Arpeggios Guide. Part 1 - Learn Your Arpeggios

Arpeggios Guide. Part 1 - Learn Your Arpeggios.

First off, an arpeggio is defined as playing chord one note at a time. This is true, but you when you're done here, you wont think of them a chords, but as tools to use to spice up your solos and such.

Chord Construction.
This is a must when learning arpeggios. Chord construction refers to intervals used to make chords. Example: When you see (1 3 5) that means you use the root, the third and fifth of the major scale. If you see (1 b3 5) it is still the major scale. That being said, know your major scales! Even if its numbers that are above 7 (major scale is 1 2 3 4 5 7 1), it is infered that:

9  = 2
11 = 4
13 = 6

Just subtract 7.

The Chords.
Notes in brackets are optional, but make the arpeggio sound better.

Major: 1  3 (5)
Minor: 1 b3 (5)
Aug:   1  3 #5
Dim:   1 b3 b5
dom7:  1  3 (5) b7
Maj7:  1  3 (5)  7
m7:    1 b3 (5) b7
Aug7:  1  3 #5  b7
Dim7:  1 b3 b3  bb7
m/maj7:1 b3 (5)  7
m7b5:  1 b3 b5  b7
m7#5:  1 b3 #5  b7
m7b9:  1 b3 (5) b7 b9

With those arpeggios, you should have a great start.

Applying These To Make Arpeggios.
By now, you're probably itching to play. So, I'll start with C for simplicity.

Intervals... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1
Cmaj Scale:  C D E F G A B C
Cmaj Arpeggio: C E (G)

Cmin:   C Eb (G)
Aug:    C E   G#
Dim:    C Eb  Gb
dom7:   C E  (G) Bb
Maj7:   C E  (G) B
m7:     C Eb (G) Bb
Aug7:   C E   G# Bb
Dim7:   C Eb  Gb Bbb/A
m/maj7: C Eb (G) B
m7b5:   C Eb  Gb Bb
m7#5:   C Eb  G# Bb
m7b9:   C Eb (G) Bb Db

Playing Those Arpeggios.

  C                   Cm                  Caug 
|-------------------|-------------------|---------------|
|---------------(8)-|---------------(8)-|-------------9-|
|-----(0)-----9-----|-----(0)-----8-----|-----1-----9---|
|---2------10-------|---1------10-------|---2----10-----|
|-3-----------------|-3-----------------|-3-------------|
|-------------------|-------------------|---------------|

  Cdim            C7                      Cmaj7
|---------------|---------------------6-|---------------------7-|
|-------------7-|-----------------(8)---|---------0-------(8)---|
|-----------8---|-----(0)-3-----9-------|-----(0)-------9-------|
|---1-4--10-----|---2--------10---------|---2--------10---------|
|-3-------------|-3---------------------|-3---------------------|
|---------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|


  Cm7                     Caug7
|---------------------6-|-----------------6-|
|-----------------(8)---|---------------9---|
|-----(0)-3-----8-------|-----1-3-----9-----|
|---1--------10---------|---2------10-------|
|-3---------------------|-3-----------------|
|-----------------------|-------------------|


  Cdim7                Cm/maj7
|--------------------|-------------------7-|
|---------------7-10-|---------0-------8---|
|-------2-----8------|-----(0)-------8-----|
|---1-4----10--------|---1--------10-------|
|-3------------------|-3-------------------|
|--------------------|---------------------|


  Cm7b5                Cm7+5
|--------------------|--------------------|
|---------------7-11-|---------------9-11-|
|-------3-----8------|-----1-3-----8------|
|---1-4----10--------|---1------10--------|
|-3------------------|-3------------------|
|--------------------|--------------------|


  Cm7b9
|--------------------------9-|
|-----------2-------(8)-11---|
|-----(0)-3-------8----------|
|---1----------10------------|
|-3--------------------------|
|----------------------------|

Inversions.
An inversion is when the root note is not the lowest note of the arpeggio. A 1st inversion is when the third note is the first note, a 2nd inversion is when the fifth is played first, and when dealing with arpeggios with a seventh, playing the seventh first is the 3rd inversion.

 Em7

 Root note     1st Inv        2nd Inv      3rd   Inv
|-------7--10-|----7--10--12-|------------|---------------|
|----8--------|-8------------|----------8-|---------------|
|-9-----------|--------------|----7--9----|---------------|
|-------------|--------------|-9----------|-------5--9----|
|-------------|--------------|------------|-5--7----------|
|-------------|--------------|------------|---------------|

Comments

[slash_pwns]

Hey its finally up! ya!

[les_kris]

This is a fairly good lesson, nice to see some basics of theory covered, good job dude.

[Craig01]

good job, very easy to understand and also imformative.

[guitardude913]

good job dude

[STERIOGRAM134]

nice

[SethMegadefan]

Great article. Loads of info for beginners. Looks like you know your stuff. Five stars.

[kdo]

i think il call myself Donald twain...good stuff..loads of info..thanks

[DazzlerD]

KEWL!!!! after 10 years of playin with out any tuition finally i can fill in some blanks!!! THIS SITE ROCKS....

[0.Configuration]

u rock man, ur possibly the first person on this site to explain this in a way that people will understand, everyone else who does stuff like this is jus all like,
"well you take the diminished phrygian harmonic minor 5th and place it with the augmented loclorian diminished 20th then hey presto were done!" and ppl are all like "phrygian?" "harmonic?" "5th" "screw this"

[difitzio]

wow what a fantastic lesson and playing that all together reminds me of a scene from a movie (kind of spooky yet exciting mood)... this stuff is going to realy help me along thanks mate

[Matt_Malmsteen]

Hey man this lessons owns.. taught me some theory I didn't know, thaanx alot!

[MightyMilly]

yay! now i know what all that Aug7 and m7b9 stuff means! thanks slash_pwns

[difitzio]

fantastic theory lesson this is gonna help me along nicely thank you my friend

[green_ramou!]

nice job.. i've been looking out for this stuff... clearly a ***..

[Guitar-God-Elf]

cheers mate!brill lesson!

[Raven_Morgana]

thanks. This really helped.

[dwad]

man dude you rock this helped me alot
thanx

[Mikeoman]

Ummm... with these arpeggios, are you supposed to play the notes in order of the scale( 1,3,5) or are you basically just strumming these chords real slow?

[saadali]

hi great tab man thanks

[cap'nkirk]

another great lesson, you rock buddy... you speak my kind of lingo...

[fingersofflame]

wow...that was great! you rock man, keep up the good work..

[timmyjbone]

i dont get it

[jackson_marshal]

yes finally a lesson on arpeggios that actually helped thanks dude

[Brizanishbro]

nicely done

[hippieboy444]

this doesnt make sense

[guitar-7777]

nice leson very easy to understand and to the point.

[crazyasian]

good lesson that wasnt confusing

[metallica100]

:
m::m
:
:
m:

[metallica100]

[Leeejc]

may sound stupid but it took me a while to figure out what the 'b' was i now realise it means Flat i think i was having a dumb moment lol good lesson it really helped me with my theory and and why chords sound like they do thanks !!

[Doofag]

WOW Thanks you SO much!!

This is great! Clears up sooo many questions I had!

5/5

[tony d]

good lesson helped me loadz

[Deedanny]

Maybe im just stupid or something but i didn't get this, but i dun wanna be the boring one, i just think it's a bit wierd that i can pull of "arpeggios from hell" and not understand a freaking "learn your--" lesson=P but it's probably just me, heh.. anyway good work on the scale thingy ;D

[80srockerchik]

hmmmmm.....im lost....i didnt understand this really...all i get is that arpeggios are broken up chords but....thats it.... can n e one help?

[††m@tt_heafy††]

good lesson mate

[vivalabowman]

very nice.

easy to understand, good information, no errors.

10/10

[Kynyster_K]

I'M SO FUCKIN LOST! ^ just like 80srockerchik... all i know is they're broken up chords! Someone please help me

[Aenx]

Aw man, my head hurts.
I'm in the same situation as the guy above, is there actually anyone out there that can help clear this up for me?

[Madhur Damn]

Just look for another article on the subject, someone else might explain it better for those who don't understand.

[ironwolg]

excellent lesson, but i would have included the major scalein it, hopefully this will help me out some

[wildchild6660]

Kynyster_K wrote:

I'M SO FUCKIN LOST! ^ just like 80srockerchik... all i know is they're broken up chords! Someone please help me

You just have to use the individual notes in a arpeggio when soloing. When a chord is being played, you can play the arpeggiated equalent

try this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcZ9YFhVprA

[guitarpunk21]

this was pretty helpful.. it also helped me understand intervals a bit too.

[Les_Frederiksen]

excellent!

[guitarplay23]

thats great! can you send me a lesson about modulation?

[HandsomeBastard]

it would be better if you used an easier arpeggio as an example when you talked about arpeggio inversions

[ellucifere]

i love it

[Nilzstar]

Great ! x

[butanoic]

gez im gona like it here. 9ice work

[butanoic]

wow 9ice ework

[baltaz7]

it is very easy to my. do you have something more difficult for me

[baltaz7]

?

[baltaz7]

it is very easy to my. do you have something more difficult for me?