Ahhhh ARPEGGIOS! Love ’em or hate ’em, sweep arpeggios are an attention-getter and a sure-fire way to add flash to your solos. Sometimes, there are multiple notes on the same fret – but lined up one string after the next. So, you should NOT bar these. Barring will create a bunch of noise and the effect of the rapid fire notes in successive skips will be lost. So, what do you do? ROLL your finger. Here are a few tips:
- When rolling up (ascending pitches) start with your finger on the tip, then slightly bend and roll. For example, if you are playing 12 fret notes on the D then G then B strings using your 2nd finger, start on the tip of the 2nd finger on the D string, slightly bend the tip/small joint to play the G string (at the same time releasing pressure from the D string), and flatten the knuckle the rest of the way to play the B string (at the same time releasing pressure from the G string). So the D string is played with the tip, the G string with the pad, and by the end of the roll, you’ll be playing the B string about 1/3 of the way down your finger.
- Reverse this process for rolling down (descending pitches). Start flat in a bar position, and reverse the process by slightly bending each knuckle until you end on the D string on the tip of your finger.
- Sweep arpeggios are best done with rest strokes. When picking, don’t play a series of individual notes. Let the pick fall and rest on the adjacent string. More on that here – Drill #2 Sweep Picking.
Nate from Richards Guitar Studio shows you how to play finger roll A shape sweep arpeggios technique. Learn how to sweep pick arpeggios fast in this shred guitar lesson. In the style of Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Rusty Cooley.
Richards Guitar Studio offers professional guitar lessons in Aston PA. We serve Delaware County PA towns such as Swarthmore, Media, Springfield, Ridley Park, Garnet Valley, Glen Mills, and Brookhaven.