Quick run-down on arpeggio's please?

[Depth_Charge]

I want to add arpeggio practice into my daily routine, to compliment my fretboard and scale knowledge.

I have a book that says an arpeggio is when you play "the notes of a chord, one note at a time".

But then it goes on to describe an arpeggio from the F Major scale, where they play the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 8th degree of the F Major scale.

I'm a little confused now. How do I derive an arpeggio from a scale and/or chord?

Thanks,

D_C

[bburk]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

I want to add arpeggio practice into my daily routine, to compliment my fretboard and scale knowledge.

I have a book that says an arpeggio is when you play "the notes of a chord, one note at a time".

But then it goes on to describe an arpeggio from the F Major scale, where they play the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 8th degree of the F Major scale.

I'm a little confused now. How do I derive an arpeggio from a scale and/or chord?

Thanks,

D_C

I just did this one a few days ago, but here we go.

You derive a chord from a scale and an arpeggio from a chord. A basic chord is the triad. A triad is the first, third and fifth note of a scale. Add the seventh note for a seven chord. The eighth note is the same as the first but an octave higher so it too serves as the first (root) note of a chord. Play those notes in order, up and back, and you've got yourself an arpeggio.

Good luck

[DocBop]

Once you get the arpeggio fingerings down for a basic chords. Major7, Minor7, Dominant7. Next learn the arpeggios up to the highest appropriate note in the fingering pattern and go down to the lowest appropriate note in fingering pattern.

Now take simple chord sequences like II-V-I-I and play the arpeggios in straight eighth notes from root up as each chord changes. Going up use all the available notes in the fingering pattern and same thing going down.

Now IMO this is the real valuable practice routine especially for soloing. This time don't go back to the root when the chord changes, go to the nearest chord tone in same direction up or down your are playing. Don't change direction until you are at last available note for the arpeggio in that fingering pattern.

In the begginning that last part will take some time to start "seeing" that next available note. Once you start gettng that under your finger trying it with Real Book tunes and you will start hearing the chord changes coming from your lines. That ability to connect arps with closest note will be invaluable for creating smooth basslines and when soloing. Also getting good at arpeggios you start "seeing" the fingerboard in all good chord tones. You start seeing the neck like that and adding approach notes and chromatic connections is simple after that.

[Depth_Charge]

Originally Posted by bburk

I just did this one a few days ago, but here we go.

You derive a chord from a scale and an arpeggio from a chord. A basic chord is the triad. A triad is the first, third and fifth note of a scale. Add the seventh note for a seven chord. The eighth note is the same as the first but an octave higher so it too serves as the first (root) note of a chord. Play those notes in order, up and back, and you've got yourself an arpeggio.

Good luck

Thanks for that, I will put that to use over the scales from the COF.

Another dumb question, can you argeppiage other degrees? (Say, the 2nd 4th and 6th degree etc).

Yes, I know that little

Originally Posted by DocBop

Once you get the arpeggio fingerings down for a basic chords. Major7, Minor7, Dominant7. Next learn the arpeggios up to the highest appropriate note in the fingering pattern and go down to the lowest appropriate note in fingering pattern.

Now take simple chord sequences like II-V-I-I and play the arpeggios in straight eighth notes from root up as each chord changes. Going up use all the available notes in the fingering pattern and same thing going down.

Now IMO this is the real valuable practice routine especially for soloing. This time don't go back to the root when the chord changes, go to the nearest chord tone in same direction up or down your are playing. Don't change direction until you are at last available note for the arpeggio in that fingering pattern.

In the begginning that last part will take some time to start "seeing" that next available note. Once you start gettng that under your finger trying it with Real Book tunes and you will start hearing the chord changes coming from your lines. That ability to connect arps with closest note will be invaluable for creating smooth basslines and when soloing. Also getting good at arpeggios you start "seeing" the fingerboard in all good chord tones. You start seeing the neck like that and adding approach notes and chromatic connections is simple after that.

A lot of this went over my head but I have finally printed some resources given to me long ago by KayCee and without a band to audition/practice for intend forging ahead on the "brain stuff".

Thanks again guys!

[phatbassdood]

Originally Posted by DocBop

Once you get the arpeggio fingerings down for a basic chords. Major7, Minor7, Dominant7. Next learn the arpeggios up to the highest appropriate note in the fingering pattern and go down to the lowest appropriate note in fingering pattern.

Now take simple chord sequences like II-V-I-I and play the arpeggios in straight eighth notes from root up as each chord changes. Going up use all the available notes in the fingering pattern and same thing going down.

Now IMO this is the real valuable practice routine especially for soloing. This time don't go back to the root when the chord changes, go to the nearest chord tone in same direction up or down your are playing. Don't change direction until you are at last available note for the arpeggio in that fingering pattern.

In the begginning that last part will take some time to start "seeing" that next available note. Once you start gettng that under your finger trying it with Real Book tunes and you will start hearing the chord changes coming from your lines. That ability to connect arps with closest note will be invaluable for creating smooth basslines and when soloing. Also getting good at arpeggios you start "seeing" the fingerboard in all good chord tones. You start seeing the neck like that and adding approach notes and chromatic connections is simple after that.

I found that very helpful, thanks

[bburk]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

Another dumb question, can you argeppiage other degrees? (Say, the 2nd 4th and 6th degree etc).

Yeah, sure. Basically, you arpeggiate the chord tones, whatever they are. When you arpeggiate more complex chords (9s, 13s, sus4, etc) you are (often) playing other scale degrees. But, you usually play them above the octave. i.e. the 9th is really the 2nd but up an octave.

If I were you however, I'd just concentrate first on triads, and then on to seven chords. There's plenty of work there, and those chords will work over almost any music you'll likely encounter.

I would look into getting some reading material on basic music theory and study the chapter on chord construction. Once you understand how chords are made, figuring out the arpeggios is dead simple.

[DocBop]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

Thanks for that, I will put that to use over the scales from the COF.

Another dumb question, can you argeppiage other degrees? (Say, the 2nd 4th and 6th degree etc).

Thanks again guys!

I do it for my arpeggio practice these days and play arpeggios up to the 13th. So it would be 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and back down. You need to adjust the 3rd's and 7th's for major or minor and also the 11th. As a Jazzbo I use the #11 on major and dominant arpeggios and perfect 11 on minor, but that is me and the sound I like. I also do this with the exercise I gave in my post with chord progressions. Actually I have a chord sequence that is changing keys so it is quite a work out.

To complete the question you can make any chord into a arpeggio basically you're just laying out the chord tones and playing them one by one. You play the extended arpeggios like above and you are playing all the notes of the scale in 3rd's. All this stuff inter-relates scales, chords, arpeggios. Learning one should help in learning the others, and check your answers, just have to look for the relationships.

[winstonthecat]

Just wanted to say thanks to Doc Bop for always giving great answers to practice questions for us noobies.

[Depth_Charge]

Yeah, thanks DocBop and company

I had a play with the basic 1,3,5,8 pattern today, using the scales e-book I bought from GetItAll.net and running through "arpeggiating" the Major scale in every key. It was a lot of fun rather than drudging through scales.

Oh yeah, I thought it sounded cool when I played it 1,3,5,8,5,3,1. A little cliched, but cool nonetheless.

Thanks again!

[mambo4]

some times I just think of arpeggios as "every other note" in a scale, and practice going up.
1-3-5
2-4-6
3-5-7
4-6-8
5-7-9 (or 5-7-2) ....etc

[DocBop]

Originally Posted by Depth_Charge

Yeah, thanks DocBop and company

I had a play with the basic 1,3,5,8 pattern today, using the scales e-book I bought from GetItAll.net and running through "arpeggiating" the Major scale in every key. It was a lot of fun rather than drudging through scales.

Oh yeah, I thought it sounded cool when I played it 1,3,5,8,5,3,1. A little cliched, but cool nonetheless.

Thanks again!

To make it even more valuable sing along with it and intenalize the sound of chord tones.