Sweep Picking 101

Note: The following lesson is for those who are not familiar with the concept of sweep
picking / economy picking.
Before we start, it would probably be a good idea to explain what this technique is all
about. In essence, sweep picking involves arranging single-note runs on the fretboard in
an odd-numbered grouping (1, 3, 5, etc...) of notes per string allowing the picking hand to
efficiently "sweep" across a set of adjacent strings (as opposed to using strict alternate
picking - down, up, down, up, etc...). Sounds confusing? Here is an example that might
clarify things a bit:
Before you can master this style of picking, you must also master the rolling technique
which involves using one finger to play 2 or more consecutive notes melodically (ie no
overlapping notes) on the same fret (say 5) and on different sets of strings (E-5 A-5 D-5,
etc...). Figure 1 is an exercise that focuses on this technique. Practice this shape on all
string sets (E and A, A and D, D and G, G and B, B and E).
To do this correctly, when fretting the lower note, your finger should be standing and you
should be using the upper tip (flesh part that is close to the nails) of the finger to fret the
note. When playing the higher note, your finger should be semi-barred (or if you prefer:
semi-standing) and you should be fretting the note with the lower part of your finger tip
(flesh part away from the nails). If done correctly, you should then be able to roll onto the
adjacent string back and forth. It is a bit difficult if you have never done this before, but
practicing Figure 1 for maybe 10 (or more) minutes a day for a couple of weeks should
be enough to get somewhat comfortable with this technique. It is also important to
connect the notes as smoothly as possible. In other words, for the sake of this exercise
and the concept of sweeping in general, the notes must not overlap and there should be no
pause between notes. Before we continue, read the previous sentence 20 more times (yes,
it's that important!).
With that said, it is time to move on to the actual sweeping exercises. The following is a
set of progressive exercises with the sole purpose of developing the sweeping technique.
It was devised by Pierre McNicoll, a well known guitar instructor and studio/session
guitar player in the Montreal area in Quebec, Canada.
The exercise in its primitive form (Figure 2) is based on diatonic 4-note arpeggios in the
key of F. The idea is to practice this first form for a week (or more if you are having a lot
of trouble), move on to the next variation for the same amount of time and continue on
until you master the final variation (Figure 6, which is a six string 3 notes per string
shape). There are 5 shapes in total, so you should work on these for at least 5 weeks (at
least 1 shape per week). Also, it is very important to practice all of these exercises with a
metronome; the sweep technique is as much a rhythmic exercise as it is a technical one.
By the time you are done with these exercises, you should be somewhat comfortable with
sweep picking. At this point, it would probably be a good idea to tackle the next step in

the rolling technique which involves rolling over 3 strings this time (Figure 7). It will be
very important to follow the advice from the previous exercises if you want to do this
correctly.
Now we move on to the final set of exercises. This is the exact same thing as the series of
sweep exercises we looked at earlier (Figures 2-6) except that we are now on the bottom
strings. It's the same concept so you know what to do: one shape a week for a total of at
least 5 weeks). Figures 8-9 are the opposite mirror shapes of Figures 2-3 and Figure 10,
the opposite shape of Figure 6. The others should not be complicated to figure out.
There you have it! A "learn-how-to-sweep-in-approximately-12-weeks-guide".
Congratulations! You are now ready to tackle other challenging sweep patterns. Also, if
you are interested in this technique in general, I would suggest picking up Frank
Gambale's video "Monster Licks" by DCI. The sweep technique is discussed in great
detail and Frank shows interesting ways of applying this technique to scales and
arpeggios. If on other hand, you are interested in this technique applied in a rock context,
then I would suggest listening to Yngwie Malmsteen, Jason Becker and George Bellas
who each have interesting and creative approaches to the technique.
-Dennis (big thanks to Pierre McNicoll, and Scott Kerr aka Guitarius)