Three unique 5 String Sweep Patterns that will help you break old habits

Greetings fellow Shred enthusiast! For today, I’ve designed three unique 5 string sweep patterns for you to practice and help show you the different ways that sweep technique can be used. As a modern shred guitarist, it’s important to constantly challenge yourself and try new techniques in order to continue improving and growing as a musician.

The dangers of playing habits

One area that many guitarists fall into the trap of stagnation is in their use of arpeggios and sweep patterns. It’s easy to get into the habit of playing the same types of patterns over and over again, but this can lead to a lack of creativity and musical diversity in your playing.

That’s why it’s important to regularly incorporate new and unique 5 string sweep patterns into your practice routine. Not only will this help to keep your playing fresh and interesting, but it will also challenge you to develop new technical skills and improve your overall musicianship.

So, I’ve taken the time to put together 3 unique patterns that use added intervals and some unusual note placement for you to try. The way these are currently written, you would sweep downward (picking down on each note, once per string) allowing time for the legato parts.

Remember to start slowly and practice with a metronome if you want to really perfect these (or any) sweep arpeggio patterns.

Three unique 5 string sweep patterns

D7

This arpeggio starts on the fifth string and ascends through the rest of the strings, ending on the first string. The hammer-ons and pull-offs give it a smooth, fluid sound.

D7b9

This variation of the D7 arpeggio includes a b9 interval, giving it a more dissonant sound. It’s played in the same way as the D7 arpeggio, but this time it starts on the 6th string instead of the 5th string.  

Cm7/4

This arpeggio starts on the fifth string and descends through the rest of the strings, ending on the first string. Starting on the 4th interval gives the arpeggio an open-ended sound, making it unclear at first where the root note is.  Beginning with a pull-off on an otherwise ascending sweep pattern adds a unique quality to the pattern that really changes things up.

Getting creative with sweep patterns

After you get these 5 string sweep patterns down, I recommend getting creative with them. Remember that you can also play these in reverse by simply changing the hammer-ons to pull-offs, or vice versa, and switching from downward sweep picking to upward sweep picking. You could also sequence these patterns or try other methods of expanding upon them.

If you’re having trouble getting these down or you want to take your sweep picking technique and knowledge of sweep arpeggios to new heights, as always, I’d recommend the indispensable and comprehensive sweep picking course by the Neoclassical Sweep Arpeggio Synthesist himself, Dan Mumm. 

You can see his incredible sweep picking technique in action in this promo video for another course of his, Magnum Opus, which is still far too advanced for even me. But this is definitely worth checking out to see what you’re working towards.

The importance of trying new things as a shred guitarist

By trying out these new 5 string sweep patterns, you’ll be taking an important step in avoiding the pitfalls of musical stagnation. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things – you never know what you might discover!

If you find yourself getting stuck in your playing habits, it’s always helpful to try out some completely different types of patterns. You can also start working on compound techniques such as pedal tones, economy picking, outside picking or two hand tapping.

Keep pushing yourself to try new techniques and approaches, and you’ll continue to grow and improve as a guitarist.

Shred on!

-Anton