WW374: Superior Sweep Picking
Added 2024-06-15 16:15:28 +0000 UTCOnce again, by request from you wonderful folks!
You all asked for a hot new sweep picking workout, and I'm happy to oblige. Here on WW374, I'm giving you all a great workout in the key of E minor that uses all 7 diatonic arpeggios slippin and sliding all over the neck like it was the dang ol Crocodile Mile (shoutout to my fellow 80's/90's kids who know what I'm talking about)!
That reminds me of one of the last times I ever rocked a Slip & Slide; it was at my buddy Kevin's house.... he had a great little hill in his back yard that was the perfect place to set it up. But the soil of east TN is stony indeed, and there was a VERY jagged rock under the plastic speed sheet that I found at terminal velocity. You'll never forget it when you reach the end of the Slip and Slide then see a tide of your own blood + hose water race past you into the grass.
...ANYWAY
Snag the assets below and get ripping!!! Sweep picking has got to be SMOOTH, and if you follow the tips in the video, you won't need a string mute to hide your dirty work.
(I know someone is gonna ask about the hair band on the headstock of my guitar... that guitar rings a little bit behind the nut. The hair band just kills off that sympathetic ring, it doesn't do anything to contribute to muting)
Use the bridge pickup for Hard Mode.
Cheers!
-BE
Comments
finally the hairband truth is out
Shawn T
2024-06-29 14:53:46 +0000 UTCI always put something on the headstock too, as well as in the springs inside guitars with tremolo. A pipecleaner in each does wonders. Just bend it gently in half, just enough to slide them "bend-first" into each spring with some friction, and then bend each end (about an inch) to make a bit of grip on the springs there as well. Go and do an AB recording of it, it removes the "ringing" of the springs.
Eivind Falkenstein
2024-06-23 12:32:17 +0000 UTCJust subbed for full access. I noticed when you were doing the single upstrokes your picking angle stayed the same. I’ve been trying to learn sweep picking for years but I have a bad habit of going back to noodling when I get frustrated. But I wasn’t changing my pick technique, as far as lightly brushing the strings. I’ll try this and let you know how it works out because I know you’re invested in me improving my skills, probably even more than I am. I’ll keep in touch…with your STEPMOM!
Doodad68
2024-06-22 15:42:19 +0000 UTCI'm so stoked to hear this!!! Thank you!
Ben Eller
2024-06-21 22:08:48 +0000 UTCGreat Lesson Ben! Thank you. 🤟
Paul Pirozzi
2024-06-20 16:00:45 +0000 UTCI got this video a day late, so I decided to be a patreon, and access all of your awesomeness!! I've been at this excercise for a few days now,and have ALREADY noticed a difference in my control and speed!! Thank you, Uncle Ben!
josh singleton
2024-06-19 17:55:22 +0000 UTCThanks Ben, my step mom loves this workout! You the man. Appreciate your work....!
Ryan Moore
2024-06-17 03:40:16 +0000 UTCUncle Ben, your picking is so clean without much string noise, I'm glad that you went over that at the end.
Gregg B.
2024-06-16 23:21:38 +0000 UTCSimply awesome.
Paul Jones
2024-06-16 19:31:16 +0000 UTCQuestion: what are the best sweep picking exercises on the internet and why are they always Uncle Ben’s?
Adam Reynolds
2024-06-15 21:41:40 +0000 UTCThis is great. I always use the bridge pickup and make sure I practice without a fret wrap .. to really amplify mistakes ..
Shreddy McGuire
2024-06-15 19:50:16 +0000 UTCThanks Ben! Awesome exercise. Can I ask, why it's called sweep picking? Is it just relaying that the picking is not 100% up and down strokes? I've always thought that sweep meant all down strokes in one motion going down all the strings in on direction first then all up strokes in one motion going up all the strings in the next direction, obviously talking only about picking hand. I didn't think the notes or strings were in arrpeggio style till now. So literally sweeping down the strings, however many then sweeping and so on... Maybe this is a different technique? But thank you for your continued excellence in teaching! You Rock!
Doug Pinckney
2024-06-15 19:37:11 +0000 UTCWow! I heard it here first. Sweetwater is going to start carrying suhr??!
John Wiest
2024-06-15 17:39:26 +0000 UTCYES. Sweeping is a technique I want to develop this year. Thank you!
Dave Huffy
2024-06-15 16:19:36 +0000 UTC
