How To Sweep Pick Musically: Riff Of The Week® - 7/21/10 (S5:E35)

[jamietrhcp17]

The part I love is that you don't even notice the lick unless you're trying to pick it up, it just blends in nicely.

[shivajibanerjee]

all I can say is Beautiful

[breaker9]

isnt that last movement from c to d called a grace note?

[lierd78]

the solo is great :)

[42littlebit]

thats a PRS swamp ash 513 i think :)

[TheGoldenSkyline]

I like this guy!! he just explained my feelings for sweeping. Im not good at guitar. But I know my theory. I cant stand bands that chug and use the same shapes over and over for sweeping.

[monki8855]

its ba ! ba pa pa pa !!

[stilt37]

that prs is bad. ass.

[calitheguitarist]

wow that track with your solo reminds me so much of Carlos Santana, its an amazing sound.

[neddomac]

prs custom 24s are the most beautiful guitars ive ever seen

[bazbonehead]

@neddomac its a 513

[6672rock]

You should definitely do a video on how to finger tap musically, especially for some of those legato 8-finger runs. Vito Bratta of White Lion was quite good at being musical with tapping.

[Underoath7711]

sickest PRS

[RyanCmetal]

so much creativity in your improv  amazing

[PoggerzZ]

He looks like Sylar from heroes :) cool lesson

[loboDX182]

i hear soer guhtrie there in the improvisation

[barrettd04]

the back track jam you do aorudn 3:30 is amazing.

[LeMike]

on revolute is one of the most amazing albums i've heard :)

[scarred2112]

Absolutely *killer* chops that don't sound like "CHOPS!", fantastic tone (don't tell Steve, but your tone absolutely knocks his out of the park ;-) and a stunning Ash-bodied PRS which you don't see too many of. I have have both Ash & Alder high-end basses and find both have different tones depending on my playing (my Jazz 4 & 5-strings - Mike Lull, like Beller's - fit the "Modern Jazz" perfectly, and my Alder-backed bolt-on Spectors have a more unique tone based on custom pickups I spec'ed out)

[Gattmax]

Nice PRS. I ordered the 513 Ash. What do you think of it? I am surprised that they are made with many pcs. of Swamp ash (I think mine has five - two on the back and three on the front). Do you think that is too many?

[gtrpimp76]

Love your channel Dave. It's like having you as my own personal guitar instructor. And your playing is refreshing. Not just flash and a bunch of random notes.

[AgentSmith16]

That was a SICK jam!

[serazac25]

for a sec there I thought those were 707's on a 6 string lol

[MikeTheGuy00]

Dave... you're such an inspiring musician... i love you dude. Simply amazing. Thanks for your videos man. We all DEEPLY appreciate it.

[LewRKop]

@1min.20 I thought you were going to rip into the Airwolf theme :-p

[adil2552]

How are you liking the 513?

I need a versatile "go to" guitar for playing everything from blues to metal.

How does it handle high gain?

[jg76aries]

ya know, it's funny. but when you first show us that lick/riff at the beginning, it sounds kinda cool but kinda weird, and then you put on the backing track and it just kinda clicked in my head before you even started playing. Cool stuff man, as always.

[candlewick163]

I usually use sweeping with arpeggios, but the style you play in the way you used this riff I usually use sweeping when I'm improvising, I use the -7 arpeggios in the blues scale to improvise a lot.

[Piratcykel]

Do you think Mattias Eklund's sweeps are melodic, or just crazy?

(Mattias from Freak Kitchen)....He's a god at sweeping, but have a wierd and personal style...Just wondering what you think!

[canman87]

Thanks for all these videos, Dave. You're a great instructor and a stellar player. I just ordered both of your CDs about 12 hours ago and I can't wait to get them!

[sk8alot82]

i didnt really like it. i dont know what kind of music that fits into except some weird kind of happy jazz stuff or the mario theme song.

[TheYoa01]

Wow. Looking at your fretboard, I can see you've been playing the hell out of that PRS! And I think that once I learn to efficiently sweep pick, I will definitely have to come back to this ROTW. Thanks, Dave.

[kingStuLad]

I didn't really see how you could fit that particular riff into a song. It almost didn't sound right. However, yet again, there it is: fits in perfectly. You truly are an astounding musician!

[TenebrousSounds]

Your creativity is awe inspiring.

[taylorsashawood]

Wow, killer Jam! Those sliding trills would make Greg Howe envious! I've been getting over a substance dependency lately and have had no interest in picking up my guitar and practicing for an upcoming music college audition, but this video has reminded me of something... I don't know any guitar player whose virtuosity inspires me to keep playing like yours does Dave - you're the man! P.S. next tour you set, maybe you can visit your friends to the North!

[TremolNo]

Another great one, DW!

Thanks!

[AlanMcKennaVideos]

Cool Riff

[elliotalfaro]

Very nice! Richie Kotzen also has great sweeping technique...

[elliotalfaro]

Love Richie Kotzen's sweeping tech...

[Barefoot67]

I just watched your demo video for the Sonuss G2M converter, just curious if you've used that on your new album?

[NuclearBanjo]

At 0:30 say thst to Rusty Cooley ...lol

My think too is Gambale have not the perfect way , music must be feel by fingers too .

You're a nice guitarist , keep what you do'ing here on youtube

Nice job man

[col33145]

nice PRS Dave ,, or is it a fender lol

[luvmestrat]

That guitar is a real beauty.. Good tone too.. And a killer lesson as always! Thanks. Congratulations on the success of your album.

[pistache7]

Yeah,the ukélélé is nice and i really like the car behind you. That's a japanese car right ? lol

[stephen1231234]

Dude Awesome i get what ure saying about sweeping picking, people always seem to use as a "trick" like what u say... its not musical and isnt very tastefull obviosly my opinion but cheers for the vid keep up the good work :)

[Jan1515]

i took like the last 6 months off watching your vids, and this one just made me want to start watching again. Although I'm pretty sure i've seen you do plenty of lessons on sweep picking, this one has some pretty nice jamming to it (and the PRS is bomb!). I can understand how tough it must be to think of a new lesson after having done as many as you have so far already lol.

nice vid

[Joediamond16]

I wish I had such a nice Ibanez-Gibson-Fender-PRS... xD

Here I'm using just a simple Epiphone...

[covenantgospelchoir]

its a custom PRS...

[xloserx4xchristx]

That's obviously a Gibson.

[kesx]

Great riff this week! Thanks.

[psychokong64]

intellectual shredding ^^

[AnalDan]

What a nice Accordion! Congrats!

[AnalDan]

What a nice Cello Congrats!

[bc2208]

Can you do a quick video on the lick at 3:48-3:54?

[MAlshoaiby]

Just being a subscriber to your channel has taught me a lot. I really appreciate these videos, Dave. The YouTube community's never seen a better guitar teacher.

[iNNkvaRt]

I'm totally gonna get myself one of those fenders right there.

[darthvaderyoda]

Is this one of the backing tracks on your site?

[69Thrasha69]

Zolier was way off! It's a gibson!

[diesect33]

does that guitar have chambers in it? sounds VERY resonant. I mean, a $12,000 guitar SHOULD be resonant but, still that thing has a great tonality. Like my SG. I have 3 and 'Erline' is my favorite. so you're doing a sweep with a slide/pulloff? That's a "Slur" huh? wondered what the term was I use those quite a bit,lol. I'm going to apply and get laughed out of the office at Berklee for next year. all i do is guitar...i don't even watch tv,lol.

[drook666]

It's not just brup brap... it's Baaah... Bah Bah Bah Bah

[treyxavier]

you should have more stuff like that jam you do in this video on your next album, cuz that was pretty savage.

[JayLovePlaysGuitar]

do a gear video plez!

[Storbashi]

Love the crazy slide lick when jamming!

[mullen2105]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! More Metal & lead players need to take from you on this.

[Zolier]

Sorry, it's my bad, I know it's an Ibanez. Very nice!

[evan181]

@Zolier wrong again lol

[buscobanda]

Just loved this ROTW, sweet and different aproach of the sweeps, thanks dave!

[DAVEWEINER]

@Zolier - you're kidding right?

[kareemb0]

@DAVEWEINER He is kidding. You're obviously playing on a Tokai Les Paul, hahaha!

[avskrap]

@DAVEWEINER I sure hope he is.

[LarcherESP]

@DAVEWEINER@Zolier

Psh, that is a Paul Reed Smith, sir.

[PantallicaWRXT]

@DAVEWEINER haha yes nice "fender" Dave. Since when did Fenders look like PRS? hahaha

[LoveStarOcean]

@DAVEWEINER I think hes pulling your leg Dave, btw Dave about that PRS did you ask to have it made from a more comfortable wood cause I sometimes feel that the wood regularly used on the necks of guitars like PRS and Gibson's arent really built for speed (Thats mainly why I stick to Jackson's and Ibanez)

[kesx]

@LoveStarOcean There are certain woods that are built for speed? LOL. Or are you talking about the thickness of the neck?

[LoveStarOcean]

@kesx No im not talking about the Thickness (Although it sometimes is a factor) I mean that the neck of some guitars arent very smooth and it causes a bit of drag when you shred all up and down the neck

[kesx]

@LoveStarOcean I've been playing for 25 years, the finish on the neck makes no difference to me. I agree necks with a raw finish are smoother... but doesn't affect my playing at all.

[LoveStarOcean]

@kesx Well in my case ive only been playing 3 years (Im only 16) and to me its a big dilema which sucks since I love the sound and shape of those guitars, hopefully as I keep playing ill get acostumed to those necks

[jawedib]

@DAVEWEINER.. that man represents your viewership :D j/k.. we are awesome.. well, most of us

[Lachy101]

@DAVEWEINER LOL !!!! ill say...

[metelegerald]

@DAVEWEINER this made my night hahaha

[Zolier]

@DAVEWEINER Yes, I know it's an Inanez..

[sonico73]

@Zolier Is a PRS.

[ForbiddenHaze]

@DAVEWEINER Nope he's not. He's really Dick Cheney in disguise.

[manchild4007]

@DAVEWEINER LOL

[Ghop7577]

@DAVEWEINER he'd better be!! hahahahaha!! di you get an axe fx yet??

[sert7]

@DAVEWEINER

:) hehe must be

[Weirderino]

@Zolier Uhm.... did somebody pluck out your eyeballs?

[dvon21]

@Zolier What an idiot, you can't even recognize a Yamaha trumpet...

[evan181]

@Zolier lol look closer

i hope you were joking.

[withoutajem]

@Zolier hahahahahaha

[Tubyboulin]

@Zolier Dude, it's not a fender, it's just a Squier!!

Awesome lesson, Dave! As always.

[kesx]

@Zolier LOL!

[neriovai]

@Zolier XD

[empreme]

@Zolier Hahahaha!

[TheYoa01]

@Zolier Wow...

[glassprisoner417]

@Zolier fail...it's a PRS

[torr71]

I just picked up a new Guitar world and saw your Guitar 101 article and that your now teaching at GIT in Hollywood.

SWEET..

[DeadWhiteButterflies]

lol I misread it as "how to sleep musically". Might make a good album title, or not, haha.

[shadowbane80]

@DeadWhiteButterflies LOL Snoring in E minor

[ManosRK]

it seemed like a prs but didn't know which one, thanks :)

[silentboy85]

u are always the best teacher, same as paul gilbert IMHO

[Dread098]

Best ROTW in a while :D Keep it up, you're awesome!

[ManosRK]

what's this guitar ?

[BlackDiamond351]

@ManosRK prs 513

[silentboy85]

@ManosRK PRS 513 Swamp Ash

[NeckPickup]

"How To Sweep Pick Musically" is one of the great mysterious riddles, comparable to the great "Chicken / Egg Debacle", "Darwin vs God", "Gibson Vs Jews".. As grateful as i am for the attempt at solving this and proving the solutino free to the interwebs, I believe its still remarkably difficult to impossible. As Churchill once said "To sweep pick, is to eat shit by choice."

[Adji87]

Good lesson, musicality should always be the most important thing!

However, I think the up and down thing can be very musical if it is done right, and the right person is doing it. Look at Jason Becker, possibly the all time master of sweep picking, a lot of the time his lines were based around simple 5 string major and minor shapes, but it is the way they are linked together like a chord progression ,and using inversions to create something truly beautiful and, MUSICAL.

I do agree though Dave.

[STorpedo]

@Adji87 I have to disagree; I just checked up the vid for Serrana, and while it's musical, it's music 101; a simple chord progression. He could've made the music so much better if he was tactful with his phrasing, and didn't just reduce everything to the lowest common denominator of sweeping everything. Because he's going so fast, he can't add nuances, whether in volume, intonation, production of the note or rhythm, and therefore reduces the composition to its most basic and least creative form.

[Adji87]

@STorpedo Fair enough mate, I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Personally I find Becker one of the most musical 'shredders' and his implementation of sweep picking was revolutionary imo.

[STorpedo]

@Adji87 Well, unless you are willing to give me other examples, there's nothing to disagree with, either you're stubborn and can't see reason, or you agree. I'm not omniscient, but unless by some incredible oversight on my part you have a better argument, what I said is correct. I just listened to altitudes, and while I can appreciate him only using a single section of sweeps in the song, even that amount of time 'real estate' is unwarranted, because there's nothing interesting about it.

[Adji87]

@STorpedo Mate, I don't have to justify my opinion to you, music is subjective, if you do not like Becker's music then fair enough, as far as I am concerned, your loss. I bet you like a load of stuff I don't, and vice versa. That is the beauty in music, it is subjective.

Becker's progressions in those songs are relatively simple, but sometimes simplicity yields the best music, not always, but sometimes.

[Adji87]

@Adji87 Playing lightning quick arpeggios in music is nothing new, it has been around hundreds of years but gained a lot of popularity in Baroque and Romantic periods where 'showing off' as it were became big business haha.

I personally think Becker's playing is 99 per cent of the time very musical and well thought out, but I also believe he has written some of his best music since his inability to play guitar.

[Adji87]

@Adji87 The End Of the Beginning is probably my favourite piece of his, written without touching the guitar, for obvious reasons.

Sometimes technique limits us, sometimes it opens us up, its about finding the right balance.

If you disagree fair enough, like I said music is subjective, and that is the beauty of it.

[STorpedo]

@Adji87 Good points (well, apart from the 'beauty's in the eye of the subjective beholder' notion; all that says is that you can like anything for all the wrong reasons, rather than knowing what is considered good art, and why) simplicity works well in the background, to compliment complexity up front, or for effect and surprise, but other than those two exceptions simplicity is simplicity, and generally not good art, because it's less expressive, and less dense with the said 'art'.

[STorpedo]

@STorpedo Like I said, Becker doesn't use nuances when playing appregios, whether rhythmic or otherwise, and uses simple consecutive note groupings, this is simplicity at it's basest, and it would be one thing if it was used as it was in the end of the, erm, end of the beginning, where it had some logic to it and was used to hit the proverbial (and harmonic) point home, but in Serrana and Altitudes he lingers on the technique too long without a good reason other than,

[STorpedo]

'watch me nail this technique I've practised for weeks, so that it's not in vain'. It might sound technically impressive, but from a musical standpoint, god no. I appreciate you having an opinion, and from what I've listened I can see that Becker's got taste, especially in 'the end of the beginning', but you can't really say that a person repeating the same grouping of notes for a dozen bars with no musical inflections is creating great music, when you have Vai, et al, to compare it to.

[Adji87]

@STorpedo I dunno mate. I appreciate what your saying and I am glad we can discuss this fairly (other than the usual cretins I attempt to talk to on here) and clearly you have knowledge of music, as do I, so perhaps our education and personal tastes just differ. I actually think there is nothing wrong with using the same three notes to make a repetitive line if it sounds good, and imo, it sounds good.

Anyway, we should discuss this via PM where we aren't interrupting Dave's video :)

[STorpedo]

@Adji87 Good point, let's not hijack the posting :)

[JSGayMusic]

That lick at 3:27 is awesome.. I love moving up and hitting the same notes over and over like that. It's such a throw off to people who don't know about guitar when they watch it!

[zelltic]

Dave, What is your thought of Joe Satriani's 'The Power Cosmic 2000 Part II'?

I know it's not strictly sweeping because he does it all legato, but would you say it was musical?

Personally, I have grown to love it having given it a chance.

[tedhellcaster]

what's the title of your backing track? gonna buy it!

[young0wylde0child]

btw did i ever mention ur a music god

[young0wylde0child]

well dave there isnt anything wrong with ascending and decending arpeggios just aslong as its used at the right time in the context of the song or point of improvisation

[wimpy77]

@young0wylde0child he's right it's not musicial it's just wanking. straight up and down sweeping is good for building technique but not good for making music.

[STorpedo]

@young0wylde0child there is if it's done continously, with no logic or musical sensibility, the concetration point being just being able to do it as fast as you can. Going up and down through chords is just that; playing chords, trying to fool the audience that you're doing something spectacular, and you're playing the chords with simple note groupings, so there's not a lot of musicality there.

[young0wylde0child]

@STorpedo well yeah i feel the exact same way i was just saying there isnt anything wrong with going up and down as long as its used in the right context in a song, its just a matter of whether its appropriate or not. theres nothing wrong u know with changing the rhythm of an arpeggio,its cool, but i was just trying to say that going up and down is still musical, aslong as its used in the right context

[STorpedo]

@young0wylde0child Well, I'll put it this way, the number of right contexts is very limited. I have no problem with the technique as long as it's being used appropriately, so I agree with you, but, like I was saying, I believe that it's a serious problem if there's a dozen seconds of a solo in a musical composition that's being dedicated to a simple up-and-down routine, which just outlines a simple chord with no nuances to speak of, which is what seems to happen 99% of the time.

[diesect33]

@STorpedo agreed. That's why i don't sweep arpeggios often. I either find that sweeping works well or arpeggios played as chords but, both together actualy seem pretty limited. I do some swept arpeggios followed by a slur into a pulloff and pick-hand tap but, that's all of 5 seconds MAX in a song.

[Minitravis14]

brilliant!

[chrivip]

Very Nice :D