Sweep Tapping in a Doom Metal Band

[BeZo]

Since I play guitar in a doom/sludge metal band now, I've been actually working on my soloing abilities. I've done some mediocre leads and whatnot, but I've been pushing myself to get better and incorporate some more technical techniques in my playing. I wrote a melodic solo for one of the new songs that ends with a big sweep tapping run, and I've been practicing it regularly. The problem is that since we're a sludgecore band, we play at 20 bpm. I can play it so much better at faster speeds, but I find I have to drag it to play it at the retarded slow speed of the song. It seems like it's hard to get the sweep in time going that slow. Should i just keep practicing until I get it tight, or do I abandon the sweep and just fucking pick every note? I feel sweep picking is more of a fluid motion, and the fluid is leaking at that slow of a pace. Anyone else ever sweep pick a slow passage?

 

[Techdeth]

I’d keep practicing it slow and gear in time because that will help your sweep picking in general . Even if it sounds weird later you can do it to twice the tempo . But definitely get it in time . It will really help you in long run

 

[fantom]

Depends on the tempo. There are a few times I just alternate picked a traditional "sweep" or "economy" fingering because it was actually easier to play evenly that way.

 

[braintheory]

Depends on the tempo. There are a few times I just alternate picked a traditional "sweep" or "economy" fingering because it was actually easier to play evenly that way.

That's the one thing I never really got the hang of with sweeps: getting all the spacings between each note perfectly even at the fast enough tempos. Speed itself was never the issue for me. I haven't figured it out yet, but even most of the best players I've heard (including some examples of Abasi, Becker, and even Graham) aren't perfectly even, it's just hard to notice at the speed they're playing, but they are rushing in some spots, mostly in the downward part of the sweep picking patterns. Maybe it's just not feasible to be perfectly even when the tempo is fast enough? I've not heard it done yet other than in midi lol. I guess my background is more classical guitar, where being that uneven would be unacceptable, but you hear it more there since we physically can't play as fast on that instrument lol

 

[braintheory]

I'd have to hear it in context, but sounds to me like sweeping is maybe just not the best tool for the job there. I can't think of any effective slow sweep patterns in my head. Maybe consider tapping instead for those patterns of notes? Just a thought

 

[BeZo]

I think it's because at a faster tempo, there is less room between notes to notice it being off. I practice sweeps a lot at slower speeds to get them tight, and try to build speed. In this situation, I can't really slow it down.

I've been really focused with my practice the last few days, and it's getting better. I wish I could play it with the drummer more, because he isn't exactly a metronome. That might be some of the issue. We'll get it down eventually. It's just weird because the tempo goes against how I normally practice.

 

[braintheory]

I think it's because at a faster tempo, there is less room between notes to notice it being off. I practice sweeps a lot at slower speeds to get them tight, and try to build speed. In this situation, I can't really slow it down.

I've been really focused with my practice the last few days, and it's getting better. I wish I could play it with the drummer more, because he isn't exactly a metronome. That might be some of the issue. We'll get it down eventually. It's just weird because the tempo goes against how I normally practice.

Yeah at those tempos I admit it’s much harder to tell and doesn’t sound super different from hearing a midi file play it perfectly timed, but I still would say to me it sounds better and more impressive when played more evenly even if the tempo needs to be slowed down a bit to control the evenness better. Getting things perfectly even seems to make things actually sound faster (almost creates an illusion) than when not perfectly even at faster tempos and also makes it sound more fluid/liquid. At slower tempos (but still fast) in classical guitar stuff it’s more noticeable, but still you can hear it applied to sweeps

I’m not the best sweeper, but a few technical things that helped me are to make sure on the upward sweeps to have the tip of the pick that makes contact with the string pointing downwards and upwards when sweeping down. The other is that after you play each string have the pick in advanced leaning on the next string (before it plays the note) ready to play it. It’s like the planting technique for finger picking in classical guitar. It should feel fluid and relaxed in the right hand when you do it, not tight or forced. In fact, Buckethead in his song “Jordan” has a few spots where he sweep picks those groups of tritones using hybrid picking. I guess it’s not technically sweeping, but he has to remove each left hand finger after playing and so sounds the same as sweeping. If you have finger/hybrid picking skills at all that’s another possibility

 

[FearTheDeer]

Good suggestions here. You could also either play it in double time or use a different subdivision - i.e. if it’s sounds too “slow” played as sixteenth note triplets modify to play as 32nd notes or septuplets.