Arpeggio Head

This is Kevin Cook, this lesson is about arpeggio's and some variations you can do with them and how to make any chord progression into a sweep arpeggio progression. We are going to cover some arpeggio forms, variations, and half arpeggios. The basic form for the two kinds of arpeggios we are going to cover are major and minor triad based arpeggios. Let's get some theory down then go on to the next step.

We'll start with the Em arpeggio. Now to get the triads to form the arpeggio, we just take the minor chord formula (1 b3 5), so the root(1), E, is the first note then we take the flatted 3rd and the fifth so it would be (E G B). There is our triad we are going to use. Just like we go farther up the scale to get the rest of the chord we will do the same with this arpeggio. So here is the first Em arpeggio. We are gonna start at the 19th fret of the A string for the E root note.

   E  G  B  E  G  B  G  E  B  G  E
E|-------------15-19p15-------------|
B|----------17----------17----------|
G|-------16----------------16-------|
D|----17----------------------17----|
A|-19----------------------------19-|
E|----------------------------------|

I put the notes on top so you can see where the triad falls into place.

Now that was an Em arpeggio.

The progression we are going to use is Em, G, Am, Bm.

For the Am and the Bm, the same shapes are used they are just moved to where the root notes of the A and B are.

Now here is a G Major arpeggio. (1 3 5) (G B D) or relative to the Em scale, which it is in anyway (1 {3 5 7}) (E {G B D})


   G  B D G B D  B G D B G
E|----------7-10p7----------|
B|--------8--------8--------|
G|------7------------7------|
D|----9----------------9----|
A|-10--------------------10-|
E|--------------------------|

There is a G major. Now onto some variations then onto what the sound files cover.

I'm just gonna tab what the sound file is then explain it.

   E minor                            G Major
E|-------------15-19p15-------------|----------7-10p7----------|
B|----------17----------17----------|--------8--------8--------|
G|-------16----------------16-------|------7------------7------|
D|----17----------------------17----|----9----------------9----|
A|-19----------------------------19-|-10--------------------10-|
E|----------------------------------|--------------------------|
  
A minor                          B minor
------------8-12p8------------|-------------10-14p10-------------|
---------10--------10---------|----------12----------12----------|
-------9--------------9-------|-------11----------------11-------|
----10------------------10----|----12----------------------12----|
-12------------------------12-|-14----------------------------14-|
------------------------------|----------------------------------|

 D  D  D  D  D  U     D     U     U  U  U  U  <---picking
-------------15-19p15-17p15-19p15-------------|
----------17----------------------17----------|
-------16----------------------------16-------|
----17----------------------------------17----|
-19----------------------------------------19-|
----------------------------------------------|

----------7-10p7-8p7-10p7----------|
--------8-----------------8--------|
------7---------------------7------|
----9-------------------------9----|
-10-----------------------------10-|
-----------------------------------|

------------8-12p8-10p8-12p8------------|
---------10------------------10---------|
-------9------------------------9-------|
----10----------------------------10----|
-12----------------------------------12-|
----------------------------------------|

-------------10-14p10-12p10-14p10-------------|
----------12----------------------12----------|
-------11----------------------------11-------|
----12----------------------------------12----|
-14----------------------------------------14-|
----------------------------------------------|
                              
-------------15h19t24p19p15-------------|
----------17----------------17----------| t = tap w/ pick hand
-------16----------------------16-------|     finger (m or i)
----17----------------------------17----|
-19----------------------------------19-|
----------------------------------------|

Listen to the sloppy wav

Here is the slow wav of the Eminor part.

Ok, now there is one more thing I want to talk about, I call them half arpeggios. Here is the tab and the wav.


E|-------15-19p15-------|r|-----7-10p7-----|r|------8-12p8------|r|
B|----17----------17----|e|---8--------8---|e|---10--------10---|e|
G|-16----------------16-|p|-7------------7-|p|-9--------------9-|p|
D|----------------------|e|----------------|e|------------------|e|
A|----------------------|a|----------------|a|------------------|a|
E|----------------------|t|----------------|t|------------------|t|

Here is the final wav