Spooky_tom
Verified buyer
12/28/25
Guitar Gym: Sweep Picking
Ok product. I miss a greater focus on the speed aspect of sweep picking. It never goes beyond intermediate level.
Guitar Gym: Sweep Picking
Sweep picking exercises to take your playing to the next level
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About this course
In this edition of Guitar Gym, it’s all about mastering Sweep Picking. Split into four leveled sections, these workouts guide you through a comprehensive, rigorous practice regimen designed to get these essential playing elements solidified and ready to build on. Buono will guide you through 48 Workouts across the 4 levels. The workouts are organized into tempo sets (from slow to fast) each with an accompanying overview video where Buono explains the ins and outs for practicing the workouts. Each Workout is also clearly laid out for you in Guitar Pro, which can further be adjusted to any tempo. Buono will perform each workout on video (in various views) for the prescribed amount of time and so you’ll always have your coach there to play along and sweat it out with in the Guitar Gym.
Each Guitar Gym course focuses on a specific guitar technique by guiding the student through a deliberately prescribed series of optimized workouts, organized across a series of levels with increasing intensity. Buono demonstrates each of the workouts by explaining how the workout is engineered and then showing you how to play the workout correctly.
The workouts are ALL interactive video playalongs -- Buono performs each workout with you, for the correct amount of time, at all of the prescribed tempos. You will not be alone in the shed!
All of the workouts also include text guides, PDF charts, Guitar Pro files and all of the practice metronome tracks, at all of the prescribed tempos. Everything you need to develop monster chops by practicing correctly is included.
Practice does NOT make perfect -- "perfect" practice does. We've heard this time and again from our instructors and we get it; practice the wrong thing, or practice the wrong way, and you'll learn how to play it perfectly wrong. Makes "perfect" sense but what exactly do we practice, and how specifically do we practice it? TrueFire's resident Professor of the Deep, Chris Buono has invested the last couple of decades coming up with the answer.
Developing solid guitar techniques is particularly subject to the quality and intensity of your practice regimens -- you'll only get so far relying on repetition and frequency alone. Chris Buono's Guitar Gym workouts will take you the rest of the way with 12 collections of tried, tested and proven intensive workouts for Triad Arpeggios, Tapping, Hybrid Picking, Alternate Picking, Hammers & Pull-Offs, Power Chords, Scales, Speed Picking,Triads, Harmonic Minor Triad Chord Scales, Major Triad Chord Scales and Melodic Minor Triad Chord Scales
Guitar Gym -- your path to "perfect" chops!
Each Guitar Gym course focuses on a specific guitar technique by guiding the student through a deliberately prescribed series of optimized workouts, organized across a series of levels with increasing intensity. Buono demonstrates each of the workouts by explaining how the workout is engineered and then showing you how to play the workout correctly.
The workouts are ALL interactive video playalongs -- Buono performs each workout with you, for the correct amount of time, at all of the prescribed tempos. You will not be alone in the shed!
All of the workouts also include text guides, PDF charts, Guitar Pro files and all of the practice metronome tracks, at all of the prescribed tempos. Everything you need to develop monster chops by practicing correctly is included.
Practice does NOT make perfect -- "perfect" practice does. We've heard this time and again from our instructors and we get it; practice the wrong thing, or practice the wrong way, and you'll learn how to play it perfectly wrong. Makes "perfect" sense but what exactly do we practice, and how specifically do we practice it? TrueFire's resident Professor of the Deep, Chris Buono has invested the last couple of decades coming up with the answer.
Developing solid guitar techniques is particularly subject to the quality and intensity of your practice regimens -- you'll only get so far relying on repetition and frequency alone. Chris Buono's Guitar Gym workouts will take you the rest of the way with 12 collections of tried, tested and proven intensive workouts for Triad Arpeggios, Tapping, Hybrid Picking, Alternate Picking, Hammers & Pull-Offs, Power Chords, Scales, Speed Picking,Triads, Harmonic Minor Triad Chord Scales, Major Triad Chord Scales and Melodic Minor Triad Chord Scales
Guitar Gym -- your path to "perfect" chops!
What you'll learn
- Perform diagonal arpeggio patterns across the fretboard
- Execute continuous sweep picking without rest points for extended periods
- Play cleanly with distortion while sweep picking
- Apply resistance picking for precise timing control
- Use sweep picking as an economical technique for fast passages
Release date: 01/08/2016 • 2h 40m runtime
Sample lessons
Working Out In the Gym
Schedules and Rules
Sweep Picking
Level 1: Overview
Sweep Picking: Level 1
Workout #1: Overview
Sweep Picking: Level 1
Workout #1: 40 BPM
What's included
42 lessons • 27 charts • 21 Jam Tracks
Guitar Gym: Sweep Picking
Chops: Our heroes have 'em and we all want 'em. In order to get 'em you gotta do what any other person training to better themselves in some way would do - get to the gym! Well, that's exactly what you're going to do - welcome to the Guitar Gym series. No matter what level you're at or if you have various strong and weak points in your technique, Guitar Gym has you covered. Each course is comprised of a collection of leveled workouts waiting for you to dig into.
Here in Guitar Gym: Sweep Picking, it’s all about getting this much sought-after technique that allows guitarists like you and me to blaze through seemingly difficult arpeggio passages with on fell swoop...err, sweep. Split into three leveled sections, Guitar Gym: Sweep Picking guides you through a comprehensive, rigorous game plan for you to get these essential playing elements solidified and ready to build on. Each level is split up into three workouts made up of 13 video segments starting with the overview, where I'll give you a quick synopsis of what's in store. The following 12 videos are the three workouts further split up into three tempos - slow, medium, fast - that all have an accompanying Introduction video where I explain the ins and outs on how to play the workout. Each workout is clearly laid out for you in Guitar Pro and will be readily available for you to download right from the TrueFire player.
In the three actual workout videos, I'll play through the workout for the amount of time I prescribe in the overview and introduction videos so you always have me right there with you (in various views) as you sweat it all out here in Guitar Gym.
At the heart of any drilling regimen, including this one, is precise timing. It not only keeps things orderly in all aspects of music, but also serves as a guide and indicator as to how you're progressing. What's more, anyone who has been in the chops shed knows that one of the most important practices is to increase the tempo incrementally one-by-one. While the three parts of each workout will be presented in a slow-medium-fast fashion in regards to tempo, it's up to you to take the workout into your own shed and incrementally up the tempo while you practice, preparing you for the next tempo mark.
Dig?
Ready!?
Let's do it do it!!
Here in Guitar Gym: Sweep Picking, it’s all about getting this much sought-after technique that allows guitarists like you and me to blaze through seemingly difficult arpeggio passages with on fell swoop...err, sweep. Split into three leveled sections, Guitar Gym: Sweep Picking guides you through a comprehensive, rigorous game plan for you to get these essential playing elements solidified and ready to build on. Each level is split up into three workouts made up of 13 video segments starting with the overview, where I'll give you a quick synopsis of what's in store. The following 12 videos are the three workouts further split up into three tempos - slow, medium, fast - that all have an accompanying Introduction video where I explain the ins and outs on how to play the workout. Each workout is clearly laid out for you in Guitar Pro and will be readily available for you to download right from the TrueFire player.
In the three actual workout videos, I'll play through the workout for the amount of time I prescribe in the overview and introduction videos so you always have me right there with you (in various views) as you sweat it all out here in Guitar Gym.
At the heart of any drilling regimen, including this one, is precise timing. It not only keeps things orderly in all aspects of music, but also serves as a guide and indicator as to how you're progressing. What's more, anyone who has been in the chops shed knows that one of the most important practices is to increase the tempo incrementally one-by-one. While the three parts of each workout will be presented in a slow-medium-fast fashion in regards to tempo, it's up to you to take the workout into your own shed and incrementally up the tempo while you practice, preparing you for the next tempo mark.
Dig?
Ready!?
Let's do it do it!!
Working Out In the Gym
Developing great chops is not about just mindlessly drilling an exercise over and over. There has to be a method to the madness...
First and foremost, you need to create what I call in my Guitar Gym Online Classroom a Workout Schedule. My Workout Schedules carve out a set amount of time on set days of the week that slot out precisely what it is you're going to play. This helps big time and the results are inspiring to say the least! And it doesn't take as much time as you might expect - if you're working on just one skill such as the one here in this course, you need but 15-30 minutes a day depending on how many workouts you want to drill down. That said, you could set it up so you do a morning and evening session. The key is focused, disciplined practice time with a metronome. Just stick to your "WS" and let your fingers do the rest!
Speaking of focus and discipline, when starting to put together your own WS keep this mantra in mind: You absolutely must start out playing the workouts slow and gradually climb up the tempo ladder to the top tempo tier. No if's, and's, or lazy butts about it. Even if you think you can play the workout at the medium tempo, trust me, knock it down to the lowest tier and build. You may be masking playing anomalies you don't even know are there by jumping into passages at a medium to high tempo. Slowing down what you're playing will reveal what you may need to work on. Do it!
Not only does starting out at the lowest tempo tier ensure you'll get the most out of your practice time, but it will also help to prevent any injuries. Playing in reasonable blocks of time is a much safer way to build your muscle memory as well as help you attain the ultimate skill in playing proficiently on the guitar: The art of relaxation. If you're relaxed and keeping your practice time calculated and spaced out, you'll be safe and successful!
First and foremost, you need to create what I call in my Guitar Gym Online Classroom a Workout Schedule. My Workout Schedules carve out a set amount of time on set days of the week that slot out precisely what it is you're going to play. This helps big time and the results are inspiring to say the least! And it doesn't take as much time as you might expect - if you're working on just one skill such as the one here in this course, you need but 15-30 minutes a day depending on how many workouts you want to drill down. That said, you could set it up so you do a morning and evening session. The key is focused, disciplined practice time with a metronome. Just stick to your "WS" and let your fingers do the rest!
Speaking of focus and discipline, when starting to put together your own WS keep this mantra in mind: You absolutely must start out playing the workouts slow and gradually climb up the tempo ladder to the top tempo tier. No if's, and's, or lazy butts about it. Even if you think you can play the workout at the medium tempo, trust me, knock it down to the lowest tier and build. You may be masking playing anomalies you don't even know are there by jumping into passages at a medium to high tempo. Slowing down what you're playing will reveal what you may need to work on. Do it!
Not only does starting out at the lowest tempo tier ensure you'll get the most out of your practice time, but it will also help to prevent any injuries. Playing in reasonable blocks of time is a much safer way to build your muscle memory as well as help you attain the ultimate skill in playing proficiently on the guitar: The art of relaxation. If you're relaxed and keeping your practice time calculated and spaced out, you'll be safe and successful!
Sweep Picking
The sweep picking workouts you have before you are comprised of various approaches to playing triad, tetrad, and extended arpeggios that have both one-note-per-string and two-note-per-string instances. They were carefully designed to help put this essential playing technique under your fingers, but not without putting the time in. Here in Guitar Gym: Sweep Picking, you'll go from top three-string visions and progress all the way to full six-string visions, all the while doing this within a very calculated, intentional series of workouts.
In the Level 1 Workouts, you'll find arpeggios on the top three and four string sets. These are the string sets where you'll most likely use arpeggios for soloing and lick composition at first. Workout #1 eases you into the technique with ascending only arpeggios on the top three strings in various inversions of the same four chords. The key here is to fully understand and embrace the concept of "resistance." Without the string resistance property I talk about in the videos your sweep picking technique will be anything but. It's of paramount importance you develop your sweep picking correctly from the beginning otherwise it will be forever off, and unlearning bad habits will prove much, much difficult than learning it the right could ever be. Trust me.
To help ensure you stay focused and fresh throughout this crucial first workout, I planted what I call a "resting point" in the form of a quarter note rest on beat 4 of each bar after you play ascending sweeps for each arpeggio. That way your head and hands can have a chance to rest for a brief moment so you can get right back into the task at hand.
Workout #2 stays with triad arpeggios while introducing a super-common top string move where you employ a pull-off to break up the motion and sound while providing a resting point to possibly playing a descending sweep idea. Since descending sweeps are much more difficult, this workout merely plants the seed and only requires one lower note to be played after the pull-off that's not even in a sweep motion.
The final workout shifts the arpeggio flavor to top four string maj9's. Don't be intimidated, as they look and play like simple diagonal lines and flow nicely. These maj9's are perfect for jumping into your official first descending sweep patterns! The quarter notes on beats 2, 4 and 7 of each bar of 7/4 will serve as your resting points. Don't worry: You got this!
In the Level 1 Workouts, you'll find arpeggios on the top three and four string sets. These are the string sets where you'll most likely use arpeggios for soloing and lick composition at first. Workout #1 eases you into the technique with ascending only arpeggios on the top three strings in various inversions of the same four chords. The key here is to fully understand and embrace the concept of "resistance." Without the string resistance property I talk about in the videos your sweep picking technique will be anything but. It's of paramount importance you develop your sweep picking correctly from the beginning otherwise it will be forever off, and unlearning bad habits will prove much, much difficult than learning it the right could ever be. Trust me.
To help ensure you stay focused and fresh throughout this crucial first workout, I planted what I call a "resting point" in the form of a quarter note rest on beat 4 of each bar after you play ascending sweeps for each arpeggio. That way your head and hands can have a chance to rest for a brief moment so you can get right back into the task at hand.
Workout #2 stays with triad arpeggios while introducing a super-common top string move where you employ a pull-off to break up the motion and sound while providing a resting point to possibly playing a descending sweep idea. Since descending sweeps are much more difficult, this workout merely plants the seed and only requires one lower note to be played after the pull-off that's not even in a sweep motion.
The final workout shifts the arpeggio flavor to top four string maj9's. Don't be intimidated, as they look and play like simple diagonal lines and flow nicely. These maj9's are perfect for jumping into your official first descending sweep patterns! The quarter notes on beats 2, 4 and 7 of each bar of 7/4 will serve as your resting points. Don't worry: You got this!
Sweep Picking: Level 1
In this first Sweep Picking Workout, you'll keep it low key and play only ascending arpeggios on the top three strings. But, in true Buono fashion, there's a bit more to it than just that - you'll go through the same progression in Bb three times as you climb up the neck horizontally. To make that happen, you'll play each chord in different inversions giving you an added chordal vision to chew on.
The triplet rhythm will fall nicely with these three-note arpeggios, but be careful not to rush and just rake your pick across with no regards to the groove. That's the beginning of a real bad habit that's extremely difficult to break. The quarter note rest at the end of every bar is meant to give you some time refresh your head and hands as you play through this workout. Players new to this technique will especially appreciate that.
The triplet rhythm will fall nicely with these three-note arpeggios, but be careful not to rush and just rake your pick across with no regards to the groove. That's the beginning of a real bad habit that's extremely difficult to break. The quarter note rest at the end of every bar is meant to give you some time refresh your head and hands as you play through this workout. Players new to this technique will especially appreciate that.
Sweep Picking: Level 1
In this first Sweep Picking Workout, you'll keep it low key and play only ascending arpeggios on the top three strings. But, in true Buono fashion, there's a bit more to it than just that - you'll go through the same progression in Bb three times as you climb up the neck horizontally. To make that happen, you'll play each chord in different inversions giving you an added chordal vision to chew on.
The triplet rhythm will fall nicely with these three-note arpeggios, but be careful not to rush and just rake your pick across with no regards to the groove. That's the beginning of a real bad habit that's extremely difficult to break. The quarter note rest at the end of every bar is meant to give you some time refresh your head and hands as you play through this workout. Players new to this technique will especially appreciate that.
The triplet rhythm will fall nicely with these three-note arpeggios, but be careful not to rush and just rake your pick across with no regards to the groove. That's the beginning of a real bad habit that's extremely difficult to break. The quarter note rest at the end of every bar is meant to give you some time refresh your head and hands as you play through this workout. Players new to this technique will especially appreciate that.
Sweep Picking: Level 1
In this first Sweep Picking Workout, you'll keep it low key and play only ascending arpeggios on the top three strings. But, in true Buono fashion, there's a bit more to it than just that - you'll go through the same progression in Bb three times as you climb up the neck horizontally. To make that happen, you'll play each chord in different inversions giving you an added chordal vision to chew on.
The triplet rhythm will fall nicely with these three-note arpeggios, but be careful not to rush and just rake your pick across with no regards to the groove. That's the beginning of a real bad habit that's extremely difficult to break. The quarter note rest at the end of every bar is meant to give you some time refresh your head and hands as you play through this workout. Players new to this technique will especially appreciate that.
The triplet rhythm will fall nicely with these three-note arpeggios, but be careful not to rush and just rake your pick across with no regards to the groove. That's the beginning of a real bad habit that's extremely difficult to break. The quarter note rest at the end of every bar is meant to give you some time refresh your head and hands as you play through this workout. Players new to this technique will especially appreciate that.
Sweep Picking: Level 1
In this first Sweep Picking Workout, you'll keep it low key and play only ascending arpeggios on the top three strings. But, in true Buono fashion, there's a bit more to it than just that - you'll go through the same progression in Bb three times as you climb up the neck horizontally. To make that happen, you'll play each chord in different inversions giving you an added chordal vision to chew on.
The triplet rhythm will fall nicely with these three-note arpeggios, but be careful not to rush and just rake your pick across with no regards to the groove. That's the beginning of a real bad habit that's extremely difficult to break. The quarter note rest at the end of every bar is meant to give you some time refresh your head and hands as you play through this workout. Players new to this technique will especially appreciate that.
The triplet rhythm will fall nicely with these three-note arpeggios, but be careful not to rush and just rake your pick across with no regards to the groove. That's the beginning of a real bad habit that's extremely difficult to break. The quarter note rest at the end of every bar is meant to give you some time refresh your head and hands as you play through this workout. Players new to this technique will especially appreciate that.
+ 35 more lessons
Reviews
14 results
valentin_guitar
Verified buyer
11/23/25
Play along and skill up
I enjoy playing along, we need more courses like that
RikJansen
Verified buyer
10/07/22
getting creative.
Very useful course. Of course you want to get creative with these sweeps. But first get them in your fingers. This course will help you do that !
CameronMac
Verified buyer
09/18/22
Sweep picking
Super methodical so my progress has been swift and useful.
PaulJT
Verified buyer
06/20/22
I was trying not to like this, but this is good.
I have a few instructional videos regarding to sweep picking, and I obtained this video on a whim when on sale. I thought I would just use bits and chunks from it, but Buono's Guitar Gym Sweep Picking lessons have become part of my arsenal for woodshedding. As us usual Chris Buono lays out the exercises in tiered levels incorporating normally three exercise per tier. To me that makes it more of a methodical path when achieving the goal.
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