Free Online Lessons
Lesson 11: Minor Arpeggio Patterns
First of all, an arpeggio is simply the notes
of a chord played in succession rather than
simultaneously.
For example, a G minor
arpeggio would use the notes G - B
- D, the
same notes that are used to spell a G minor
chord, only you would use the notes
melodically rather than harmonically.
Sometimes if you are soloing, and you want
to outline a particular chord with your
melody, you would use the notes from the
arpeggio of that chord.
The object is not to
always play the arpeggios from one end to
the other, but rather use the arpeggio as a
source of notes from which you can choose,
in any order, to construct your solo.
Because
of their intervalic relationship, arpeggios
can help provide your solo with a strong
melodic sense.
Main Points to Accomplish:
Learn each arpeggio form thoroughly, moving it to different roots.
Go through all of the forms and identify each note, whether or not it's the root, the 3rd or the 5th.
Connect all the forms together and practice with your metronome so you can move easily up
and down the fretboard playing only arpeggios.
Whatever you do, don't blow off these
arpeggios thinking "Hey, I already know my
minor scales and these arpeggios are
covered in those scales - so why bother."
I've talked with many players who have done
this only to realize later that once they
started working with arpeggios, their
soloing really got better.
G Minor Arpeggios
Form 1
Form 2
Form 3
Form 4
Copyright 2001 T.A. Vieira, Jr.
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