Seven String Arpeggios
-Drew Peterson
The extended range of the seven string guitar is something that its far too wasy to
underestimate. Anyone who'se never played one blows them off as having merely another five
notes that a 6 doesn't, but the fact that you effectively have five extra notes in any
given scale position on the neck is usually overlooked. This extended range really
manifests itself in arpeggio playing.
For starters, take a look at the A major arpeggio below:
|--------------------9-12p9---------------------|
|-----------------10--------10------------------|
|---------------9--------------9----------------|
|------------11------------------11-------------|
|---------12------------------------12----------|
|----9h12------------------------------12p9-----|
|-10----------------------------------------10~-|
On a seven string, that falls comfortably into a single scale position on the neck. If
flows comfortably. Now, covering the same range on a 6-string neck:
|------------------9-12p9-------------------|
|---------------10--------10----------------|
|-------------9--------------9--------------|
|----------11------------------11-----------|
|-----7h12------------------------12p7------|
|-5h9----------------------------------9p5~-|
It's still playable, but instead of staying in a fixed position, you have two position
shifts, from the 5th to the 7th while switching from E to A, and from the 7th to the 9th
when you cross over the D string. This is a little trickier to execute cleanly at speed.
Of course, when you begin shifting positions on a 7-string neck, you can get some amazingly
wide arepeggio patterns. For instance,
|-----------------------12h16h19p16p12------------------------|
|--------------------12----------------12---------------------|
|-----------------13----------------------13------------------|
|------------9h14----------------------------14p9-------------|
|-------7h11--------------------------------------11p7--------|
|-----7------------------------------------------------7------|
|-5h9----------------------------------------------------9p5~-|
This massive E major arpeggio shifts position numerous times during its ascent, and while
some of the shifts are quite tricky, it's at least playable. Even using the open E string,
it would be virtually impossible on a 6. This is the closest I can come:
|---------------------12h16h19p16p12---------------------|
|------------------12----------------12------------------|
|-------------9h13----------------------13p9-------------|
|---------6h9--------------------------------9p6---------|
|-------7----------------------------------------7-------|
|-0h4h7--------------------------------------------7p4p0-|
Once again, it's playable, but only just. (on both of these patterns, i'm playing the
section on the high E string with my pointer, ring, and pinkie fingers, but you can tap the
final note if it's easier that way. Of course, if you don't tap the 19th, you can always
tap the 24th and squeeze one more note out of this shape...)
Anyway, back on topic, the A major pattern shown above also works nicely for minor
arpeggios. For example, in B Minor:
|----------------------10-14p10----------------------|
|-------------------12----------12-------------------|
|----------------11----------------11----------------|
|-------------12----------------------12-------------|
|----------14----------------------------14----------|
|----10h14----------------------------------14p10----|
|-12----------------------------------------------12-|
Or, in the stretched out shape with a few position shifts:
|-------------------------14h19h21p19p14-------------------------|
|----------------------15----------------15----------------------|
|-------------------16----------------------16-------------------|
|----------------16----------------------------16----------------|
|----------14h17----------------------------------17p14----------|
|-------14----------------------------------------------14-------|
|-12h15----------------------------------------------------15p12-|
To practice these, start off playing the shapes individually against a metronome, but as
soon as you feel comfortable, start stringing them together into progressions: for example,
i practice this a lot playing them diatonically in the key of B, like this:
B C#m
|----------------------11-14p11--------------------------------------|
|-------------------12----------12-----------------------------------|
|----------------11----------------11-----------------------------13-|
|-------------13-----------------------13----------------------14----|
|----------14-----------------------------14----------------16-------|
|----11h14-----------------------------------14p11----12h16----------|
|-12-----------------------------------------------14----------------|
D#m
|----12-16p12----------------------------------------14-18p14-------|
|-14----------14----------------------------------16----------16----|
|----------------13----------------------------15----------------15-|
|-------------------14----------------------16----------------------|
|----------------------16----------------18-------------------------|
|-------------------------16p14----14h18----------------------------|
|-------------------------------16----------------------------------|
E F#
|----------------------------------16-19p16----------------------------|
|-------------------------------17----------17-------------------------|
|----------------------------16----------------16----------------------|
|-16----------------------18----------------------18-------------------|
|----18----------------19----------------------------19----------------|
|-------18p14----16h19----------------------------------19p16----18h21-|
|-------------17----------------------------------------------19-------|
|-------------18-21p18----------------------------------------18-21~---|
|----------19----------19----------------------------------19----------|
|-------18----------------18----------------------------18-------------|
|----20----------------------20----------------------20----------------|
|-21----------------------------21----------------21-------------------|
|----------------------------------21p18----18h21----------------------|
|----------------------------------------19----------------------------|
Or, for the slightly braver, this "Watchtower/Stairway" influenced move:
Am
|-------------------------12h17t21p17p12---------------------|
|----------------------13----------------13------------------|
|-------------------14----------------------14---------------|
|----------------14----------------------------14p10---------|
|----------12h15-------------------------------------12------|
|-------12----------------------------------------------12p8-|
|-10h13------------------------------------------------------|
G
|------------------------10h15t19p10------------------------|
|---------------------12-------------12---------------------|
|------------------12-------------------12------------------|
|---------------12-------------------------12---------------|
|---------10h14-------------------------------14p10---------|
|------10-------------------------------------------10------|
|-8h12-------------------------------------------------12p8-|
F
|----------------------8h13t17p13p8----------------------|
|-------------------10--------------10-------------------|
|----------------10--------------------10----------------|
|-------------10--------------------------10-------------|
|--------8h12--------------------------------12p8--------|
|------8------------------------------------------8------|
|-6h10----------------------------------------------10p6-|
G
|------------------------10h15t19p10------------------------|
|---------------------12-------------12---------------------|
|------------------12-------------------12------------------|
|---------------12-------------------------12---------------|
|---------10h14-------------------------------14p10---------|
|------10-------------------------------------------10------|
|-8h12-------------------------------------------------12p8-| etc.
Naturally, if you just play arpeggio patterns straight up and down over and over again it
gets boring quite quickly, so these are intended more as drills than as licks, but you can
still drop them into a solo if you're careful and have it sound natural. Enjoy.