Arpeggio Exercise

[Rev J]

Hey,
I'm new here but I have an exercise that I figured I'd share. Since I play a 24 fret 6 string bass I'll explain it as I play it but it can be easily adapted for 4 and 5 string basses.

Essentially you can play any diatonic 7th arpeggio starting on any 2 consecutive scale degrees. I'm talking about using inversions too.

Starting on the C first fret low B string I play each arpeggio in 3 or 4 octaves depending on which note I start from so going in order it goes like this:

CMaj7 root position (C-E-G-B)
Dmin7 3rd inversion (C-D-F-A)
Emin7 3rd inversion (D-E-G-B)
FMaj7 2nd inversion (C-E-F-A)
G7 2nd inversion (D-F-G-B)
Amin7 1st inversion (C-E-G-A)
Bmin7b5 1st inversion (D-F-A-B)

Once you get that down try it from other pairs of starting notes (D-E, E-F, F-G, G-A, A-B, B-C). I'm a firm believer that you should play exercises that have multiple benefits. With this series you learn to hear how each inversion sounds arpeggiated, playing it in multiple octaves helps you learn the neck and shift. If you want to get really fancy I also use a Boss RC20 to loop different triads against the arpeggios so I can hear how different inversions and extensions sound together.

Stay Brown,
Rev J

 

[TimXSweeney]

Awesome! I love warmup left hand exercise that you really have to think about to get through. I do something similar with the major, harmonic and melodic mode and their arpeggios on a single position to create inversions. The looping concept is cool too.
Tim

 

[Rev J]

Thanks. Once I get the exercise down with all of the major scales/modes and their inversions I plan on working through the harmonic and melodic minor scales and any others that I happen to come across.

To me a good warm up exercise should warm up your mind as well as your hands.

I think one of the most crippling things to a musicians development though is the fear to sound bad. Before you can play something well you have to play it poorly.

The looper is one thing that I feel has helped my playing the most. Being able to create contexts for the scales, arpeggios, and modes makes for a more musical experience.

Stay Brown,
Rev J

 

[eddododo]

you know I really like this.
there's something subtle and brilliant about the approach, and I think if you expand on the idea it could be a really really nice series of exercises

 

[Rev J]

Thanks. For me it is just a beginning.

Stay Brown,
Rev J