Economy & Sweep Picking (Applied to Jazz)

Guitarist Juampy Juarez teaches economy picking and sweep picking — two of his favorite techniques — and shows how to apply them to jazz playing, including economy picking with three notes per string.

As Juampy puts it, practicing technique in jazz was long treated like a sin — teachers didn't teach it, and the subject had a bad reputation. His view: technique is not a goal in itself, but a way to reach new musical standards. If you want to play triplets or sixteenth notes at bright tempos, or handle intricate bebop and fusion melodies with confidence, a solid picking technique lets you play the music you hear in your head and heart — and can even open new possibilities in your own composing.

An honest, encouraging technique lesson for intermediate players who want their right hand to keep up with their ideas. The class includes a download. Full video is 1 hour and 4 minutes.