Sweep Picking Motion Drill – 6 Strings

How to Practice

1. 1Mute all six strings lightly with the palm of your fretting hand.
2. 2Begin with a downstroke on the low E string — let the pick fall through into the A string immediately.
3. 3Continue the same downward motion through D, G, B, and high e without lifting the pick.
4. 4At the high e string, reverse direction with an upstroke and flow back through B, G, D, A to low E.
5. 5The entire twelve-note cycle should be two smooth wrist motions — one down, one up.
6. 6Keep volume even across all strings; the middle strings (D and G) are the easiest to rush.

Tips & Techniques

• •The two turn-around points (at high e and low E) are where the motion stalls — prioritise smoothness there.
• •Use minimal pick depth on every string: just enough to sound it, no deeper.
• •Watch for unwanted string noise — the fretting hand mute must cover all six strings evenly.
• •If any string is significantly louder or quieter, stop and fix it before increasing tempo.
• •Once this feels effortless, move on to the 3-string arpeggio version and work up from there.