There’s a particular kind of fun in taking a familiar tune and playing it in a way nobody expects — and applying sweep picking to Jingle Bells is about as unexpected as it gets. Fair warning: this arrangement only sounds good at full speed, so if your sweeping technique isn’t quite there yet, treat it as a long-term target to work toward.

What you’ll get out of this lesson: A breakdown of the sweep picking arrangement of Jingle Bells shown in the Instagram video, so you can understand how the piece is constructed and work on it at your own pace.

Sweep picking as a technique

Sweep picking is a right-hand technique that involves a single fluid stroke across multiple strings, coordinated with the left hand so that each note sounds individually rather than as a chord. At slow speeds, the technique tends to fall apart — which is what makes this arrangement a useful gauge of where your sweeping currently stands. If it sounds muddy or unclear, that’s the technique telling you where to focus your practice.

Getting your sweep picking up to scratch

If your sweeping needs work before you can tackle this piece, the members’ section video “How I Built My… Sweep Picking” is the recommended starting point. Work through that material first, then come back to this arrangement once the mechanics are more solid.

Taking it further: Once you can play this at speed, try applying the same sweep picking approach to other melodies you know — seasonal or otherwise. The process of adapting a familiar tune to a technique you’re developing is one of the most motivating ways to practise.