"Introduction to Sweep Picking: three string arpeggios" -Drew Peterson An arpeggio is a useful thing to know on its own- you can focus your solos much more by targeting arpeggio tones in a solo, or playing lines derrived from arpeggios, than you can by just ripping through scales. However, you can also add some pretty interesting passages by "sweep picking" arpeggios. Rather than picking each note with an independant pick stroke, like you would in an alternate picked passage, in sweep picking you play passages by alighning notes so that you can play arpeggios with one long downstroke and upstroke, rather than a series of alternate pick strokes. It feels a little awkward at first, but once you get the hang of it sweep picking is an extremely fast, very fluid technique that can add another "sound" to your arsonel of playing techniques. Take the example below (play this without distortion for now): d u d u d u d u d u d u d |------------7-12-7------------| |----------8--------8----------| |--------9------------9--------| |------9----------------9------| |-7-10--------------------10-7-| |------------------------------| This is a fairly simple 5-string Em arpeggio with its root on the A string. (if the 7th fret to 12th fret stretch on the high e string is too uncomfortable, you can play this higher on the neck- say, as an Am arpeggio starting from the 2th fret, or a Cm from the 15th). If you follow the picking indications given (d=downstroke, u=upstroke), you CAN physically play the arpeggio. However, as you'll quickly notice, the picking becomes awkward at higher speeds- particularly on notes like the E on the 9th fret of the G string, where you're playing an upstroke, then jumping down to the next string for a downstroke. Now try it with sweep picking (using hit-ons and pull-offs for the strings where there are multiple notes on one string) d----------> u-------------> |------------7-12p7------------| |----------8--------8----------| |--------9------------9--------| |------9----------------9------| |-7h10--------------------10p7-| |------------------------------| This "flows" much more nicely. Initially, it may seem no easier or even harder to "sweep pick" this than to alternate pick it, but remember, you've been alternate picking as long as you've been playing, and this is most likely your first experience sweep picking. With a tiny amount of practice, this will quickly begin to feel a lot more natural. Now, kick in the distortion and play this again. Immediately, you should notice that it sounds like crap- a big muddy mess of notes ringing into each other. Therein lies the difficulty of sweep picking- getting the notes to articulate properly. This is something I'll cover as we go on, starting with easier arpeggio shapes, and working up to examples like this. This three-string minor shape is a good place to start out. none of the notes are on the same fret as any of the other, it has a pull-off involved, with three notes on one string, and it is a shape that can be quickly applied to your soloing. Also, just because it's "easy' doesn't mean it's useless- Yngwie Malmsteem uses shapes like this one a lot in his playing. In addition to the pickstrokes being notated, suggested fingerings are given on top, with 1 being your pointer finger, and 4 your pinkie. Am d------> u------> d------> u-------> 3 2 1 4 1 2 3 2 1 4 1 2 |-------12-17p12----------12-17p12----| |----13----------13----13----------13-| |-14----------------14----------------| |-------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------| etc. The suggested fingerings help keep noise down while playing this arpeggio shape. As you strike one note, lift your finger lightly off the fret of the previous note, causing it to mute. for example, as you hold down and pick the C on the 13th fret with your middle finger, slightly release the A on the 14th fret you were holding down with your ring finger, not to the point where you pull off to the open G, but enough so the note doesn't ring out (or at least doesn't ring out as clearly- with a little practice you'll get a feel for how much you have to mute to get proper note articulation. Later in the sweep you may want to lift your finger entirely off- it'll make the 12th fret to 17th fret stretch easier). The effect you're looking for here is as if your fingers are "rolling" across the fretboard in time with your pickstroke. Note also that there is a symetrical three note pattern- the downbeat falls on the A on the 14th fret and the A on the 17th fret. A d-----> u-----> d-----> u-----> 3 3 1 4 1 3 3 3 1 4 1 3 |-------12-17p12----------12-17p12----| |----14----------14----14----------14-| |-14----------------14----------------| |-------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------| This one is slightly harder in that it involves barring the A and C# at the 14th fret. In order to get the notes to articulate properly, you have to "roll" your finger on the fretboard- your finger remains pretty much stationary, but you shift the point of pressure from the A on the G string to the C# on the B string as you sweep downward. Basically, you rock your finger back and forth to play notes on the 14th fret. It is possibly to play the notes with different fingers, but when you start moving around arpeggio shapes later on, it becomes more conveniant to bar the notes, and it's a technique you'll need anyway for several other arpeggio shapes, so it's worth learning. Additionally, a slight amount of palm-muting, useful (especially on the bass strings) for most arpeggio shapes, might be helpful here. Now we string them together; Am G d------> u-----> d-----> u------> d------> u-----> d-----> u-----> 3 2 1 4 1 2 3 2 1 4 1 2 3 3 1 4 1 3 3 3 1 4 1 3 |-------12-17p12----------12-17p12----------10-15p10----------10-15p10----| |----13----------13----13----------13----12----------12----12----------12-| |-14----------------14----------------12----------------12----------------| |-------------------------------------------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------------------------------------------| F G Am d-----> u-----> d----> u----> d------> u-----> d------> u------> 3 3 1 4 1 3 3 3 1 4 1 3 3 3 1 4 1 3 3 3 1 4 1 3 3 |-------8-13p8----------8-13p8----------10-15p10----------10-15p10--------| |----10--------10----10--------10----12----------12----12----------12-----| |-10--------------10--------------12----------------12----------------14~-| |-------------------------------------------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------------------------------------------| (if you're going to repeat this, you should hit the last note with a downstroke, but if you're ending, it doesn't matter) This run works over an "all along the watchtower"-type progression in Am, and is a good lick to practice to get used to moving these arpeggio shapes around the neck at speed- the basic concepts behind this can be used to outline any chord progression composed of straight major and minor chords. (hint- that's most rock songs) D Dm d------> u-----> d-----> u-----> d-----> u-----> d-----> u------> 1 2 1 3 1 2 1 2 1 3 1 2 2 3 1 4 1 3 2 3 1 4 1 3 |-------14-17p14----------14-17p14----|-------13-17p13----------13-17p13----| |----15----------15----15----------15-|----15----------15----15----------15-| |-14----------------14----------------|-14----------------14----------------| |-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------| These two arpeggios are based around open D-chord shaped triads. This time, the root note is on the B string (the middle of the arpeggio) instead of the G (the bottom). In the first one, don't play the two notes on the 14th fret with a bar, but rather lift your finger from the G string, 1rth fret, and use the time you spend playing the D on the 15th fret of the B string to move your pointer finger to the F# on the 14th fret of the high e. This is pretty tricky initially, but gets easier with time, and is the "cleanest" way to play this arpeggio- the note definition will be much better under heavy distortion than it would be if you tried to bar it. This isn't a problem with the minor arpeggio shape, as the notes are on different frets. When moving between major and minor shapes of this arpeggio, you run into a few fingering difficlties. Try this run with the "normal" fingerings, and then try the ones written in (picking is the same). They may be a little weird, but they're the easiest way i can think of to finger this (if anyone has any better suggestions, please e-mail me). Dm C Dm 2 3 1 4 1 3 2 3 1 4 1 3 1 2 1 3 1 2 1 2 1 3 1 2 [3 4] 1 4 1 3 |-------13-17p13----------13-17p13----------12-15p12----------12-15p12----------13-17p13----| |----15----------15----15----------15----13----------13----13----------13----15----------15-| |-14----------------14----------------12----------------12----------------14----------------| |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| The notes in brackets are the ones that you need to change. On the repeat of the Dm chord, you can finger it as normal (it's hard not to). This is a subtle fingering shift, but it allows the line to flow much more nicely than would otherwise be possible. E Em d-------> u-----> d-----> u-----> d------> u------> d-----> u-----> 2 1 1 4 1 1 2 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 |-------12-14p12----------12-14p12----|-------12-15p12----------12-15p12----| |----12----------12----12----------12-|----12----------12----12----------12-| |-13----------------13----------------|-12----------------12----------------| |-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------| The first one is difficult to articulate correctly, because of the bar on the 12th fret, but is managable. rock your finger on the fretboard in sync with the pick stroke exactly like in the previous examples. the minor arpeggio, however, is extremely difficult. I've never actually seen anyone use this in a solo, except as an ascending "rake" (a single pickstroke across a few strings, but only in one direction) up to the E on the 12th fret or G on the 15th (and, with a stretchy enough left hand, you can reach the B on the 19th fret, or you could just slide). in that case, you can just mute the strings outright and get your finger out of the way, without having to worry about re-fretting them immediately after to go back down. however, if you can play this cleanly at high speed, then the 2-note bars in other arpeggio shapes on the top three strings will seem simple by comparison. (3 note bars show up in a few other arpeggios, but they're easier on the middle strings of the neck). with this in mind, i'm not going to string them together into an arpeggio pattern that moves across the neck- the minor ones are simply not practical to play at speed. Additionally, these shapes can be altered very slightly to cover other chords. for example, to get a major 7th tonality (1, M3, P5, M7) or a dominant tonality (1, M3, P5, m7) all you have to do is drop the octave note by a half step or a step, respectively (the D at the end is just thrown in because it resoves there nicely): A Amaj7 A7 D |-------12-17p12----------12-16p12----------12-15p12----------10-14p10--------| |----14----------14----14----------14----14----------14----10----------10-----| |-14----------------14----------------14----------------11----------------11~-| |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| Also, to get a dominant arpeggio, drop the 5th of a minor arpeggio a half step (from 1, m3, P5 to 1, m3, d5). Also, remember the diminished scale is symmetrical, (step, half-step over and over again) so that any lick or arpeggio repeats itself every minor third (3 frets on the neck of the guitar). Both these ideas are used in the lick below. the stretches make this extremely difficult, but it's instant Yngwie or Paganini, so it's fun nonetheless. It's easiest to make the jumps in this one if you keep in mind that with each shift, the fret that previously had your pointer finger on it will now have your pinkie on it (and vice versa if you're ascending). Play the opening C as a sort of free time flourish and the remainer with a driving straight 8th note rhythm. (the names in parentheses are the actual names of the arpeggios you're playing, but as they contain the same notes as a B diminished arpeggio, they can be treated as a giant diminished arpeggio). C Bdim----------------------> C (Bdim) (Abdim) (Fdim) |-/15~~~---p12---------------------10h13-----7h10-----4h7/8p3------| |-------------13----------------12---------9--------6---------5----| |---------------12~~~~\------10----------7--------4-------------5~-| |------------------------------------------------------------------| |------------------------------------------------------------------| |------------------------------------------------------------------| And another favorite of mine, sounds good in an Allman Brothers-ish context: C (add4) C |------14-15p14----------14-15p14----------14-17p14----------14-17p14----| |---15----------15----15----------15----15----------15----15----------15-| |14----------------14----------------14----------------14----------------| |------------------------------------------------------------------------| |------------------------------------------------------------------------| |------------------------------------------------------------------------| Additionally, you can superimpose triad arpeggios against other chords to create more complex-sounding voicings. for instance, a Em arpeggio played against a C bass note creates the illusion of a Cmaj7 chord (do the math- Em is the 1, m3, and 5 of E, or more specifically, E, G, and B. Cmaj7 meanwhile is the 1, M3, 5, and M7 of C, or C, E, G, and B). Play the following example, getting someone to play a C note underneith (chords in parentheses are suggested, those outside are actual): C Em C (C) (Cmaj7) (C) |-------12-15p12----------12-15p12----------15-19p15----------15-19p15----------12-15p12----| |----13----------13----13----------13----17----------17----17----------17----13----------13-| |-12----------------12----------------16----------------16----------------12----------------| |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| This is by no means the only superimposition you can do with simple major and minor triads- experiment a bit. you'd be suprised how much mileage you can get out of simple triad arpeggios. Another thing to keep in mind that is especially helpfull with three string shapes is that it's easier to pick these with a slightly circular picking motion, rather than sweeping straight up and down- it makes the transition from the upstroke to the downstroke and back a bit more fluid, in my experience. It doesn't matter if you sweep clockewise or counterclockwise- for me, a clockwise motion seems a little more efficient (imagining the clock facing out from the pickups, with the 12 closest to the low E and the 6 at the high (skinny) e-string), but as always, there are no "right" ways of doing this, just several different approaches that work. experiment- if you find counterclockwise or even vertical works best for you, than by all means do that. This is a basic introduction to three-string arpeggio sweep picking, and is by no means all-inclusive (for example, try tapping notes above the highest note in the arpeggio to extend them further). However, it's a good grounding in this technique, and the basic concepts and skills here are invaluable when you start moving on to 4, 5, and 6 string arpeggios. And even if you don't, being able to sweep these shapes is an extremely valuable improvisational tool. Have fun with these! :o) -Drew