Sweep Picking - Guitar Or Bass - A Picking Method

Sweep picking could be called the same as economy picking, however, many times it refers to the economy method of picking applied to arpeggios only, such as rock, classical, neo-classical fusion arpeggio fast picking. Often times strict alternate picking players (ie. players who alternate pick scales and lead lines, will use sweep picking on arpeggios.

Also often times an arpeggio lends itself to sweep picking where the arpeggio can be set up with a single note per string on adjacent strings in whole or part, thereby giving an ability to "sweep" across the strings like a chord strum per se.

This is still economy picking however, again, more limited to a specific use, whereas economy pickers will always economy pick everything as much as possible, not just arpeggios. Whether or not a player uses sweep picking or not, generally he or she will also use other techniques as well.