Frank Gambale playing a cool sweeping shape.

[binky69]

economy picking is alternante picking on a single string,,, then when changing a string you pick in one direction be it down or up... lets say you play 5 7 9 on the low E with down up down .. then 5 7 9 on the A string Down up down.. so the whole thing is down up down down up down..

[guitaristshobi]

I love Frank... he is Virtuoso... apart from playing he looks so innocent...looks-like a sweet little child to me :D wanna pull those cheeks of yours Frank Gambale:D love you

[cast390]

Franks simply amazing but the dude looks like an egg

[Tangerinemustang]

@cast390 uncle fester

[cast390]

@Tangerinemustang LMAO

[sclogse1]

@cast390

Thanks for improving the world.

[guitarshredking]

What he is doing IS economy picking, economy picking involves picking every note but in the most fluid fashion thus eliminating unnecessary pick strokes

[GameLevelEditor]

Frank is the alpha and omega of arpeggio guitar and then some.

[aBigNickDigger]

That's economy picking!

[FeedMeForiAmATroll]

@aBigNickDigger

no it's not. economy picking is always starting on a downstroke for each string. you can't do that if you want to sweep forward and back.

[ERKRAKANARB]

@FeedMeForiAmATroll your explanation is not economy picking either

[FeedMeForiAmATroll]

@ERKRAKANARB

yeah, i misunderstood what it was. i had a really shitty guitar teacher (i quit a while ago and occasionally still have to learn from HIS mistakes), so shit like that will occasionally happen.

[MrHideyoursheep]

Hanble Lector!

[TheNeverendingfire]

Pure genius! in order to put out a succesful guitar techniques book, Frank Gambale has to approve of it! thats how fucktup this guy is! also, he is a teacher at Berkley which speaks for itself. rock on Gambale!

[funkifyyourlife]

@TheNeverendingfire Well, first, it's spelled "Berklee", as in Berklee College of Music. You may be thinking of Berkeley College in New York, or University of California, Berkeley, but the music school is Berklee College of Music in Boston (with campuses in other places now). Frank Gambale doesn't teach at any of them. He's done some teaching at GIT, as far as I've heard.

[joeylodes]

What a Monstrous pentatonic!!!!

[ThaThing1337x]

u remind me of turtles

[moose60]

Is there some reason he plays it this way? It's much easier, and therefore faster and cleaner, for me to play 3 notes on each string. ie: 5-8-10 on E, then 7-10-12 on A, then 10-12-14 on D, then 12-17-14 on G.

[Str8Faced]

@moose60 He plays it this way to give it the feel he wants. Similar to a drummer playing a 16th note fill with double strokes rather than single strokes. It's just a different technique.

[jimmyleppard6]

it's awesome but you said you'll show me the picking after..when? like..tomorrow??

[fullmetaljazz63]

good homework exercises

[MyLifeChanger]

anyone knows what kind of guitar he plays on this video?

[Deathz0r94]

Sweeping + Alternate picking = win

[Nickiefive]

this is amzing but lacking an explanation

[barnickd]

@Nickiefive play those notes using directional picking

[shreddy412]

This isn't a sweep. He is economy picking. ;-)

[hsguitarist]

lol petrucci would be smoking his right hand doin this hahah and Franks does it so natural (petrucci is a great player OK.) technique

[pockthehairy]

"so I put that g over here"

[espectaculardavidrcq]

Genial!

[dwilmer7]

Nice shiny head.

[mt6192002]

無茶ゆーたらあかんわｗ

[MrLongtimegone]

Chet Adkins played these sweeps 50 years ago.Nice guitar diddies

[MyLifeChanger]

@MrLongtimegone cool. could you give us the name of the song? so we all can hear....

[GibsonGuitarist666]

I had no idea this guy even existed. What a monster guitar player!

[ultimateRupture]

its not that hard dudes relax just practice it 1000 hours and it will be ok

[yeanny]

Good sweep.  I've been practicing this for a few days now. I'm no where close to his speed. Dude made it look so easy. Good sweep though.

[donottawaguitar]

nice

[BlueRoseRocketBand2]

tried this sweep shit maybe in the next life.

but if you can do it it will give you another realm to play in.

[felphero]

holy fucking shit

[espectaculardavidrcq]

Gran agilidad!!!

[nelsonfrazier]

si si el también corre los 100 metros planos, el corre con la guitarra y se la pone en el culo y se pone a tocar los sweep picking d mierda

[petrucci159]

he's great!!

[bloodthirst72]

If I tried that, my hands would explode.

[6rosebudX]

sweeeeet

[7stringdragon]

Great economy picking technique. Very tricky to get perfect, epecially on a clean setting, like he's got. OUTstanding

[DuhJeffmeister]

it's not on clean...there's definitely drive on it

[Semach4444]

ummmm....huh?

[kharlos84]

your the man gambale

[AFWHHHH]

cleaner than gustavo could hope to do

[benthemiester]

I think he's a cyborg, in the 25 years ive heard him play, he's never had a bad performance.

[robeezy789]

look at how smooth his right hand "sweeps"

[vicecitymodgameridol]

hei man..but i think the strings are desafined...ore changed

compare with gp5

[Metaljonus4020]

He looks like Andrew Zimmern LOL Eat any cow balls lately Frank??? haha great player I love em.

[diesel779]

Thats more like economy picking than sweep picking.

[dennoow]

Different words, same technique.

[oaks170]

so what

[diminishedlogic]

he shows us these licks because he knows no one can play them

[skylinebgrd]

lol

[Azwethinkweiz17]

This guys knows what he's doing thats for sure

[danzilla777]

hah!!!! shiiiiieeeeaaaattt!!!! god damn!!!

[AFWHHHH]

smooth and immensely knowledgeable guitarist

[vinnothelizard]

he is never in the league of steart or taylor!

[andyodey]

heheheheheehee

[lukegotro]

ridiculous

[ziemass]

lol try and play that with that speed lol

[6rosebudX]

orgasm

[instrumentenfreak]

EARgasm

[Avatar7x7]

Rock guitarist routinely take their (ideas) technique and water it down to be digested by less mature music lovers.

I don't like comparing musicians because it's all good! -but 90% of your to rock and metal-head guitarist couldn't stay in the same musical room with Jazz influenced players like Gambale.

[brandon5pennies]

progressive metal musicians can stay in the same room as it's very jazz influenced. thrash and hardcore and stuff not likely unless if the guitarist personally is influenced by a particular guitarist

[PSGW00]

Now that's just not true! Well, while most rock guitarists can't play jazz stuff, it actually works the same way the other way round! When jazz players play rock music, it sounds wrong most the time. The don't have the right technique, attitude or perception. Often it's harder to learn fx. jazz licks, but it's hard to learn to play many rockish riffs right too. As with singers - a opera singer just can't sing rock right!

[gand5000]

Often times, you are right.

On the other hand, you might want to check out Chris Poland's jazz work with the band Ohm.

...Yeah the same Chris Poland who was the lead guitarist for thrash gods Megadeth. That one. Has some serious jazz chops. Just thought I'd point out that there are in fact notable exceptions. :)

[Avatar7x7]

Hey andyaaaa, lay off the Jack Daniels and use spell-check. Ultimately if you are an open minded musician you listen to

almost everything. So all great musicians are influenced by all music that they hear. The whole notion of who is the fastest etc. is sooo adolescent. It's really about great compositions and good to great improv in the context of

a great song. ---nuff said!!!!

[andyaaaaaaa]

thats exacly wath i said

[Avatar7x7]

Guitarist like Gambale,Allan Holdsworth and Scott Henderson etc.. - have complete mastery of the fretboard(obvious). All metal heads have to do is check the comments of Steve Vai who's a monster in his own right but knows better than to mess with those guys. In a word he has complete respect for players like Frank.

[petar870602]

steve vai is monster compare to the beatlest.....to gambale or holdsworth he can only tune the guitar!

[6rosebudX]

agreed 100%

[todd0000420]

this guy owns yngwei

[Valekorn]

@todd0000420 this guy kick yngwie ass, italians are the best in everything in the world, learn.

[00Ibanezist00]

@todd0000420 This "Yngwei" fellow; is he Yngwie's asian cousin?

[todd0000420]

@00Ibanezist00 you've heard him too?

[00Ibanezist00]

@todd0000420 haha yeah man! I get sick of hearing him play the Iwato scale... hahahahaah. I didn't mean to make fun, just so you know.

[AlucardMorgurth]

@todd0000420 Maybe he owns yngwie, but you don't own anybody.

[todd0000420]

@AlucardMorgurth really? takes real balls to say that. try spreading some love, bro

[Anarchyffan]

@todd0000420 They're completely different styles you moron.

[xSODOMAx]

haaa imposible! jaja muy bueno gambale virtuosisimo!

[Mwgsy64]

Hell, sounds good to me, so I'll agree.

[Lukeyboi14]

is he australian?

[sasha42196]

yes

[Brayds]

In all of his old videos he actually wore a wig, because he's bald.

[rmsolympic1]

out of curiosity, why did he cut his hair off?

[zebopper]

For just a lesson what's with the heavy distortion? Especially on a hollow jazz box?

[valeriopasqua]

stfu

[virtuosolomon]

u ass its not even metal distortion..its reg blues distortion

[largemoose]

economy picking

[JazzzRockFuzion]

To those who can't seem to figure it out: Any motion from the pick in the SAME DIRECTION on TWO (2) or more consecutive strings is considered SWEEPING (or raking, or whatever else you choose to call it). What Frank is demonstrating is the ultimate economy of motion, more so than full-on alternate picking. You can nitpick and say, "Hey he doesn't sweep straight across ALL six strings so it's not sweeping." but that's moron logic. Again, like sweepfast says, check out Frank's DVDs-don't be N00BZ

[Ruebe85]

He look's like Darth Vader when Luke takes his mask off XD But he's a great guitarplayer

[Ubertron10k]

Being pedantic for the win

[sweepfast]

Ubertron10k,

Gambale breaks down sweeping in the Monster licks and speed picking video. The video was made back in 1987.

In the video he states that about 15 years before he made the video or about 1972 he started working on a picking style that was not locked into a scale tone sound.

He broke it down and saw when he used sweeping every shape had a odd number of notes and in order to turn the shape around on the string that you turn the shape you need a even number of notes.

[jareds1007]

@sweepfast they may just never get it......but why you say.......scale tone sound?

[sweepfast]

Count the notes in this shape. Two notes to start or even on the low E, then three notes or odd, then one note or odd, then three notes or odd, then one or odd, then two notes or even to turn the shape on the high E.

[mcclurgoman]

Sorry! On closer inspection, and actually listening to him, i realise, he does in fact do small sweeps. I thought he was alternate picking it, my bad.

[Ubertron10k]

Just because it's an arpeggio doesn't make it a sweep

Sweeping is a mechanical action, it's not anything stylistic, you can sweep any shape with weird tunings etc etc

This is economy picking albeit like sweeping but it isn't

[sweepfast]

Ubertron10k,

Sweeping is not a mechanical action. It's based on odd and even notes on a string. If you know the fretboard, you can move notes around the fretboard and sweeping any shape.

Again, buy Monster licks and speed picking and have your mind opened to what sweeping really is.

[Dreamdancer11]

@sweepfast he is right you know...sweeping its just an action like alternate picking...the only thing it describes is what you do when changing strings.Sweep picking ,economy picking, directional picking, its many names describing the same thing.Gambale organizes his licks that way so nothing can brake the sweeping motion.But even if you dont organize them that way every time you cross strings in one continous motion...you are sweeping.

[mcclurgoman]

It's cool, but it's not a sweep..

[sweepfast]

mcclurgoman,

Is that so....how about you telling us why it's not a sweep? I will love to hear this one.

If you think you must have sweeping movement up or down like all up strokes to all down strokes like with a triad arpeggio in order for it to be a sweep you have no idea how Gambale has opened up sweeping for any kind of shape, scale or arpeggio.

[mcclurgoman]

It's not a sweep because he doesn't use the sweeping movement! That IS the whole point of a sweep. Although people loosely call this a sweep, it's not, it's an arpeggio. You wouldn't call arpeggios on a piano sweeps, because they aren't sweeped. Think logically.

[sweepfast]

If you buy Gambale's monster licks and speed picking DVD you will learn how he using expansion ideas to use sweep picking for any shape of arpeggio or scale.

As Gambale puts it, he moves notes around with different standard shapes so one can sweep them as he did with this shape in this video.

Again, buy the DVD and learn before making comments ok.

[TheExperience09]

@sweepfast Idk, I think this is more accurately described as economy picking. I understand why Gambale calls them sweeps, but idk, Id call it economy picking

[supahsekzy]

@mcclurgoman You don't know what you're talking about. Arpeggios can either be played with sweep or alternate picking. Sweep picking specifically means going from one string to the adjacent one in one motion. So yes you can sweep pick 2 notes if you want. Frank Gambale would absolutely call this sweep picking, its just that his patterns of up and down sweeping are more complex than just sweeping up all the way and then down all the way.

[TheExperience09]

Look up economy picking on wikipedia.

[00Ibanezist00]

@mcclurgoman If you really want to, you can call it economy picking. Which uses a "Sweeping motion"

Play this same lick with alternate picking, and tell me this doesn't look more like he is sweeping.

[guitarman069]

hahaha frank is bald hahaha..ur awesome frank

[Elvira37]

e bravo a tampalinI

[xelad1]

frank doesn't get enough credit in the sense that he's not super popular to listen to, i mean lets face it fusion and blues is less popular than say metal, so most of the metal shred gods get their recognition. any well educated guitarist who cares about his technique should know who frank gambale is though.

[elnombre2]

Id rather eat cold sick than listen to and eric johnson cd but i think that people give him credit for pentatonics in the sense that he has a broader improvisational palate than most rock players, and uses things like triads and pentatonics in a more liberal and educated way. Any way frank is so good i think he still doesnt get enough credit.

[Chromatype]

Sometimes I wonder why we have to give Eric Johnson  credit for pentatonics when McLaughlin was doing it back in the 70's and Coltrane back in the 60's???

[guitarplayer45678]

Nobody is "giving EJ credit" for the pentatonic scale. It is thousands of years old and is used all over the world. Eric Johnson just is known for using it because does so in a fairly unique way among guitarists.

[Chromatype]

But so does Stevie Ray, Robben Ford, Gambale, Scott henderson...the rhythmic delivery and tone is what gives this scale the character of the player using

it...at least to my ears.

[dennoow]

Well I wouldn't give Eric Johnson credit for his use of the pentatonic scale. His string skipped shapes are impossible to me but mostly I'd respect him for being such an accurate and different sounding guitarist, like the others you;ve mentioned, Johnos certainly has his own style. Next to what you said it's also about phrasing, and Johnson is very distinct at that IMO, especially with the pentatonic shapes.

[RomainChapus]

great

[hotrodius]

very Eric Johnson like pentatonic run

[jojeta2]

he is the saint of the sweep!! ^_^