Greetings Premier Guitarists and welcome to the next installment of the Lethal Guitar series on sweep picking. Before we get started I want to remind you guys and gals of my shredding master class in “Full Shred Ahead” with the National Guitar Workshop in Chicago, July 12th-17th. This is my sixth year with NGW and my shred class is always packed, so if you haven’t signed up for it yet you’d better
jump in while there’s still room!
So far in the Sweep Picking series we’ve covered the basics and gradually made our way into a bit more complicated shapes. The first half of this lesson will cover the rest of some fundamental shapes and the second half will make use of combining all the shapes covered up to this point. Combining the shapes really gets you moving across the fretboard and creates a cascading sound with the arpeggios. You’ll begin to understand how to make use of the entire neck ascending and/or descending. I’ve illustrated all the picking directions, including hammer-ons and pull-offs, and have provided you with audio for each example. So buckle up, ‘cause here we go again…
You should be getting pretty good at your sweep picking technique and learning how to link the arpeggios across the neck. I recommend trying these examples ascending and descending the fretboard, definitely using a metronome to do so. Start out slow with a clean tone and work your way up to the speed you’re looking for. Remember accuracy is everything so, don’t jump the gun and go for break-neck speed before you’ve got the clarity. Take your time and get it right, it’ll be worth it. If you’re having trouble getting a natural feel or accuracy, remember this: repetition is the mother of skill. Thanks for logging on and tuning in, see you next time here in Lethal Guitar.