arpeggios

dazzer22

I have been learning arpeggios and one thing that stands out is most of the top guys don't seem to alternate pick them, apart from Steve Morse's who seems the exception , most sweep pick or a mix of both even Paul Gilbert  who is amazing at alternate picking doesn't strict alternate pick arpeggios  as he adds in  hammer ons ,  I have been strict alternate picking for solos and i was just wondering should i just stick with that ?  how are  other people play there arpeggios and does it even matter which way to play them.

fastonebaz

Calling @Vibetronic worlds greatest sweeper

Roland

It depends on how fast I’m playing, and how much attack I want on each notes. For a fast* arpeggio I will rake the pick across the strings. If I’m playing one of those songs which has a slow picked bridge section, with an 80s Chorus pedal engaged, then I might alternate pick for emphasis.

* When I say “fast” I don’t mean really fast, just too quick for comfortable alternate picking.

Vibetronic

fastonebaz said:

Calling @Vibetronic worlds greatest sweeper

ha, cheers, if only! 

I'd agree with what @Roland has said really. For something slow like Every Breath You Take (just an example I'd thought of) then you definitely wouldn't try sweeping that...needs the note definition of picking and it's not quick anyway. When you're entering the realms of the shreddier stuff you'll almost certainly need to sweep-pick, just to get the speed required...although you can hammer-back on some arpeggios for a different feel/sound (or it's easier). And you can add legato at the beginning/end to make it sound different too. You can adapt arps so they're tapped though, but if you're going to try alternate picking them that's going to be a serious amount of work - or reconfiguring the fingering/positions/string skipping to get those interval leaps in. And once you do start the sweeping stuff, you need to make sure the 'middle' notes are clearly defined too and your hands are perfectly synced...otherwise it's just a mush and you only hear the beginning/end of the thing, not the bit in between.

Barney

I think it depends what you are playing ..alternate works for some things as does sweep...I normally use a combination and on the faster Arps use pick and hammer on ....or sometimes pick and finger ......it just depends ....to be honest I think it's best to learn all ways  

Dominic

What is an arpeggio ?

viz

A scale that has some notes missing.

Dominic

I'm kidding ..........I've spent a lot of time listening to Errol Garner ( my favourite Jazz pianist ) this weekend .Probably the biggest,fattest and fullest Arp user in any Jazz context , George Shearing included .His style is so distinctive because he fleshes out his improv with Arpeggios more than anybody else .
His recording of Laura is a masterpiece of this.Incredible.
- All from a man who never could read a single note , zero theory and never had a piano lesson in his life .
He imagined /composed Misty on a dictaphone and asked somebody to transpose and write it down for him.
When criticised by a famous bandleader for his inability to read a score he replied by saying .........
" People don 't come to watch me read "

jpfamps

viz said:

A scale that has some notes missing.

By that definitition isn't every scale an arpeggio apart from the chomatic scale?

ArchtopDave

jpfamps said:

viz said:

A scale that has some notes missing.

By that definitition isn't every scale an arpeggio apart from the chomatic scale?

Plenty of Arp's to be found within the Chromatic Scale methinks.