How to Sweep Pick on a Guitar

Sweep picking is a type of quick guitar picking in which single notes are picked up and down the fretboard with only one note ringing out at a time. Sweep picking is seen in a lot of different styles of guitar playing, but it is specifically important for playing hard rock or metal songs. Sweep picking is easy to learn but difficult to master. So start by learning the proper technique, and just practice, practice, practice.

Instructions

1. Identify the difference between strumming and sweep picking. When you strum a chord, the pick is swiped across the strings as the opposite hand holds down the chord's fingering. Sweep picking takes that same chord but strums through the individual strings one at a time as the individual strings are held down.

2. Practice the motion by fingering a D chord on the guitar. The position for this chord is: index finger on the second fret of the third string, ring finger on the third fret of the second string, and middle finger on the second fret of the first string. Sweep through each note one at a time down and up the chord shape, allowing only one note to ring out at a time. Use 6/8 timing so that each note is an eighth note, with six total notes being played.

3. Finger the same D chord from Step 2, only this time mute the strings to better hear the individual clicks so you know you are doing it properly. To mute the strings, place your fingers on the strings without pushing down; let your finger's natural weight rest on top of the string. This will result in the same-sounding click for each string.

4. Practice the hardest part of sweep picking, which is the movement of the hand that holds down the strings in each fret. While practicing the D chord, make sure to lift up each finger before pushing down on the next. It's a simple-sounding premise, but one that proves to be difficult.

5. Move on to more difficult chords and scales to continue to improve the type of notes you can sweep pick through. Make sure your motion is not going too slow to pick the individual notes, but also not connected enough to strum the entire chord.