The Hidden Reason Your Sweep Picking Falls Apart

That exaggerated picking motion? Guilty. But hear me out – I did it for a reason, and that reason might just fix your sweep picking struggles for good.

Today we’re tackling one of the most misunderstood parts of sweep picking: pick angle adaptation. This subtle motion is easy to overlook, but if you’re one of those players who gets stuck when trying to sweep – this is likely why.

When you sweep from the low E string down to the high E, things feel fine. But the moment you try to reverse direction without adjusting your pick angle, you’re in trouble. Your pick gets caught under the high E string like it's glued there. Sound familiar?

The fix is a tiny, intentional shift in your pick angle. When going down across the strings, you naturally angle the pick one way – but to come back up smoothly, you need to reverse that angle slightly. Just a few degrees makes all the difference. If you ignore this, you’ll keep feeling like sweeping is impossible or inconsistent at faster tempos.

Want to test it? Try muting the strings lightly with your left hand and do a muted sweep down and back up. If you keep your pick at the same angle, you’ll feel it snag as you return. Now, try adjusting your angle just before the upstroke – suddenly it flows.

Once you're aware of this micro-movement, you don’t need to exaggerate it like I did at the start of the video – that was just to make the concept crystal clear. In real-world playing, your angle should sit in a flexible middle zone that lets you quickly shift as needed. This flexibility is key, especially if you want to improvise instead of sticking to rigid, pre-set shapes.

So whether you're new to sweep picking or trying to level up your technique, this angle awareness is one of those small adjustments that makes a huge difference. You’ll get smoother motion, fewer hang-ups, and a more fluid sound overall.

Thanks for watching – and for sticking with me through another geeky deep dive. You've been wonderful, I've been Kristofer. See you next time!