[chris9]

i thought i,d start a new thread on picking problems.
i sweep down and hammer on the notes going back up it works for me it seems to sound cleaner as well.
when i pick i go as close to the bridge as possible you get alot more speed that way and you don,t need to pick as hard.
The only problem with playing that close to the bridge is you can,t mute the strings to i use a hair band to mute the strings. or you could get a micheal angelo string damper.

[SevenatoR]

One of the tings I have to be aware of when I'm playing fast lines or sweeping is how "deep" my pick attacks the strings. The more pick you have below string level, the harder it is to get through the strings which slows you down and/or makes it hard to keep things even and on tempo.

[smueske]

Interesting, I was just thinking about a similar topic this morning. I try not to do too much sweeping as it has sort of become an ear-mark for a certain type of playing (i.e. shredding), but I've noticed that I tend to do more hammer-ons going up and more picking going down (if we're talking straight runs).

The reason why I mention the sweeping thing is that I've been thinking a lot lately about melodic style and what separates guitarists from each other. You hear Allan Holdsworth, you know it's Allan Holdsworth. Same with George Lynch, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, et al. It's not so much speed as it is an identifiable (non-quantifiable) component which boils down to emotion.

I've been working hard the past few years to try and play less and save the fast playing for emotional peaks.

[Drew]

See, I'm just gradually coming to terms with the fact I'm not much of a shredder, and if I'm going to get by on anything it's phrasing.

It's actually kind of liberating - I still put my time in with the metronome, but I'm beginning to appreciate a lot of the little oddball quirks of my style for what they are - an identity.

-D

[nitelightboy]

Originally Posted by Drew

See, I'm just gradually coming to terms with the fact I'm not much of a shredder, and if I'm going to get by on anything it's phrasing.

-D

I totally agree. I've never been much of a shredder, but my phrasing is what gets me noticed. Well that and going to a redneck metal bar with daisy dukes, a pink halter top and hot pink hair, but that part's not important

[Drew]

Originally Posted by nitelightboy

I totally agree. I've never been much of a shredder, but my phrasing is what gets me noticed. Well that and going to a redneck metal bar with daisy dukes, a pink halter top and hot pink hair, but that part's not important

Um, unless you're lying about your gender, I REALLY didn't need to picture that.

[David]

Originally Posted by Drew

See, I'm just gradually coming to terms with the fact I'm not much of a shredder, and if I'm going to get by on anything it's phrasing.

It's actually kind of liberating - I still put my time in with the metronome, but I'm beginning to appreciate a lot of the little oddball quirks of my style for what they are - an identity.

-D

right on. I have a while to find my style, but right now it either sounds like shit (if I haven't played it enough), or the same style as the composer, copied exactly (Joe Stump is a perfect example). <--- although he is a very talented musician.



Oh, and for the sweeping part. I usually place my pick after the neck pickup. Use a hard pick, to make it easier to get crisp notes, and you don't have to go close to the bridge. If you can do sweeps everywhere, then it's much more effective so you can get soft our punchy tones. When going down, tilt the pick downward a little so it slides over but plucks the string. Same for when coming up, tilt the pick slightly upwards. Some people like to use their whole forearm to move on sweeps, some a placed wrist, some just tilt their wrist in the same spot, forward and back for 3 string and 5 if you've got a big hand, or you can do it Batio style and use only your thumb and index finger. It takes a lot of dexterity, but I kind of like. I tend to combine the fixed hand and the batio style.

Practice makes perfect! And once you have it, it's amazing. You'll be like SHIT I can't do this, then all of a sudden one day, you'll just have it. After all those hours of work, it'll be there, and it's much easier to improve your speed after that.

[Ancestor]

It's kinda tough to put a new spin on sweeping licks. However, IMO, a guitarist really needs to have it in the ole bag o' tricks. But, only guitarists seems to care or notice!

Ef it. Just keep jamming. All roads lead to Rome.

[chris9]

Originally Posted by Ancestor

It's kinda tough to put a new spin on sweeping licks. However, IMO, a guitarist really needs to have it in the ole bag o' tricks. But, only guitarists seems to care or notice!

Ef it. Just keep jamming. All roads lead to Rome.

yeah i must admit i don,t sweep in my playing very often i think its just been done to overkill now i think straight picking is much more bad ass!!!!

[The Dark Wolf]

Originally Posted by Drew

Um, unless you're lying about your gender, I REALLY didn't need to picture that.

Funny... you never seem to have a problem when Vince wears that for you