Arpeggios.


                         By Morten Gjermundsen(trollstjerne@yahoo.no)  
In this lesson we will look at arpeggios.I will try to explain what arpeggios are
and how to play them.As with my other lessons here too there will be midi examples
one played slow and another one faster.Practice these slow at first and speed them
up as you progress.Now lets see how the arpeggios are build and how we play them.
Arpeggios are bulid from the notes of a chord.The different between chords and
arpeggios is how they are played.You play chords with a strum,while the arpeggios
are played one after another.To play the A minor chord as a an arpeggio we will
first take a look at the A minor scale.Then i will explain how to form an arpeggio. Here is the A minor scale |-------------------------------------------------5--7--8--| |---------------------------------------5--6--8------------| |--------------------------------5--7----------------------| |----------------------5--7--9-----------------------------| |------------5--7--8---------------------------------------| |--5--7--8-------------------------------------------------| Now lets take a look at the A minor barre chord.Notice the similar notes from the
scale and the chord.Then listen to the midi playing first the scale then the chord.
Here is the A minor chord. |------5-------| |------5-------| |------5-------| |------7-------| |------7-------| |------5-------| A minor scale and chord playéd one after another then together. |-------------------------------------------------5--------5--| |---------------------------------------5--6--8------------5--| |--------------------------------5--7----------------------5--| |----------------------5--7--9-----------------------------7--| |------------5--7--8---------------------------------------7--| |--5--7--8-------------------------------------------------5--| Now when you now how to play the A minor scale and the a minor chord we can easily
form an arpeggio.The notes in the A minor chord are A - E - A - C - E - A but since
the notes A and E are played in two or more octaves there is only tree different notes
in this chord (A - C - and E).If you play these tree notes one after another you are
playing what we call an arpeggio.Another way to see it is way.Pick the first,third
and the fifth notes of the scale(A - C - E)and you´ll have a simple A minor arpeggio. here is the first arpeggio. |-------------------| |-------------------| |-------------------| |-------------------| |--------------7----| |----5----8---------| If we now add notes from the next octave it will look like this. two octave minor arpeggio. |----------------------------------5----| |-----------------------------5---------| |------------------------5--------------| |-------------------7-------------------| |--------------7------------------------| |----5----8-----------------------------| To play arpeggios in A major we can do it the same way,only this time we will use
the A major chord and the A major scale to form the arpeggio.Here is the major chord. |------5-------| |------5-------| |------4-------| |------7-------| |------7-------| |------5-------| And here is the A major scale. |-----------------------------------------4--5----------| |-----------------------------------5--7----------------| |--------------------------4--6--7----------------------| |-----------------4--6--7-------------------------------| |--------4--5--7----------------------------------------| |--5--7-------------------------------------------------| If we took the first,third and fifth notes from the A major scale to form an arpeggio
an simple A major arpeggio would look like this. A major arpeggio. |-------------------| |-------------------| |-------------------| |-------------------| |---------4----7----| |----5--------------| here is the A major arpeggio two octaves. |----------------------------------5----| |-----------------------------5---------| |------------------------6--------------| |-------------------7-------------------| |---------4----7------------------------| |----5----------------------------------| Now when you have learned the basic arpeggio forms you should learn them all around the
fretboard in any key.To get you started here are some arpeggios in the key of G,B and F. G major arpeggio. Listen. |----------------------------------3----| |-----------------------------3---------| |------------------------4--------------| |-------------------5-------------------| |---------2----5------------------------| |----3----------------------------------| F major arpeggio. Listen. |----------------------------------1----| |-----------------------------1---------| |------------------------2--------------| |-------------------3-------------------| |---------0----3------------------------| |----1----------------------------------| B major arpeggio. Listen. |----------------------------------7----| |-----------------------------7---------| |------------------------8--------------| |-------------------9-------------------| |---------6----9------------------------| |----7----------------------------------| Two octave G minor arpeggio. |----------------------------------3----| |-----------------------------3---------| |------------------------3--------------| |-------------------5-------------------| |--------------5------------------------| |----3----6-----------------------------| Two octave F minor arpeggio. |----------------------------------1----| |-----------------------------1---------| |------------------------1--------------| |-------------------3-------------------| |--------------3------------------------| |----1----4-----------------------------| Two octave B minor arpeggio. |-----------------------------------7----| |------------------------------7---------| |-------------------------7--------------| |--------------------9-------------------| |---------------9------------------------| |----7----10-----------------------------| You might want to try out and learn some extended arpeggios too so here we go.
This one is in A minor.Click here for the slow one and here for the fast one. * |--------------------5--8--5--8-sl/-12--12------17------| |-----------------5-------------------------13------17--| |--------------5----------------------------------------| |-----------7-------------------------------------------| |--------7----------------------------------------------| |--5--8-------------------------------------------------| |------------------17--20--17--------------------------------------| |--------------17--------------17----------------------------------| |--17------17----------------------17------------------------------| |------19------------------------------19----------------------14--| |------------------------------------------19----------12--15------| |----------------------------------------------17--12--------------| |----------------------12--17--12----------------------5--| |------------------13--------------13------------------5--| |--------------14----------------------14--------------5--| |----------14------------------------------14----------7--| |--12--15--------------------------------------15--12--7--| |------------------------------------------------------5--| * the mark sl/ tell you to slide your finger from the 8th fret to the 12th fret. Hopefully you get the idea on how and where to use them if not,here´s some tips and
ideas.Playing arpeggios instead of chords can really spice up you guitarplaying.Just
listen to the example below.If you have a friend who play guitar,or maybe you play in
a band you can play arpeggios while another one strum the chords.Your music will sound
allot more interesting.don´t be shy give it a try.Other places to play arpeggios is in
solos.you can play them like the examples above or you can play them using the
tapping technique.To play them really fast i recommend the sweep picking technique. When you start to feel comfortable with arpeggios you can try out this one.Click here
for the arpeggios with backing chords.Here for the backing chords.And finally click
here to hear the arpeggios play´ed without the backing chords.The / after the first
note tell you to slide from the 2nd fret to the 7th fret. |----------------5--8--0--|--8--12-----------------------| |-------------5-----------|---------13--10---------------| |----------5--------------|-----------------9------------| |--2/---7-----------------|--------------------10--------| |-------------------------|------------------------12----| |-------------------------|------------------------------| ------------------------10--13--|------------------------------| ----------------10--------------|--------------------------10--| ------------10------10----------|------------9----------9------| -----7--10----------------------|---------9---------12---------| --8-----------------------------|--7--10--------10-------------| --------------------------------|------------------------------| --12--17--------------------------|------13--17----------------------| ----------13----------------------|--13----------18------------------| --------------14--------------14--|------------------17--------------| --------------------------14------|----------------------15----------| ------------------12--15----------|--------------------------15------| ----------------------------------|------------------------------13--| ----------------------------|-----------------------| ----------------------------|--------------5--------| -------------------4--------|-----------5-----------| ----------9-----5-----5-----|--------7--------------| ------10-----5-----------5--|-----7-----------------| --10------------------------|--5--------------------| Now you should have some ideas on how to play arpeggios.And with these exercises
you´ll have enough practice material for awhile too.Don´t forget to play them in
all keys both major and minor shapes.Good luck with these exercises and be sure
to check out the rest of my Guitarpages.Back to Guitarpages. All the best Morten Gjermundsen.