Sweep-picking in 1975

[Tsuken]

Who, you ask? Chet Atkins, I reply.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni8KBhnebwE

Check from 1:15 - 6 string sweeps. Not simple rakes; all the notes are clearly defined. Chet = the man!

[robnobcorncob]

No matter how fast he plays Chet always seemed to have so much space between the notes, yet it never sounds like it's mega staccato and I cannot for the life of me figure out how he does it! (John McLaughlin and Pat Martino are also great at this).

[Jenesis]

No matter how fast he plays Chet always seemed to have so much space between the notes, yet it never sounds like it's mega staccato and I cannot for the life of me figure out how he does it!

Madd skillz?

[mr_sooty]

Wow, so ahead of his time.

[Tsuken]

No matter how fast he plays Chet always seemed to have so much space between the notes, yet it never sounds like it's mega staccato and I cannot for the life of me figure out how he does it!

Madd skillz?

= truth

[DarcyPerry]

Mister Guitar
June 20, 1924 - June 30, 2001
"Years from now, after I'm gone someone will listen to what I've done and know I was here. They may not know or care who I was, but they'll hear my guitars speaking for me."
- Chet Atkins -

[robnobcorncob]

Too right!

Here's a cool one, a young Allan Holdsworth tearing it up in '74 with Soft Machine on a '60s SG (Les Paul) Custom. Back in the days when his tone still resembled a guitar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA5uCGHj ... re=related

*Edit* He really goes ape-shit and lays into it at about the 5 minute mark!

[Vince]

Wow, so ahead of his time.

Speaking of ahead of his time, the classical has a cutaway, I didn't realize you could get such a thing back then.

Great playing! Flatpicking always makes me smile.

[Hot_Grits]

Both those clips were awesome. I especially love young Holdsworth stuff, just as he was getting his thing together and using great old gear to do it.

Chet probably got the sweep thing from jazz dudes, who have been playing like that for decades. Often referred to as economy picking or raking. And a certain Swede was definitely not year zero. It's just that sometimes an open pirate shirt is what it takes to get a concept across to rock'n'roll dudes.

[robnobcorncob]

Both those clips were awesome. I especially love young Holdsworth stuff, just as he was getting his thing together and using great old gear to do it.

Chet probably got the sweep thing from jazz dudes, who have been playing like that for decades. Often referred to as economy picking or raking. And a certain Swede was definitely not year zero. It's just that sometimes an open pirate shirt is what it takes to get a concept across to rock'n'roll dudes.

It baffles me that Holdsworth had the legato lick of doom flowing even back then (he would've been 28 in that video) on an SG (which I am assuming had pretty small frets compared to what he plays on now, Hollowbody Carvins with Jumbos and an extremely flat radius). All in his left hand I guess.

Bebop guitarists would be nowhere without sweep picking/rakes. Arpeggios would be a nightmare at any decent speed. I remember Pat Metheny whipped out some of the most ferocius sweep picking I've ever seen when he played in Wellington. Using a clean tone aswell, Legend.

[Hot_Grits]

The interesting thing about that clip is you can hear how much he picks. He picks less these days but he still hammers and pulls a lot fewer notes than people think he does.

[robnobcorncob]

The interesting thing about that clip is you can hear how much he picks. He picks less these days but he still hammers and pulls a lot fewer notes than people think he does.

Agreed. There are a few parts of that video where Holdsworth does the legato pull-offs of doom (on Wikipedia they liken it to a 'Reverse hammer-on' which is very true...) however they've evolved a lot over the years since then. Also weird to see him singing at the beginning!