Arpeggios...?

[santucci218]

I just recently bought a guitar, and just wanted to make sure i was doing arpeggios right because when i hear anybody talk about guitar solos in analysis, i hear the word ARPEGGIO.

The Arpeggio for say, C Major would be C E G? Correct?

I'm pretty sure im right, but what is done with them. I assume they are the notes that really give the color to the particular scale, correct?

[jsingles]

thats a C Major triad, the arpegio would likely include the octave C on top, or if it was C7, the respective 7th on top. You seem to have the idea though. they are just chords played 1 note at a time in simplest terms

[santucci218]

When i think triad i think three notes. Are you saying it would be

C E G C counting C as 1 note?

and a C7 would be what? Do you omit a note to give the 7 its place?

[jsingles]

no, for any type of 7th, it is no longer a triad obviously, and you would play root, third, fifth, seventh, and optionally the octave. (for CMajor7, you play C E G B, and add the octave C if you want) I should note that adding the C at the end is not necessarily needed to make it a complete arpeggio.

yes, for C major, it is technically still a triad with that pitch collection. Triad doesn't mean you play three times, it just means there are three pitches you are using to create a chord. but in most applications of arpeggios (often for the major arpeggio), and for good practice, you should add the octave C on top as well, especially since you want to be able to play arpeggios BACKWARDS, which would require starting from the upper octave C in this case.

[BigOldHarry]

"arpeggio" in the strictest sense just means a chord played one note at time (the term "Broken Chord" is often used). It doesn't have to be a major triad (like your example), it can be any chord or chord inversion, ultimately in any order.

While I don't know so much about how one approaches playing a guitar solo, playing a bass line is ALL about arpeggios. That and playing eighth note E's, A's, and G's...

Let me suggest a good exercise I was taught in my salad days as a bass n00b: Play an entire major scale, with every other note being the proper third to it. This is a fine fingering workout (if you keep shifting roots keys up a fret, all the way up the neck) and teaches your fingers where the right notes for the right moments are.

I like to start on the 3rd fret, E string (G). Now, we all know the G major sacale is G, A, B, C, D, E, F# and G, yes? Okay, you can play that easy enough - now, play it with the correct thirds - Correct, in that each interval of the scale is either Major, Minor or "Perfect" (which is treated as major in this case). Soooooo.... Inserting the correct 3rds, it looks like this: G, B, A, C, B, D, C, E, D, F#, E, G, F#, A, G.

You invert this, play it with more than just the 3rd (I like doing 1, 3, 5, 6).

Anytime your playing an thinking about what you play, not just noodling (though noodling is fun too) is productive.

Does that help at all?

[DocBop]

Take a chord any chord and play all the notes at once you have a chord. Take that same chord and play each note one at a time you just played an arpeggio. Arpeggios can be simple triads like your C E G a C major triad. or they could be the chord all the way to the 13th. C E G B D F# A. Most start learning arpeggios up the the 7th.

Once you learn, practice, and get the sound of arpeggios in your ear you will recognize them in bass lines and solos all the time. A common exercise for noobs to jazz soloing is to playing tunes in eighth note arpeggios up and down for each chord. It teaches to hear the chords, their relationship, target notes, and great for fingerboard technique.

[jsingles]

Originally Posted by BigOldHarry

"arpeggio" in the strictest sense just means a chord played one note at time (the term "Broken Chord" is often used). It doesn't have to be a major triad (like your example), it can be any chord or chord inversion, ultimately in any order.

While I don't know so much about how one approaches playing a guitar solo, playing a bass line is ALL about arpeggios. That and playing eighth note E's, A's, and G's...

Let me suggest a good exercise I was taught in my salad days as a bass n00b: Play an entire major scale, with every other note being the proper third to it. This is a fine fingering workout (if you keep shifting roots keys up a fret, all the way up the neck) and teaches your fingers where the right notes for the right moments are.

I like to start on the 3rd fret, E string (G). Now, we all know the G major sacale is G, A, B, C, D, E, F# and G, yes? Okay, you can play that easy enough - now, play it with the correct thirds - Correct, in that each interval of the scale is either Major, Minor or "Perfect" (which is treated as major in this case). Soooooo.... Inserting the correct 3rds, it looks like this: G, B, A, C, B, D, C, E, D, F#, E, G, F#, A, G.

You invert this, play it with more than just the 3rd (I like doing 1, 3, 5, 6).

Anytime your playing an thinking about what you play, not just noodling (though noodling is fun too) is productive.

Does that help at all?

+1!!

I ALWAYS warm up with this exercise, it is EXCELLENT

[santucci218]

so when thinking of arpeggios in context of soloing you are practically wanting to hit said notes of the arpeggio to give it that feel and color?

[AlphaMale]

Originally Posted by santucci218

so when thinking of arpeggios in context of soloing you are practically wanting to hit said notes of the arpeggio to give it that feel and color?

I don't think an Arpeggio needs an octave to be an Arpeggio.

But In Jazz if everyone is playing certain chords, you're going to keep the same harmony of the song and everyone moves together if you're playing the arpeggio. Certain notes do have different functions though and will have a different effect. It's not going to always give you the came exact color though I remember someone playing a C#M7 arpeggio but playing it like an F- (minor) arpeggio give what they were playing a different feel than the actual chord.

[fenderhutz]

Listen to SpaceHog's "In The Meantime" in the chorus listen to the high picked out guitar notes. Great example of an arpeggio.

[santucci218]

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

Listen to SpaceHog's "In The Meantime" in the chorus listen to the high picked out guitar notes. Great example of an arpeggio.

They sound great in that song.

So how would you guys feel is the best way to practice arpeggios. I have a digitech jamman, so i can record a simple progression and then play overtop it easily. But give me a specific example, please.

[fenderhutz]

Record

A, E, F#m, D in a standard four count progression. Power chords would work as well.

Then you can use the Arpeggios over that quite easily. I am almost sure those are the SpaceHog chords as well.

You can also alternate A,E,F#m, D with A, G#, (just a half step down), E, D for a variation.

[santucci218]

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

Record

A, E, F#m, D in a standard four count progression. Power chords would work as well.

Then you can use the Arpeggios over that quite easily. I am almost sure those are the SpaceHog chords as well.

You can also alternate A,E,F#m, D with A, G#, (just a half step down), E, D for a variation.

I'll try that out to see how it sounds.

So lets write it out first.

A
A
C#
E
A

E
E
G#
B
E

F#m
F#
A
C#
F#

D
D
F#
A
D

Right?

[mutedeity]

Originally Posted by jsingles

thats a C Major triad, the arpegio would likely include the octave C on top, or if it was C7, the respective 7th on top.

Untrue. An arpeggio is simply the tones of a chord played sequentially rather than harmonically. It will still be an arpeggio whether the octave is included or not.

[AlphaMale]

Originally Posted by mutedeity

Untrue. An arpeggio is simply the tones of a chord played sequentially rather than harmonically. It will still be an arpeggio whether the octave is included or not.

I said that (look above) and everyone ignored it.
But yeah +1

Originally Posted by santucci218

I'll try that out to see how it sounds.

So lets write it out first.

A
A
C#
E
A

Right?

Minus the octaves

[santucci218]

i think i get it.

[AlphaMale]

And don't forget passing tones

[santucci218]

Originally Posted by AlphaMale

And don't forget passing tones

yeah yeah...

[AlphaMale]

Originally Posted by santucci218

yeah yeah...

And tritone substitutions =]

[santucci218]

Originally Posted by AlphaMale

And tritone substitutions =]

what are those?