------------------------------------------------------------9-7-5 d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d u d One advantage to strict alternate picking is that it feels very free and loose - especially if you do it from the wrist but note that many times you pick the first note of a new string ascending with an upstroke and many times you pick the first note of a new string descending with a downstroke. Those are very large movements with the pick. Say youve picked the 9th fret of the low E string in that example with a downstroke. After making that downstroke your pick is about halfway between the E and the A strings. To make the next upstroke using alternate picking you have to move your pick up and over to the other side of the A string and pick up. While moving your pick in that direction toward the A string you might as well be making a downstroke on the side of the A string that your pick is already on to sound the first note of the A string in that scale and play even faster. Sweep picking works like this - you use ONE CONTINUOSE downstroke that hits the last note of one string AND the first note of the next string while ascending a scale and ONE CONTINUOSE upstroke that hits the last note on one string AND the first note of the next string while descending a scale in both cases using a "sweeping" motion with the pick to sound 2 notes when changing strings. Example A major scale sweep picked -------------------------------7-9-10-9-77------------------------------- ------------------------7-9-10------------10-9-7------------------------ ------------------6-7-9--------------------------9-7-6------------------ ------------6-7-9--------------------------------------9-7-6------------ ------5-7-9--------------------------------------------------9-7-5------ 5-7-9--------------------------------------------------------------9-7-5 d u d-d u d-d u d-d u d-d u d--d u d u d u d u-u d u-u d u-u d u-u d u Again - the d-d and u-u parts mean long, continuose down and up strokes that hit 2 notes and NEVER 2 individual motions in the same direction with the pick cuz that can really suck and it wont go very fast if you do it that way. All the strokes that are marked d and u normally are picked as you usually would - one note per stroke. So it really feels like you are still moving in a constant up and down motion somewhat because it goes down, up, big downstroke, up, big downstroke, up........etc. And then the oppisite descending - big upstrokes that hit 2 notes and normal downstrokes. Its important that your pick is facing straight down at the guitar and not leaning when doing this and you want to work out those long, continuose motions SLOWLY cuz its a bit odd at first but its amazing how quickly you can change habits on the guitar and it actually feels kind of neat when you get it going well because it makes scale playing similar to arpeggio sweep picking wich I like alot.