Another sweeping question!

[kjpacino]

hey :)
i`m new to the forums and have a doubt on practicing sweep picking!

which one gives out better results?

1. starting to sweep 3 strings.. then gradually shifting to 4,5,6 while gradually increasing tempo?

or

2. practicing a "sweep intensive" kinda song(serrana, altitudes) which uses all the strings, at a ridiculously low speed ( 50 Bpm or something) and gradually increasing the tempo.

The reason why i asked was that.... the method in 1 becomes boring and monotonous after a while... but i`m not sure about the 2nd way either .. as many players tell you to start with three string sweeps.

[daystar]

Both. You don't have to limit yourself to one practicing pattern. Varied practice sessions keep things more interesting and make you more versitile.

[slash_ragnarok]

hey :)
i`m new to the forums and have a doubt on practicing sweep picking!

which one gives out better results?

1. starting to sweep 3 strings.. then gradually shifting to 4,5,6 while gradually increasing tempo?

or

2. practicing a "sweep intensive" kinda song(serrana, altitudes) which uses all the strings, at a ridiculously low speed ( 50 Bpm or something) and gradually increasing the tempo.

The reason why i asked was that.... the method in 1 becomes boring and monotonous after a while... but i`m not sure about the 2nd way either .. as many players tell you to start with three string sweeps.

To tell u the truth, 5 string sweeps seem way easier TO ME than 3 string ones. I think I know why. When i'm doing the 5 strings ones I am spending some time on the downstrokes before facing upstrokes. But as far as 3 strings go, no sooner do u end downstrokes than upstrokes start. It sort of cramps my picking hand up. it feels trapped in a small range of motion..

[ChainsawGuitar]

It sort of cramps my picking hand up. it feels trapped in a small range of motion..

I see what you mean, but I think you're tensing up your picking arm too much if this happens. Try relaxing it a bit.

Ok, and sweeping...the way I practiced was to take lots of different shapes really slowly and then after a while you can play fast. There was never really a "gradual" increase- just slow, then fast. Also, I wouldn't distinguish too much between how many strings you are sweeping over, as this doesnt always relate to the difficulty.

I would say, from the two examples you gave, you really need to do both! Dont limit yourself just to doing 5 and 6 string sweeps- because then you'll have problems doing 2 or 3 string sweeps. Dont do the opposite.

Hope that helps?