sweeping and tapping - vids enclosed

[Twisteramps]

Posted a clip on pentatonics last december on H/C - someone reminded me that I said something about showing how to sweep tap there. So... I posted it there, and thought my JCF brethren might get an idea or two off this.

Please note: All tabs are approximations - they are close, but I'm not Cherry Lane Publications. They give you enough info to show what I'm doing, but as far as being note for note - I just recorded the clips first, then hammered out quick tab. It should be close enough.

First, here's the basic sweep pattern I'm using, and a small video of it:

|-------12-15-12----------------14-17-14-----------||
|----13----------13----------15----------15-------o||
|-14----------------14-12-16----------------16-14---||
|----------------------------------------------------||
|---------------------------------------------------o||
|----------------------------------------------------||

http://members.cox.net/okstrat/1sweep.wmv

Note that I'm sweeping on the fretboard. Why? So I can reach over and tap high notes like this:

......................T
|-------14-17-21-17-14-------------|
|----15----------------15----------|
|-16----------------------16-14----|
|----------------------------------|
|----------------------------------|
|----------------------------------|

Note that the hammers on the high string of the sweep give you enough time to tap and pull off. With the slide it takes a little bit of finger strength to tap, slide up to the note, slide back down and then pull off.

http://members.cox.net/okstrat/1sweeptap.wmv

.................... Tap slide
|-------14-17-19/21\19-17-14-------------|
|----15-----------------------15----------|
|-16-----------------------------16-14----|
|-----------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------|

http://members.cox.net/okstrat/2sweeptap.wmv

here's a lick in Eminor that is built around a blues pentatonic with some hammered/slide notes.

........................tap slide...................................... tap slide .....................................tap slide
|--------12-15-19-/21\-19-15-12-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----12------------------------12----------12-15-17-/19\-17-15-12------------------------------------------|
|--12------------------------------12----12------------------------12----------12-14-16-/17\-16-14-12-------|
|-------------------------------------14------------------------------12----12------------------------12----|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------14------------------------------14-|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

http://members.cox.net/okstrat/3sweeptap.wmv

I know it's kinda wanky, but it's a fun thing to do at times, and with the slides it has a neat visual and sound thing going.

Pete

[jjw]

cool stuff Pete,i love that PRS bird inlay on your neck!Big respect also for showing us this for free,too many musical muppets out there wont give anything away for free!we should all share our passion for music

[VitaminG]

that was cool, Pete.

y'know, as with all my previous attempts to sweep, I'll try it a couple of times, kind of get an idea of what you're doing, and never attempt to incorporate it in to my own playing. Plus I'll never practice it enough to actually get it down.

But still very cool to see, none the less

And to echo Justin's sentiments, it's also very cool of you to continue to share your knowledge & skills. I've seen much less capable guitarists attempting to charge subscriptions for access to what amounts to a rehashing of Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar. You always provide examples that build on each other and make sense when putting them together. Plus unless many of these net pretenders, you have the ability & musicality to actually put the skills you're sharing to use in the context of a song.

[slash-ed]

Very cool! I still can't really sweep yet.

You're making me miss my PRS too!

[Nazgul]

Very cool! I always sweep over the bridge humbucker (moved a bit closer to fretboard), never over the fretboard. I guess that's why it's hard for me to sweep-tap. I use bridge humbucker only too cause that's what I had for the last year, but that will change next week . I'll try some of these tricks today nevertheless.

[RacerX]

I hate you!

[dannyr]

Great stuff!!!! Thanks for sharing.

[kmanick]

cool,
I need to practice this sweep /tap stuff more
I suck at it.
thanks for sharing, you got that shit down

[Twisteramps]

Glad you guys like it and thanks for the kind words. If anyone has any questions, let me know. It's a fun technique!

One thing I forgot to mention is like every other technique, start it SLOWLY and build it up to speed. Also, it can be difficult to tap notes up high because the frets are closer together and I at least have a tendency sometimes to tap on the frets instead of between - there isn't as much room to be sloppy like there is lower on the neck. I just tried to figure out a useful key to do it in and also one that would be easy to get a webcam close up on. If you're having trouble with the taps, try playing slower and lower.

Oh, and even if you don't do the taps, sweeping over the fretboard with the pick hand looks pretty cool too!

Pete

[charvelguy]

Those are great examples..easily managed and broken down.. good effect for three string sweeps.

[Bert]

I'm going to have to request the slow-motion replay on those!

I'm working on the first one, the tab doesn't seem quite right, and I can't figure it out from the vids. Damn I suck.

[Nazgul]

I made two videos of me playing this technique today. sounds sucks cause the amp was turned too loud and you can hear the hiss in the background.

here's the tap-slide one:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.ph...86B00437F605FA

and here's the tap one (this one sucks):
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.ph...F945C061155F05

it sure isn't something you can learn in one day, but it's the best I could do today.

[jjw]

It actualy surprises me to see people rave on about the tony macalpine swept arps with taps on other forums.lol.if you can sweep tapping a note realy isnt that hard to do after?lolAs pete mentioned you just make sure your picking hand is hovering near the notes that need to be tapped
I also like to add SILLY long slides with my pinky when playing arps/scales and pents.That penty exercise Pete should works realy well with no tapping and major pinky slides up to pitch and down again-just sounds wilderbut tapping is cool too

[slayer32390]

I made two videos of me playing this technique today. sounds sucks cause the amp was turned too loud and you can hear the hiss in the background.

here's the tap-slide one:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.ph...86B00437F605FA

and here's the tap one (this one sucks):
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.ph...F945C061155F05

it sure isn't something you can learn in one day, but it's the best I could do today.

i love how at the end of the second one it seems like you just smack the camera from the side much better playing than i could do

[metalhead28]

Yeah, nice licks and thanks for sharing!

I never really tried picking over the fretboard like that, but for the few licks that I do with a sweep and tap, I usually do a hammer on with two fingers of my fret hand, so I've got two extra notes building up to the tap instead of one so I've got time to get my tapping finger into position.

Like this, which I would play as triplets

|----------12-14-15--20--15-14-12-----------------||
|-------13--------------------------13-------------o||
|-12-14--------------------------------14-----------||
|----------------------------------------------------||
|---------------------------------------------------o||
|----------------------------------------------------||

I need to get used to sweeping over the fretboard.