Guitar Notes
Resources | Tabs | Classifieds | Reviews | Calendar | Discussion
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
options
HOME / THEORY AND BEYOND

Theory and Beyond

Click on the lesson number below to view the respective lesson in this three part series by Judy Letostak.

1 | 2 | 3

Theory and Beyond part 3 (Arpeggios)
letostak@ix.netcom.com (Judy Letostak)
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/agnetha/59/index.html
Metal Edge (619)423-4970 24/7 Guitar/Bass/Drum tab, MP3s, Appz


=========================================
| Do NOT send or archive this to olga...|
=========================================

You can post this on your web, ftp, bbs whatever, without permission.
leave the email and name in pls.


This lesson is all about different types of arpeggios and how
to utilize them into your playing.  Sweep arpeggios and just
the plain ol arps... :)

The first thing is "what the hell is an arpeggio????"  It is
just this:

1  III  V  the same as a chord.  (see first and 2nd lesson).
a C major chord is:  C E G  and a C major arpeggio is C E G.
huh???  The difference is you strum a chord and you play an 
arpeggio one note at a time.  chord=frozen arpeggio
arpeggio=broken chord.  

The technique of sweep picking is just playing an arpeggio
usually one note per string in one stroke.  Either up or down
stroke.  

--2-------------
----3-----------
------2---------
--------4-------
----------5-----
----------------

This is a D major arpeggio, you would start on the high E string and using
all downstrokes (one stroke actually) play each note, while damping the last
note with either your left finger (the one that played the last note) or 
the fleshy palm of your right hand.  Play with it, you'll figure out what
works best for you.  DONT LET THE LAST NOTE RING OUT!!!  Very important!!

If you use more than one note on a string either a pull off or hammer on
can be used:

-10p7-------7h10~~~----
------8---8------------
--------9--------------etc.,
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
Or you can just pick it, your choice.

Ok, now onto the various arpeggios:
r=root note
Major

--------------------1r-4------------------------2r-6--------
-----------------1---------------------------2--------------
--------------2---------------------------3-----------------
-----------3r--------------------------4r-------------------
--------3------------------------1--4-----------------------
--1--4------------------------2r----------------------------
  r         

-----------------4r----------------------1--6r--------------
-----------1--4-----------------------3---------------------
---------1r------------------------3r-----------------------
-------1------------------------3---------------------------
----3--------------------1r--4------------------------------
-4r---------------------------------------------------------


-------------------2-----------------1--4-------------------
----------------4-----------------2r------------------------
-------------4r----------------1----------------------------
------1---4-----------------3-------------------------------
---2r--------------------4r---------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------


---------------3---------------1r-5-------------------------
------------4r--------------1-------------------------------
---------3---------------2----------------------------------
--1r--5---------------3r------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------

Minor Arpeggios

-------------------1r-4------------------------4r-----------
----------------1---------------------------4---------------
-------------1------------------------1r-4------------------
----------3r-----------------------1------------------------
-------3------------------------3---------------------------
-1r-4------------------------4r-----------------------------


----------------1---6-------------------1--5----------------
-------------2-----------------------2r---------------------
----------3r----------------------1-------------------------
-------3-----------------------2----------------------------
-1r-4-----------------------4r------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------


--------------2--6---------------1r-4-----------------------
-----------4r-----------------1-----------------------------
--------3------------------1--------------------------------
--1r-4------------------3r----------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------

Those are your main major and minor arpeggios, there are others
of course, but these are the main ones.  Now, the way to utilize
them in your playing.  Arpeggios are not limited to leads, they
can be used in any way you can possibly think of, in rhythms,
ballads (you can make up some very pretty progressions), breaks
etc., bass players can also use them.  Steve Harris and Geddy
Lee are prime examples.

Here's an example:

   Eminor        G major         B Minor
-------12-15p12-14-15-12~-------12/14-----------------------
----12--------------------15p12-------15--------------------
-14--------------------------------------16~----------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
This is playing off of each chord.  It's just as easy to play
E Minor arpeggios over the neck with the same progression.


  EMinor              F#          Cmajor
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------2-----------------------
---------2h4h5~-------------------2---2---------------------
-------2--------2----------3--6---------3~------------------
---0h3---------------2--5-----------------------------------

Little F# diminished arp in there for ya...I don't have my
guitar in hand (at work) so I'm taking a wild shot, not sure 
how it would sound, but theoretically it works.  This is also
playing off of each chord...

My last band we had this strange progression...like this:

--7----------7-------|---5------5-----|-----3-------3------|
--7----------7-------|---5------5-----|-----3-------3------|
--9-----9----9-------|---7--7---7-----|-----5---3---3------|
--9-----9----9-------|---7--7---7-----|-----5---3---3------|
--7-----7----7-------|---5--5---5-----|-----3---3---3------|
--------7----8-------|------5---6-----|---------3---4------|


----2--------2--------|
----2--------2--------|
----4----2---2--------|play each bar 2x I didn't notate the rhythm
----4----2---2--------|but it booked!  Think Iron Maiden style.
----2----2---2--------|
---------2---3--------|

So, I played a little strange riff like this over it some
where in the lead.

------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
-------5--4--------------9--5---------------12--11----------
----4--------5--------7--------7--------10----------12------
-3--------------7--5--------------9--9------------------14--
------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
--15--14--12------------------------------------------------
--------------15--14--12\10~~~~-----------------------------

They're arpeggios sorta...not exactly, but they're mainly 
shapes...a pattern, but it's something that was borne from
the arpeggio idea...rather than playing arpeggios, I did
something totally different.  I pretty much stuck with the
E Minor scale, even though the chords change, the pattern,
sounded fine.  

E Minor 7 arpeggio

----------------------------------12------------------------
--------------------------12--15----------------------------
----------------------12------------------------------------
--------------12--14----------------------------------------
----------14------------------------------------------------
--12--15----------------------------------------------------

This is just like an E minor arp, but with the 7 (D) added.

E Major 7 Arpeggio

----------------------------11--12--------------------------
---------------------9--12----------------------------------
------------------9-----------------------------------------
-----------9--13--------------------------------------------
------11----------------------------------------------------
--12--------------------------------------------------------


Minor 9

-----------------------------3-----
-----------------------1--4--------
--------------------1--------------
--------------1--5-----------------
-----------3-----------------------
----1r--4--------------------------
These are a little different (sounding as well).  They're not
one note per string, but they can give an interesting effect.
Play around with them, to figure out where they work best.

Minor 9

-----------------------1--6----
--------------------4----------
--------------3--4-------------
--------1--4-------------------
-----2-------------------------
--4r---------------------------


---------------------1--4-----------------------------------
---------------1--2-------------------------4---------------
------------1-------------------------1--4------------------
---------3-------------------------2------------------------
---1r-4-------------------------4r--------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------


-------------1-------------------------3--------------------
----------2----------------------1--4-----------------------
-------3----------------------1-----------------------------
-1r-4---------------------3r--------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------



Diminished
-------------------------------7--10------------------------
-------------------------6--9-------------------------------
-------------------4--7-------------------------------------
-------------3--6-------------------------------------------
-------2--5-------------------------------------------------
-1--4-------------------------------------------------------

G# dim7

------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------9--12--9--------------------------
----------------------10------------10--7-------------------
---------------9--12-----------------------9--6-------------
--------8--11------------------------------------8----------
-7--10----------------------------------------------7-------


Instead of sweep arpeggios (one note per string) you can use
2 notes per string, via hammer ons and pull offs, it's still
an arpeggio, but it's a bit easier to do.  Nuno Bettencourt
(Ex-Extreme) uses these instead of sweep arpeggios.

E Minor
------------------------------15----------------------------
-----------------------13h17--------------------------------
-------------------14---------------------------------------
------------12h16-------------------------------------------
--------14--------------------------------------------------
-12h15------------------------------------------------------

This is a bit easier to do than the sweeping, it doesn't matter
how you do it, it's still an arpeggio!

The possibilities are endless for arpeggios and scales.  You can
take any mode, and make arpeggios from them...

E Mixolydian7:  E  G#  B  D
D Dorian7:  D  F  A  C
etc.,


Play around with the different types of arpeggios...Make up your own!

There are lots of ways to use arpeggios in your leads...Here's one
example.

  Am              CMajor              FMajor
-8--5-----------5/12-8-------------8--12--------------12--17~
-------5-----5----------10-----10---------13------13--------
----------5-----------------9-----------------14------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
That's just A minor arpeggios over the Key of AMinor

Am                CMajor                FMajor
5-----------------5--8------------------------------13------
---5-----------5--------8-----------------------13----------
------5-----5--------------9----------------14--------------
---------7--------------------10p9h10p9/15------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------

That kinda sound cheesy, but if cheesy is what yer going for...

If you want to play the arps over each chord, try for different
patterns.  Remember the intervals?  you can play them with
arpeggios as well....

---5-----------------------
--------5------------------
-----5--------5------------
-----------7--------7------
-----------------7---------
-----------------------8---
etc.,

You can make up your own patterns and such...Rather than playing just
straight arpeggios (which can be boring), Use some patterns...Mix them
up with Pivot Licks, Scales, Pentatonics, Blues Scales, Modes, slurs,
bends, dive bombs, tapping...Endless stuff, years and years of work :)
But we know that don't we? ;)

I would appreciate suggestions/questions for future lessons.  All of my
lessons can be found on my web page, plus the tabs that I've done.  I've
come up with a list of some possible stuff for the future...

Vibrato, tapping, usage of slurs, more chords..rhythms etc.,
You can also find this and about 15,000 more guitar tab on my BBS.
It's a dial up board (not in the inet...yet...) it's in San Diego,
There's guitar/bass/drum tab, MP3s, all kinda stuff.


Typed up using WordPad


Metal Edge BBS (619)423-4970  (San Diego, CA  USA)
Over 15,000 Guitar Tabs, Bass tabs, lessons 
MP3s, Appz   Running Iniquity v.a27, 4.6Gigs, 28.8
RioT Member and Distro         Warlock WHQ
===========================================================
h = hammeron                          ps = pick scrape
p = pulloff                           % = repeat phrase
~ = vibrato                           letostak@ix.netcom.com
b = bend                              + natural harmonic
/\ = Slide                            tr = trill
* = Artificial Harmonic               x = ghost note
t = tap note w/right hand             w/bar = with bar
===========================================================
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/agnetha/59/index.html






About Guitar Notes | Add A Site | Advertising | Contact Us | Guestbook | Make Us Your Home
© 1995-2006 Guitar Notes. All rights reserved. Disclaimer and privacy statement. Site designed by Mainframe Media & Design.