Lesson 9 - arpeggios

Arpeggios are actually seventh chords but are played tone by tone according to chord intervals (e.g. 1-3-5-7-1-3-… for maj7 arpeggio). Thanks to that, you can play more tones on each string. Look at them in the application or below in the tables and take a notice of its intervals. Again they are any-fret, so the root tone determines the name of the arpeggio.

Here I introduce all any-fret arpeggios. There are 15, because we have five variants C-A-G-E-D and three seventh chords (min7, maj7, dom7). Any-fret seventh chords are highlited - they are red and bold.

• MIN7 ARPEGGIOS

min7 arpeggio, variant C

min7 arpeggio, variant A

min7 arpeggio, variant G

min7 arpeggio, variant E

min7 arpeggio, variant D

• MAJ7 ARPEGGIOS

maj7 arpeggio, variant C

maj7 arpeggio, variant A

maj7 arpeggio, variant G

maj7 arpeggio, variant E

maj7 arpeggio, variant D

• DOM7 ARPEGGIOS

dom7 arpeggio, variant C

dom7 arpeggio, variant A

dom7 arpeggio, variant G

dom7 arpeggio, variant E

dom7 arpeggio, variant D

Arpeggios are great for improvising because (unlike scales) all tones are contained in a played chord by musical accompaniment. So you can end up your solo on any tone (but end up your solo with b7 or 7 may sounds somewhat incomplete). And second great thing - you can use so called arpeggio substitution either for fuller sounding or for easier improvising.

To every roman number there is adequate arpeggio:

But you can use arpegio substitution for fuller sound. E.g. normaly you would play min7 arpeggio over III chord, but you can move three frets up (V) for extension III chord to 9. If you move three frets down (I), you extend chord III to 13.

If you want to understand why, look at the notes in these chords:

And now look at another benefit from knowing of this substitution. You can improvise with III over I and V chord and you can improvise with IV over II and VI chord. It means that you need to learn only two arpeggios (III, IV) and are capable of improvising over almost every song… But you must be  careful, on what tone you will end up your solo...

Exercises for this lesson:

Get someone, who will play background music (mate or trained monkey :)) or record yourself to the phone. Then you try to play appropriate arpeggio over this played chord. E.g. someone is playing any-fret chord in variant E on the 5th fret, so you will play the any-fret arpeggio maj7 in variant E on the same fret. At first from the deepest tones to the highest and then back. Then you can try to improvise - move up and down, jump, whatever you want :) Before you will continue with next arpeggios, you can try substitution. I.e. play the same arpeggio, but three frets up (8.fret) or three frets down(2.fret).

If you have any favourite grouping (my favourite is around the chord E :)), then start to learn only these arpeggios, which you need. E.g. in grouping aroud chord E are useful only these arpeggios:

Next: Lesson 10 - scales

Other lessons:

Lesson 1 - first steps

Lesson 2 - intervals

Lesson 3 - tones

Lesson 4 - first chords

Lesson 5 - seventh chords

Lesson 6 - any-fret chords

Lesson 7 - chord progression I

Lesson 8 - chord progression II

Lesson 10 - scales