Ultimate Sweep Picking Trick | 3-String Arpeggio Sweeping Lesson

In this guitar lesson I show you one of my favorite sweep picking tricks concerning 3 string arpeggios - I hope you will be sweeping faster and cleaner with this tip, have fun practicing!
By analizing my struggles after watching hours of practice routine footage I managed to isolate the problem I encountered with the popular 3 string shapes. I replaced a critical picking stroke with a hammer-on and managed to develop speed pretty fast! Leave a comment if you have any further questions, I'd love to know if this trick also helps you with your sweep picking technique!
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QUESTION - You have a question about technique, theory, gear, career or anything else? Post it in the comments of this video!
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About this video:
In this week's video Bernth shows you a sweep picking hack for 3 string arpeggios.
Intro background music by Ender Guney:
/ ncmepicmusic

[@Bernthguitar]

By analyzing my struggles after watching hours of practice routine footage I managed to isolate the problem I encountered with the popular 3 string shapes. I replaced a critical picking stroke with a hammer-on and managed to develop speed pretty fast! Leave a comment if you have any further questions, I'd love to know if this trick also helps you with your sweep picking technique!

[@SinistrousWoodlove]

You only show 1 of the 3 Gm triad shapes? The 3rd one, descending/ascending (5,3,1,5,1,3), instead of ascending/descending (5,1,3,5,3,1) Why? If you had started in Am ascending/descending triads & explained the notes, shapes & formula eg: 1st A,C,E.1,3,5. 2nd C,E,A. 3,5,1. 3rd E,A,C. 5,1,3. & then shown A minors relative major key, C. And the C major triads 1st. C,E,G. 1,3,5. 2nd E,G,C. 3,5,1. 3rd G,C,E. 5,1,3. you could have given us 3 different minor & 3 different major sweeping shapes to work on, instead of just one. Oh, by the way, it's not a trick either, it's a technique. Cheers.

[@calebsj]

How would you approach this when starting for the g string?

[@rickardo1748]

how you approach arpegios when you have to hit the same space on different strings?

[@johncmendez]

I said it before (in your IG account) and I'll keep on saying it: YOU ARE THE MAN!! Through the years I've seen a lot of so-call tutorials videos... but, you, master kenobi are the best vy faaaaaar!! Crystal clear explanations, and straight to the point. Excelents tabs, camera zoom, guides over the videos all showing and explaining exactly what we mortal need to see, to know, to understand and to learn! Thanks a lot for all of that and your dedication!! Keep on rocking!!

[@charliecooper5354]

Star Wars and Metal is perhaps one of the many awesome combinations in life itself 😎

[@ChristianVirial]

@@charliecooper5354 Absolutely! The coolest people like both!!

[@cameronprice9207]

Not gonna lie I got instant results from trying this technique

[@Bernthguitar]

Great to hear, glad I could help!

[@Thee.BigJev]

I started trying the sweeps just today to try and further my styles of playing, as you're reading this I have practiced for about 2 hours using the same shape, but with this little tip, I can already tell that it makes it a little easier and notocibly faster. Thanks for the tip!!

[@goose-ir1tc]

how is your progress now ?

[@Thee.BigJev]

@@goose-ir1tc significantly better, i kinda fell off for a bit so a little bit of practice goes a long way

[@WhoDaF0ok1sThatGuy]

Looking back on this, it’s kind of crazy how Bernth has somehow gotten even better. I thought it wasn’t possible to become more skilled!😂

[@MrSWANDADDY]

Brilliant!!! Excellence is a matter of degrees, what a simple observation and solution

[@rasmadrak]

Watching this in 2021 - Not only have your guitar skills improved these last years, but your english as well. :) Happy Patreon supporter and been getting crazy results myself thanks to you! All the best! /Robert

[@BuddyguyBret]

I use a version of this when I play the intro to the song “sweet child o mine!” Instead of picking the 3rd and last notes of the main riff I simply hammer on them and it sounds almost like you are pulling off to a note on a lower string! It also sounds much BETTER when you want a legato sound! Very insightful lesson! It’s so weird too how you play a sweep with a staccato technique, but the sound you want is very fluid and legato! The guitar is the most amazing instrument!

[@clevername4781]

Bad ass tip man. First sweeping video that actually gave that advice that I've seen

[@MarkSanteria]

I subscribed cuz of what you mentioned in the intro, how hard you work... I love it man thank you for the lessons 💪🙏✌️

[@image30p]

Excellent! You play that lick very fluidly.

[@flatgroundtv7097]

Just realized that pull off and hammer on really buy some time to move fast on the fretboard. Thank you teacher for the knowledge. 🙏🏼🙂

[@johnherenz8444]

It was the other way for me.. the three string picking was easy for me but the bigger ones took me ages to learn and i am still working on speed now.. But the thing is you r the one of the best teacher

[@Alex-sm6rt]

Awesome lesson! Thank you so much... I've been trying to learn some a7x solos and the sweeping picking segments have been tripping me up... Hoping this trick can help me get through them!

[@Bernthguitar]

Thank you Alex, that's so great to hear! Please keep me updated, I'd love to hear how the lesson helped your progress with this technique - have fun practicing!

[@impendingdoom385]

Can you please say "I'll be back" in a deep voice in the beginning of your next video? Thanks

[@bernifitzsimmons176]

Please hahaha

[@byronzacarias690]

Qué imbécil sos! jajaja pero pensé lo mísmo. :v

[@arkantrust]

@@byronzacarias690 Sería chistoso, la verdad

[@byronzacarias690]

@@arkantrust Si bastante jajaja.

[@Beulzabob]

Thanks Bernth. This is one of your best tips! I can't imagine anyone being able to differentiate the hammer on sound at high speed. Very cool! Also, I think a great practice for these 3 strings sweeps at the start (for increasing left hand speed) would be to play the pattern with only pull offs and hammer ons.

[@stevewright6639]

Excellent lesson,information and the quality of instruction and video professional quality

[@anthonymichel4660]

Excellent lessons you break everything down at a very accessible pace thank you.

[@jacobthanks2672]

Thanks bud. Your lessons are always very informative. I've advanced a lot because of you.

[@dante6x]

That guitar is sick!

[@gilbertoacunabautista5245]

Creo que eres el unico en youtube que tus enseñanzas son muy claras y sencillas, las diferentes tecnicas de ejercicios de guitarra.

[@mafdark]

Thanks for share, genial lessons , I m fan from Mexico, thanks a lot

[@_Svartdod_]

You should do a bad hobbies for beginners to avoid video that would help out alot

[@jaysonsopena7160]

Very helpful! Thanks bernth ..

[@GrimsBar]

I love your channel. Very informative.

[@vanillagza3470]

This is excellent!! Thank you so much... *off to practice*

[@jimkavanagh9521]

You are a fine teacher.

[@runnershigh7573]

Super...danke. Kann es kaum erwarten meine Klampfe zu Hause in die Hand zu nehmen und zu üben. Gruss aus der Schweiz. Roger

[@EclecticEssentric]

Thanks for doing the work! Awesome.

[@Glstonehill]

Awesome lesson, this helped me improve my sweeping incredibly much. Thank you!

[@resacadequeso3011]

God this is awesome, thanks for existing.

[@MrDmd74]

Great hack Bernth :) NOT TRYING TO DISS!!! In addition to being aware of the strength of the ‘trick’ note or legato note I just wanted to emphasize the importance of Dampening the other strings as well as the string with the ‘trick’ note when performing this hack. You can clearly hear the pickups picking up some fret noise/distortion when you hammer the note on in higher tempos. I’ll try this hack out. I’ve been trying to nail sweeping for a long time but the upward motion feels so unnatural to me so I’ve been sweeping/alternate picking combo my arpeggios. Works great in low and moderate tempos (especially when you insert some linear scale segments inside the arpeggio) but falls a part when moving in on shred territory :(

[@kevinsummerian]

excellent video dude

[@SuperFreeamerican]

Excellent lessons and amazing technique!

[@ferociouspterodactyl520]

Sweeping is the bane of my existence

[@thiago4853]

Thanks !

[@michaelcraig9449]

Which ones should a person work on that is just beginning sweep picking?

[@timcarstensen9951]

Are those real inlays or neck illusions or something similar? Look siiiiiick!

[@Bernthguitar]

Hey, yes - those are some really cool inlays that look like small mirrors, designed by the incredible H.R. Giger :)

[@Sandarpan]

The artwork is done in zinc I believe.

[@darthghitza8037]

Giving me Arnold vibes. Haha 😂 Kidding. Tnx for the lesson. Helped a lot.

[@sergiovenieri9591]

Hi Bernth. Thank very much for your videos. I want to ask you if you' d like to make lesson on Legato and how to use the left hand correctely

[@Lasernotes]

Very great man! I suggest to people also the Batio method that is a bit different, with the Batio method you don't move the wirst at all but you move you arm from the shoulder, both method are great!

[@Bernthguitar]

Hey Guiseppe, thanks for leaving a comment! I agree, Batio is an absolute master of technique and picking motion control, great example for sweep picking!

[@henry-babycamargo8561]

Wow.!!..thank you for the tips....

[@yeshonbk5831]

👏👏👏hoping for more stuff!!!!!

[@Bernthguitar]

Next lesson online tomorrow!

[@thewitchita1921]

Cool lessons thankyou ☺

[@HeavyInstinct]

This seemed like a good idea at first glance. It feels pretty natural when playing the root position and second inversion minor triad as you're using as your example. However when I try to use it with the first inversion where you're pulling off to a note under your index finger on the first string and then trying to hammer-on to a note with that same finger on the second string it feels quite clumsy to me. I honestly find it easier to just sweep through the notes as you did in your first example. If this hack feels more natural to you then great! However the way you played them in the first example is the way I've been doing it for years. It feels very natural to me and obviously works just fine for guys like Yngwie and MAB so I don't really see any reason to try to change it now. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate your lessons and have been subscribed to the channel for a while. This particular thing just wasn't for me though. Do you use this same technique when you play the larger five and six string shapes?

[@iska_cr3876]

Thanks dude 🤘🏻

[@abhikghosh2039]

It's a grt lesson sir.. i want to know how to sweep from the 6th string to 1st string.. And different shapes.. Thanking you. My self Abhik

[@MustangDesudiroz]

After quarantine i hope ill nail this down😎😂

[@counterweight320]

This is actually amazing. My technique went from dogshit to pretty decent just by implementing this trick. Thanks man.

[@stuforty2]

good video - nice tone :)

[@jamespala1816]

Thanks boss

[@carlosfilhosantana]

Cool lesson, man!

[@Bernthguitar]

Thank you Carlos!

[@diazudhet]

Awesome im biggest your fans from Indonesia

[@praiseandworshipabwm8541]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ thankyou so much ♥️🏩

[@yunggtyler2919]

It took me 5 hours total to form my sweep picking technique, I can fluently sweep pick at about 120 bpm rn

[@lulao7290]

*Awesome 😎*

[@batousai619]

Hey man thank you for putting time in making these video tutorials. Will this be a good starting point for me in practicing sweep picking or do you have other recommended videos that you’ve already made? I really want to start learning sweep picking, just don’t know how to start doing so.

[@XxXBattleStarXxX]

How do you keep the g string from ringing after a pull off? I try to mute it with the right hand, but sometimes it rings anyways

[@Ronkde]

Is this the best picking motion for fast 3 string sweeps? My brain tells me to pick all 3 strings up and then jump back to the 8 with a downstroke but it feels a bit messy.

[@dhammikarock]

That ibanez is gorgeous..whats the model??& You are a great teacher !!

[@Bernthguitar]

It's the Ibanez SHRG1Z! Thank you very much :)

[@leemodernemo5059]

@@Bernthguitar discontinued series isnt it?

[@Bernthguitar]

@@leemodernemo5059 Sadly yes, only a couple were made around 2007 - I was searching for a model in good condition for many years and finally found one last year on reverb.com!

[@williambrackett8229]

Yes gorgeous Ibanez!

[@SixString_J5]

these hammer ons 'from nowhere' are a personal weakness. I'm just not good at them, lol. I can swep pick every note 2x as fast as i can if i'm trying to hammer on the G. The best advice I ever heard about sweeps is that you need to immagine your arm falling across the strings keeping the pick at the same angle on every string and then on the turn around it is almost as if a rope or spring is pulling your arm straight up keeping the pick at the same angle on every string, Your pick angle only varies on up vs down. The guys you see wrist sweeping are going about it the hard way, It works for them, but it's not ideal.

[@SixString_J5]

0:08 Rewatching the examples, Slow example Bernth is wrist sweeping. Fast example Bernth is clearly arm sweeping (as I prefer).

[@GoreGrid]

so what about your barred 3 string arpeggios? since you cant do the hammer on on the B string you continue with the down down down up up down technique? this i the way ive practiced my arpeggios but recently tried playing it going down down down up up up then come back down on the B string... of course it feels awkward now because i've never practiced it this way. on the journey to figure out which way i can get going faster. id love to know other peoples opinions?

[@Br4m76]

How do we mute the excessive string? This is not only on sweeping technique but also on every playing.

[@charliecooper5354]

That guitar is 😩😮

[@sfasfads]

The G string rings out so bad for me on release. How do I manage this?

[@vitoralexandre7937]

Belo video!

[@arisjokam3549]

I like your guitar

[@sugandaatmadirja1956]

Mantap brother,, I'm from indonesia ,,

[@DaRkLoRdX97]

after 5 years of failed sweeping, i think i am getting something

[@donrau]

What happens when playing, for one example, a Bb 3string (G shape) rooted with pinky at 6th fret (or similar patterns requiring you to roll onto the B-string) when descending? I don’t see how you can avoid picking the second string note in these cases.

[@natecargile641]

This is a bit of a niche solution but you could use Jason richardson method for sweep shapes he doesnt use finger rolling he uses separate fingers for each string

[@hollow3122]

ur a genius bro

[@larrywhitted7333]

Very nice man. Where are you from?

[@nik8ivnv]

It's it work with a finger rolling with fretting hand?

[@roshankalwa1358]

Can you tell me which kind of Pick you use..

[@Bernthguitar]

Hey, thanks for the comment! I mostly use Jazz III picks - currently I work with quite thin Ibanez grip picks. Mathas guitarpicks also sent me over a big pack of different sizes, I can absolutely recommend them - high quality custom stuff if you're looking for something like that :)

[@marcelomedeiros9907]

Vídeos muito bons

[@stimulantbeats7607]

WHICH MODEL IBANEZ IS THAT ?

[@charlescirclaeys7341]

Nice trick! How would you play a three string arpeggio like that which has a roll bar ? Like e-15 to 12 pull-up then b-12 g-12 then back down ? I don’t think the hammer on trick could be used with a rolling gesture obviously? Thanks!

[@Bernthguitar]

Great thinking here, you are right - for this exercise you need an individual picked note to replace the stroke with a hammer-on! There is a workaround too for barred arpeggio shapes but it involves changing the timing & phrasing and I only work with it at very fast tempos - you can't hear the difference that well then and it works as a substitution! I will make a video about it when it fits into the schedule, thanks for the input!

[@brendanletch7601]

Don't roll bar. Simple...with enough practice🙃

[@haterswanted3558]

My question is " how to memorize notes to notes of own solo composition " when I'm composing solo I Could not remember which note I hit before... When I try to play again the solo which I composed I did not get the notes Which I played before....

[@alquinmoreno2827]

Idol😊

[@headkickko609]

Bernth wo kommts'n her?

[@terryfolds7825]

Tabs instead of notes?

[@MrLocke1993]

Hey Bernth! Hast du auch Videos auf deutsch?

[@Bernthguitar]

Hey, danke für dein Interesse! Für den Kanal habe ich mir Englisch ausgesucht, da mittlerweile nur mehr ein Bruchteil meiner Online Community aus deutschsprachigen Ländern kommt - ich habe allerdings vor ein paar Wochen eine Deutsche Tutorial Reihe für den KZbin Kanal von einem Endorsementpartner aufgenommen, sobald alles abgesegnet und online ist werde ich die Videos auf jeden Fall auf meinen Profilen teilen :)

[@MrLocke1993]

Danke für die Info! Werde ich mir auf jeden Fall ansehen. Du machst das echt klasse!

[@Corehinduism]

Subscribtion done... Love from india

[@thomassohayda3375]

I will try this technique and then ill be back.

[@RandyBakkelund]

5 string sweeps are definitely easier to start with I agree because of the beginning and ending hammerons/pulloffs. I can sweep 3 string arpeggios the normal way, but it is more challenging. Wow, i never thought of doing it this way. Cool Advice! I want to try this soon.

[@Bernthguitar]

Glad to hear that you agree Randy! Also can't wait to hear if this little trick will help you as soon as you try it out!

[@DJPhree330]

Bernth is the type of guy to sweep in his room all day and still have shit all over the floor

[@Wardell43]

I'll Be Back!!!! I came I saw I almost gave up.

[@shashanksherkar392]

Joe Satrainni and Dave Mustaine play totally different styles but have the same technique you showed us. Thanks a lot. Please adjust your camera in a better way, sometimes it looses focus.

[@ronzojonzoify]

Wish I could literally clap through this right now

[@mamachhangte9266]

Wow

[@syammunir6658]

Sir, I'm from Indonesia, can you put an Indonesian translation into your video? I'm please

[@marcelomedeiros9907]

Bom se tivesse tradução em português vc falando

[@dream0p2131]

I just mute the string and rake over it before starting the down stroke. Not the most efficient way

[@syammunir6658]

Sir, I'm from Indonesia, can you put an Indonesian translation into your video? Sir, I'm from Indonesia, can you put an Indonesian translation into your video?

[@reynaldogarcia643]

(In "Waynes World" chant) "WE'RE NOT WORTHY..... WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!!"

[@Je6513564]

Kann man bei dir Unterricht nehmen? Gruß 😎🤘

[@aidilharahap3811]

Cooll

[@Daemot]

You should join Austrian Death Machine

[@adityarai3494]

Guitar matches with tattoo

[@typmitbrille3010]

Du hast ein dezent deutschen Akzent 😁