Set the gain on your amp to a moderate amount. You want each note to have uniform volume and sustain, but if you set the gain too high, it will be virtually impossible to mute the other strings. Make sure your guitar strings are all at the same intonation. Using your neck pickup will help reduce a lot of noise.
When you sweep pick, you essentially let the pick fall from string to string in one smooth, continuous stroke. Imagine that your hand is being pulled by a string tied to your wrist. Release the tension in your hands so you’re holding the pick loosely. Keep the pick moving at whatever tempo you’ve chosen – don’t stop to pick each individual string. If you break the momentum of your picking, you’ll have a hard time being able to sweep pick clean and fast. [3] X Research source
Doing this also will get you used to how slowly your hand actually needs to move, even if the notes are coming relatively quickly. Keep in mind that what you’re doing right now is not sweep picking, because the strings continue to resonate as you play. To sweep pick, you must learn how to mute all the other strings except the one you’re fretting.
Essentially, the first knuckle of your finger is going to collapse to mute the string immediately after playing it. If you’re just starting to learn to sweep pick, your fingers may have trouble with this unfamiliar movement. Do exercises to limber up your fingers and improve their agility. One exercise you can do is to simply extend all your knuckles on both hands so that your fingers are straight. Then gently press your opposing fingertips together. Hold for about 5 seconds, then release. You can do this exercise as many times as you want, just make sure not to press too hard.
Faster playing comes from making more efficient movements, not from moving your hands faster. You can do finger strengthening exercises to increase the power and efficiency of your fingers and hands. This well help you sweep pick at a faster tempo.
If you’ve mastered the technique that you should use with each hand, it should be easier to coordinate them than if you’re struggling to learn those and trying to coordinate at the same time. Go slowly at first, focusing on your two hands acting in unison. Keep in mind it is possible that your more dominant hand is going to be faster than the other, so keep your practices at a slow tempo and gradually build up to faster speeds only when your hands are naturally synchronized. Synchronizing your hands is one of the most difficult parts about sweep picking, and it’s one that can only be achieved with practice. There aren’t any special exercises or drills you can do that will improve this for you.
Start with your metronome set to eighth notes. It may seem slow to you at first, but stick with this speed until you have progressed to doing six-string arpeggios. Once you’ve mastered six-string arpeggios with eight notes, you can gradually move up to sixteenth notes.
When you play, you should only be fretting one string at a time. Your remaining fingers have the work of muting all the other strings. If the other strings are sounding, you’ll just sound like you’re strumming a chord – there won’t be any separation between the notes characteristic of a sweep pick. Keep in mind that the practice of muting the other strings may be one of the more difficult parts of sweep picking to master. Be patient and take your time as you practice. When you’re just starting, it might help to fold a washcloth and secure it to the frets with a large rubber band. This will mute the strings for you and prevent unwanted noise.
You can create your own two- or three-note drill out of the portion of an arpeggio that you find difficult. Drill it, first with each hand by itself, and then with both hands together, until you can play it as cleanly as you play the rest of the arpeggio.
If you have a friend who is skilled at sweep picking, they also may be able to help you figure out how you can improve. You might also watch videos online. If you can videotape yourself, you can compare your own sweep picking to the hands of someone on a video who has mastered the technique. This is another way to identify areas where you can improve. Break down the job of each individual finger on your fretting hand, so you can figure out which finger isn’t doing exactly what it’s supposed to be doing and work on that movement.
In addition to practicing your sweep picking mechanics, you also want to practice scales, so your fingers will become accustomed to moving through basic patterns. You also might practice your hammer-ons and pull-offs, which can improve the speed and efficiency with which you roll your fretting finger when sweep picking. [13] X Research source
Do this first with two-string sweeps. Once you’ve mastered the mechanics of two-string sweeps, isolate your hands again to learn the movements with three-string sweeps, and so on. Keep in mind that if each hand hasn’t mastered what it’s supposed to do, it will be much more difficult to have your hands working in synchronization.
Two-string sweeps also can help you with muting, because you’ll only have to roll between two strings, essentially switching back and forth between them. You also can do basic sweeps based on arpeggiated chords, which you can build yourself using chords you already know.
When you start working into longer arpeggios, break them down into four-bar sequences and practice the shorter parts. Once you’ve mastered each sequence, you can start putting them together.
