Shred Guitar Speed Picking And Sweep Picking

Have you ever heard a crazy song by Yngwie or anybody like that and went, I wonder how they do that? Well, this lesson will hopefully help you learn how to better play shred guitar, and you may begin to understand how they do there stuff. I thought about that alot, and have broken down shred guitar into basically two guitar techniques you need to master, speed picking and sweep picking. I'll start off the lesson talking about speed picking.

Speed Picking


Speed picking is a major component to shred guitar. Most shred songs are at an extremly fast bpm, so you must have great speed picking skill to play the songs. I have worked on it for a while and came up with some tricks on how to pick faster.

1.Warm up your wrists and fingers before playing.
2.Limit your arms movement so it doesn't move above the elbow.
3.Play with an open hand.
4.Find a way of holding the pick that you can play fast comfortably with. I like to hold the pick at about a 45 degree angle so the pick's thin side is facing me, it allows the pick to move across the strings faster.

Here are some riffs that I use to practice speed picking, and they sound awesome at the same time.

Riff 1

This has a very Michael Angelo Batio feel to me. Basically, all you need to do for this riff is make sure you use alternate picking (up-down) and pick FAST.

e|-12-14-15-14-12-14-17-14-12-14-15-14-12-14-17-14-12-14-15-14-12------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------15-14-12-14-|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|----12-14-15-14-12----------------12-14-15-14-12-14-17-14-12-14-15-14-12-14|
B|-15----------------15-14-12-14-15------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|-17-14-12-14-15-14-12----------------12-14-15-14-12------------------------|
B|----------------------15-14-12-14-15----------------15-14-12~~~------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Riff 2
This is one of my favorite ways to ascend on the fretboard. Its based around pentatonic scales. Play FAST.


e|17-15-12-------15-12-10----------------------------------------------------|
B|---------15-12----------12-10-14-12-10-------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------12-10-14-12-10----------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------12-10-14-12-10-------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------12-10-|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-14-12-10----------------10------------------------------------------------|
E|----------12-10-14-12-10----10/12~~~---------------------------------------|


Riff 3

This is a riff played a little slower, but just sounds AWESOME.

e|----8-12----8-12----8-12----8-12---6-10------------------------------------|
B|-10------10------10------10------8-----------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Sweep Picking


Sweep picking is the second most important part of shred guitar. Basically, all it is is arpeggios played real fast. I also analyzed this and came up with the following tips.

1.I grip the pick loosely for sweep picking, it makes it faster.
2.Use an oval-like motion when picking, go up with a slight angle, and come down with the same and, but flipped, making almost an invisible oval shape.
3.Lastly, practice SLOW at first. Sweep Picking takes a long time to master.

So, here are some of my favorite sweeps. Play these, and my only advice is the oval motion and switch from up to down stroke at the second note on the top of the arpeggio. The following 3 sweeps are my favorites. Practice slow, then fast.


Sweep One
e|----------------12-17p12---------------------------12-17p12----------------|
B|-------------13----------13---------------------13---------13--------------|
G|----------14----------------14---------------14--------------14------------|
D|-------14---------------------14----------14-------------------14----------|
A|-12h15---------------------------15-12h15------------------------15--------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Sweep 2
e|----------------9-12p9-----------------9-12p9------------------------------|
B|-------------10--------10------------10------10----------------------------|
G|-----------9-------------9----------9----------9---------------------------|
D|--------10----------------10------10------------10-------------------------|
A|-----11---------------------11--11----------------11-----------------------|
E|--12--------------------------12--------------------12---------------------|

Sweep 3
e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------17-------------15--------------13-----------------------------------|
G|-----16--16---------14--14----------12--12---------------------------------|
D|---17------17-----15------15------13------13-------------------------------|
A|-19----------19-17----------17-15-----------15~----------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Work on these until you can play at a fast pace comfortably.

To end this lesson, I am going to leave you with an original piece of mine thats great practice on everything I have tried to teach you hear. I call it No limits.

This will be hard, but if you practice, you can learn to play it with ease, and I bet you will be a much better guitarist after learning how to sweep and speed pick with ease.

Good Luck.

e|---2-3--5p3p2t7p5p3p2t7p5p3p2t7p5p3p2t7p5p3p2------------------------------|
B|--3------------------------------------------3-3/5t9p7p5-------------------|
G|-2--------------------------------------------2---------5------------8h11--|
D|---------------------------------------------------------6-------7h10------|
A|----------------------------------------------------------7---6h9----------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------5h8-------------|

e|-------------------7-10p7---7-10p7---7-10p7---7-10/15p12------12-15p12-----|
B|-10p7-------------8------8-8------8-8------8-8----------13--13--------13---|
G|-----8---------7h9--------9--------9--------9-------------14------------14-|
D|------7-----7h9------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------9p7h9---------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|--12-15/17p14------14-17p14------14-17p14------14-17p14/12-----------------|
B|13-----------15--15--------15--15--------15--15-----------13---------------|
G|---------------16------------16------------16---------------14-------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------14--------14-|
A|----------------------------------------------------------------15-12h15---|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|-----12-17p12--------------------12-15p12--------------------12-17-15-12---|
B|---13--------13----------------13--------13----------------13-----------15-|
G|-14------------14------------14------------14------------14----------------|
D|-----------------14--------14----------------14--------14------------------|
A|-------------------15-12h15--------------------15-12h15--------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|--15-12-10-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|12--------12-10-14-12-10---------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------12-10-14-12-10-------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------12-10-14-12-10-----------------------|
A|----------------------------------------------------12-10-14-12-10---------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------12-10-14-|

e|----------------10-15p10------10-14p10------10-13p10------12p10------10-12-|
B|--------------11--------11--11--------11--11--------11--11-----11--11------|
G|------------12------------12------------12------------12---------12--------|
D|----------12---------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------12-----------------------------------------------------------------|
E|12-10h14-------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|/17p14------14-18p14------14-19p14------14-18p14------14-17p14/12----------|
B|------15--15--------15--15--------15--15--------15--15-----------13--------|
G|--------16------------16------------16------------16---------------14------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------14----|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------------15--|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|-----------------------17-19-21-22-22p17--------------------15-19p15-------|
B|------------12-17p15-19-----------------18----------------16--------16-----|
G|----------13------------------------------17------------16------------17---|
D|--------14----------------------------------19--------16----------------17-|
A|------14--------------------------------------17/15h17---------------------|
E|-12h15---------------------------------------------------------------------|

e|------------------12-17p12-------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------13--------13--------------------------17p15------15p13-----|
G|--------------14------------14-------------------15h18-----16---------14---|
D|------------14----------------14------------14h17------------15---------13-|
A|-18-15/12h15--------------------15-----13h16-------------------17----------|
E|----------------------------------12h15------------------------------------|

e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------2--------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-15---2--------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---12-0--------------------------------------------------------------------|

Well, I hope this has helped you!