Rolling technique.

Written by Morten Gjermundsen.

After my first sweep picking lesson i recived e-mails from guitar players asking how to prevent the strings from ringing into each other when sweeping a barre chord shape like the one in the example below.

Example. 
||--------------5h8p5----------------------||
||------------5-------5--------------------||
||----------5-----------5------------------||
||--------7---------------7----------------||
||------7-------------------7--------------||
||--5h8-----------------------8p5----------||

The problem with this sweep is the notes found on the A,D,G,B and E string.How do you prevent the string from ringing into each others? You canīt just move your finger away cause you need it to fret the next note.In Exampe 1 you can see that the index finger have to fret 3 different notes on 3 different strings and they are all found on the 5 fret.So how do you do it? Well we have to use the rolling techique.The rolling technique is not only the hardest part of sweeping itīs also the hardest part to explain.Anyway i will try to explain it for you.If you still have problems please E-mail me.

First weīll train up our fingers to do a two string roll. To do this place the tip of your finger on the A string 7 fret so that your finger becomes slightly arched.Pick the note and then use the underside of your finger to roll down to the next note (in this case the A note on the D string).If you do this the right way they wonīt ring together.The rest of this sweep is simple.After picking the A note on the D string hammer your little finger on the 10th fret then lift it up a little to mute unwanted sound,fret the E note on the G string with your ring finger and the A note on the B string with your little finger.

Two string roll 
||---------------------||
||---------------10----||
||------------9--------||
||-----7--10-----------||
||--7------------------||
||---------------------||
When you have practiced this exercise with all you fingers (not your thumb). you are ready for the three string roll.The three string roll is basically the same as the two string roll only here you use three stings. First look at the example below.

Three string rolling 
                               
||-------------------------||
||--------7--10--7---------||
||-----7------------7------||
||--7----------------------||
||-------------------------||
||-------------------------||

Place the tip of you finger on the D string (A note) then right after picking the D string arch the knuckle of your finger and roll it down to the G string (D note).When doing this the tip of your finger will mute the D string.After picking the G string roll down to the B string so the G string will be muted too and then use your little finger to hammer on to the 10th fret. Do the opposite when going back up to the D string.

Well thatīs it i think.Remember that this is an very advance technique and that it takes some time to get used to.If you create variations and practice them slowly all over the guitar youīll progress alot faster than you would by just practicing these two exercises.It will make you practicing more fun too. Hope this page was helpful for atleast some of you if not please send me an E-mail. Thanks for visting my site and plaese coome back again soon.

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