Guide to Arpeggios

Protected By Copyright Exclusively For Shred Academy

The Guide To Arpeggios By Adam Ironside

THE GUIDE TO

ARPEGGIOS

BY ADAM IRONSIDE



- FOREWORD

It is important to have at least a decent knowledge of chords and chord formation in

order to use this lesson to your advantage.

Underneath each example you will see the letters i, m, r, and p in combination.

This is the left hand fingering

i stands for index finger

m stands for middle finger

r stands for ring finger

p stands for pinkie (little finger)

Where you see a letter in brackets i.e. (m) this is the sign

to tap the note. In this case you would be using your middle

finger on your right hand to tap the note indicated above.

http://www.geocities.com/adamironsidemusic

http://www.myspace.com/adamironsidemusic



- INTRODUCTION

Arpeggios are one of the best devices, in my opinion, when it comes to making music.

Using them correctly can instantly transform a dull or boring solo into something truly

inspirational, beautiful, and most importantly; musical. Whilst this guide mainly focuses upon using sweep picking to accomplish the arpeggio

shapes presented, it is important to note it is not a guide about the mechanics of sweep

picking. You can find many, many lessons on the right hand technique side of sweeping all

over the internet and in many books. This, instead, is a lesson for primarily the left hand.

The book will show you positions and shapes for many different arpeggio forms and their

inversions.

Now, before we get ahead of our selves too much it is important to learn basic arpeggio

shapes that are the most economic for playing.. I am going to give you a pretty big run-

down of the arpeggios and fingerings I like to use, and then, how to link them to create

the long flowing patterns in the style of the greats such as Jason Becker, and more

recently, Matthew Mills.

Now, without further ado, let me introduce you to the wonderful world of arpeggios.

- WHAT IS AN ARPEGGIO?

An arpeggio is basically the notes of a chord played individually. For example, if you were

to play the notes G, B and then D you would have just played an arpeggio. Which chord do

these three notes belong too? The answer is G Major, therefore you have just played a

G Major arpeggio. It's that simple. People often get tied up trying to decipher what

arpeggios are and use long complex paragraphs to explain them and in the end the reader

is left confused, and still unaware as to what arpeggios actually are. I have described it in the simplest way I know how to, an arpeggio is just the notes of a

chord played individually.

So does that mean when you strum a chord you are actually strumming an arpeggio? I

guess it does. The only difference between an arpeggio and a chord is that notes of an

arpeggio are played individually whereas the notes of a chord are played all together.

'Chord' is just an easier way of saying 'Strummed Arpeggio‘.

To make sure you have the idea behind arpeggios, try these simple exercises.

I will give you three notes, try to work out which chord they are from. (For now they are

only basic major and minor arpeggios).

a) C - E - G b) A - C - E

c) D - F#- A d) C - E - A

The answers: a) = C Major

b) = A Minor

c) = D Major

d) = A Minor (2nd Inversion)



Did question d stump you? If so do not worry, I will quickly explain how to get the

answer.

I'm guessing that you managed to work out that question b was A Minor yes? Then when

you came to question d you probably thought to yourself, ‘hang on a minuet what is going

on here? It has the same notes but in a different order‘. By putting the notes in a

different order you have just created an inversion.

For example: A - C - E is the root position of A Minor. Why? Simple, A is the starting

note for the arpeggio.

C - E - A is the first inversion of A Minor. The notes are exactly the same,

the only difference being is you start the arpeggio on the C note (the third), instead of

on the A note (the root).

E - A - C is the second inversion of A Minor. Again the notes are exactly the

same but this time you play the arpeggio starting on the E note (which is the fifth in the

A minor arpeggio). The difference in sound is slight but if used correctly over the

correct chords, these inversions can add whole new 'flavours' to your music.

I hope this successfully explains the basics of arpeggio formation and inversions to you.

If not, try reading through again slowly and you should gradually gain an understanding of

this concept.



- PLAYING ARPEGGIOS ON THE GUITAR

There are, as you can imagine, several ways of playing arpeggios on guitar. This lesson

focuses mainly on sweep picking however it will also touch upon some of the other

techniques involved in playing arpeggios including; tapping, sliding, and alternate picking.

There are many places on a guitar where you can play an arpeggio. Take the notes C, E

and G (a C Major arpeggio) and count how many times you can find each note on the

guitar. As you can see there are quite a few places where the notes C, E and G exist on

the guitar neck. This lesson is going to show you several places on the neck, and across

multiple strings, where arpeggios can be played. Without further ado let’s introduce the

first way to play arpeggios.

- ARPEGGIOS ON ONE STRING (MAJOR)

Let's start off by learning how to play arpeggios on one string. We'll take the high E

string and play the E Major arpeggio.

The E Major arpeggio consists of the notes: E, G# and B.

- E Major Root Position on One String

To play this arpeggio it is best to use either alternate picking or legato techniques.

Okay? Simple I know.

- E Major First Inversion on One String

To play this, unless you have a really good stretch on you, you will need to incorporate

tapping into your playing. I recommend picking the G#, hammering onto the B and then

tapping the E note.

Again pretty simple, but like I said, this is the most basic arpeggio on one string.



- E Major Second Inversion on One String

Similar to the second inversion, pick the first note, hammer the second and then finally

tap the G# note.

Another simple arpeggio.

Well done, now memorise these shapes and you can play any Major arpeggio on one string.

The shape stays the same, the only thing that differs is the notes you play.

Congratulations, this is the first step to playing arpeggios.



- ARPEGGIOS ON ONE STRING (MINOR)

Okay so you’ve learnt how to play the major arpeggios on one string, the next step is to

memorise the shapes for minor arpeggios on one string.

This time we’ll use the B string and we’ll learn the E Minor arpeggio (E, G, and B).

- E Minor Root Position on One String

Similar to the last two inversions on the Major arpeggio, this arpeggio is easiest played

by picking the first note, hammering onto the second and finally tapping the B note.

Like the major arpeggio, the minor arpeggio on one string is pretty straightforward and

can be learnt almost instantly.

- E Minor First Inversion on One String

Just as before, use a tapping technique to achieve this arpeggio.

This requires a bit of a wider stretch but you should still be able to achieve it easily.

- E Minor Second Inversion on One String

By now you should probably have worked out this next shape by yourself. Don’t worry if

you haven’t, take a little time to experiment and if you still have no luck I have tabbed it

out for you here.

Again a wide-ish stretch but one that is easily achievable with a little warm up.

Now, memorise these shapes like you have the Major ones and you’ll find you already

know twenty-four arpeggios and three inversions for each! How? Remember that each

shape can be played anywhere on the guitar just use different notes. That means you

know three inversions for the major and minor arpeggios of A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F,

F#. G, G#.



- ARPEGGIOS ON TWO STRINGS (MAJOR)

But where is the sweep picking? You promised sweep picking! Relax, now I will introduce

you to the wonderful world of sweep picking ☺.

This is not a lesson on the physics of sweep picking, just how to apply it, so if you do not

already know what is involved with sweep picking then I recommend learning as you

cannot really go any further with this lesson until you do. There are hundreds of lessons

available on the net but I particularly recommend Zack Uidl’s ‘Rolling Technique Lesson’

and Roo’s ‘Sweep Picking’ lesson, both available on Shred Academy. These should give you

a good start.

Okay, so now we are going to begin sweep picking, starting first just across two strings.

These are still basic three note arpeggios and all that differs between these and the one

string arpeggios is that we are moving the lowest note down a string so that all the notes

become closer together, enabling sweep picking in case you prefer that over tapping.

The first arpeggio we are going to look at is the C Major arpeggio (C, E, and G).

- C Major Root Position on Two Strings

This is pretty easy and straightforward to alternate pick, however at higher speeds it is

a lot easier to sweep between the C and E notes and then hammer onto the G. However,

personal preference is essential as always.

- C Major First Inversion on Two Strings

The same applies for the second inversion of C Major as the first; picking choice is up to

you but at high speed sweeping and hammering is recommended.

You shouldn’t be experiencing too many problems with these shapes, however if you are

practice slowly and on a clean amp setting so you can check the accuracy of your notes.



- C Major Second Inversion on Two Strings

The first thing you should notice when looking at this tab is that you are required to play

two different notes with the same finger! This inversion uses a technique called rolling

and this is why I directed you to check out Zack Uidl’s lesson earlier in the chapter.

Rolling is not barring! Do not bar the eight fret in order to play this arpeggio otherwise you will probably end up with the G and C notes ringing out together instead of

individually. The rolling technique takes a lot of time, effort and hard work to perfect

but is a technique that is absolutely essential to the fluid playing of arpeggios.

Take the arpeggio slowly and build speed from there. Make sure the G and C notes are

not ringing out together.

Again, memorise these shapes and practice them as often as you can using the alternate

picking and sweep picking methods.



- ARPEGGIOS ON TWO STRINGS (MINOR)

Very similar to the two string major arpeggio patterns are the two string minor patters.

It is essential to learn both so here I will provide you with the three inversions of the

two string minor arpeggio. Like the major arpeggios the only difference between this and

the one string shape is that we move the lowest note of the arpeggio down a string so

that it is higher up on the fret board and closer to the other notes. The arpeggio we are

going to be using is D minor (D, F, and A).

- D Minor Root Position on Two Strings

As you will see the first inversion of the minor shape is very similar to that of the major

shape the only difference being is that the third is lowered a semi-tone (one fret).

Hopefully this arpeggio will not cause you too many problems. Again, and I keep stressing

this, ensure accuracy first, speed second.

- D Minor First Inversion on Two Strings

Inversion two requires more of a stretch between the A and D note. Stick it out and you

should get it down.

- D Minor Second Inversion on Two Strings

Again, like the third inversion of the two string major arpeggio, you will notice the first

two notes, A and D, require the rolling technique to be used. You should have already

checked this out but if not study Zack Uidl’s rolling technique lesson. Remember, rolling

is not barring.

Also, to play the F note I would usually use my pinkie, however it sometimes can be more

comfortable to use your ring finger. It just depends how high up the fret board I am.



- ARPEGGIOS ON THREE STRINGS (MAJOR)

Now were getting to the fun stuff. This is where you can really start to experiment with

different types of chords and form unusual and exotic sounding arpeggios. For the time

being though we will stick to our tried and trusted major and minor arpeggios.

So, the arpeggios we’ve learnt so far have only three notes? How do we add a fourth?

The answer to that question, at the moment, is, ‘we don’t.’ All we do is we take the first

note of the arpeggio and add it onto the end. For example, a C Major arpeggio will then

become; C, E, G and C again. So lets learn the three string major shapes in the key of B

Major (B, D#, F#).

- B Major Root Position on Three Strings

Now we are starting to get a little more difficult. The sweep motion must now cover

three strings. Not only that but there is a two string roll to worry about and a fair size

stretch.

Bet you wish you took my advice and went and watched the rolling lesson huh? Go and

watch it, they only get worse.

- B Major First Inversion on Three Strings

This is probably my favourite three string major inversion. I like the way the shape rolls

off the fingers, you can get some great speeds with this shape.

When first starting sweep picking this is another shape that is fairly difficult to grasp

due to the roll required between the F# and B notes. Stick at it and you will pick it up

eventually.



- B Major Second Inversion on Three Strings

This is probably the most common and widely-used inversion for the three string major

arpeggio. It’s the easiest one to play and is seen ubiquitously across the shred music

genre. There’s not a great deal to explain here so just crack on with it.

Okay so now you know the three inversions for the three string major shape. Practice

them, learn them and memorise them so you can play them without thinking, the are the

bread and butter of most arpeggio based shred tracks. When you are familiar with them,

try this next exercise I have made to get you interlinking the shapes and moving around

the neck.

- C Major Three String Arpeggio Exercise

Again aim for accuracy and fluidity of the arpeggios before speed. Connecting them

smoothly is more important than playing them fast.

Keep practicing this idea and practice it in various keys to increase your fret board

knowledge.



- ARPEGGIOS ON THREE STRINGS (MINOR)

Okay so now you’ve got the major ones down right? If not run through the above chapter

again until the shapes are firmly rooted in your brain. Next up is the three string minor

shapes. These are probably the most common of all arpeggios played on guitar, almost

every ‘shred’ song you hear will feature these types of arpeggios as they are very

versatile and, once practiced, can be played very fast.

We are going to take a look at the A Minor arpeggio (A, C and E).

- A Minor Root Position on Three Strings

This is the first arpeggio we’ve learnt that requires use of all four fingers. Start off

slow as this may prove to be a bit of a finger twister to the newer player.

The stretch from E to A may cause you some grief initially but stick at it.

- A Minor First Inversion on Three Strings

This is difficult. As you can see this arpeggio requires a three string roll on the index

finger. Accuracy is essential here, otherwise you will end up allowing the C, E and A notes

to ring out by barring instead of rolling.

This one will take a lot of time to perfect and isn’t a particular favourite of mine.



- A Minor Second Inversion on Three Strings

This is the shape which most people find easiest from the three string minor inversions.

It does require all four fingers to be used but in a way that is easy to get to grips with.

Try it out and you’ll see what I mean.

Your fingers seem to automatically fall at those frets and if I hadn’t but the m, r, i, p

markings you would still probably use that fingering.

So, lets get up to date. You should now have knowledge of how to form and how to play

both basic major and minor arpeggios on one string, two strings, and how to extend the

arpeggio to play it on three strings yes? If not then work your way back through the

book up until this point, it’s okay, I’ll wait for you.

When you are up to speed try out this next exercise. Unlike the previous chapter,

instead of linking the three shapes together for you, I am going to give you an example

of how to combine major and minor arpeggios together. The example is in D Major and

for simplicity consists of only the D Major and B Minor triads.

- Combining Three String Major and Minor Arpeggios Exercise

This looks rather daunting, but don’t worry! If you’ve learnt the three string shapes then

you should be able to play this. The only problem should be transitioning smoothly

between the arpeggios, but again, this comes with practice. This is D Major and B Minor.



- ARPEGGIOS ON FOUR STRINGS (MAJOR)

This is where it starts to get tricky! Not only do we have an extra string to contend with

we also have to add a second note on the fourth string. These are going to take time to

learn but are worth it. They look pretty flash to watch and sound cool.

To play three string arpeggios we added the root note on top of the arpeggio, but what

do we do for four string arpeggios? Well, we add another two notes on top of the

arpeggio so we are now playing six note arpeggios! This is where the fun comes in. Begin

learning these shapes in D Major (D, F#, and A).

- D Major Root Position on Four Strings

Here is the first inversion. What you are doing here is playing the same arpeggio twice

but in different octaves. There are other fingerings and shapes for these arpeggios but

I am only going to show you the ones that I find most comfortable to play. However,

please do experiment with your own fingerings and shapes to see which ones are right for

you.

My preference to play these type of arpeggios is to pick the D note, hammer onto the

F#, sweep between the A, D and F# notes and then finally hammer onto that A at the

top. As ever though experiment with different methods and find which is right for you.

- D Major First Inversion on Four Strings

The second inversion of the major arpeggio on four strings is not the easiest to play. The

three string roll is quite difficult at faster speeds but work at it and don’t let those

notes ring out.



- D Major Second Inversion on Four Strings

By now you should be getting used to the rolling technique and should be able to pull off

this roll with minimal difficulty. The real problem here is the position shift involved from

moving your index finger from the first A note over to the second A note in time.

Practice this slowly as position shifting is something that’s very important to fluid playing

of arpeggios.

Okay that’s the four string major patterns covered. Next up are the four string minors.



- ARPEGGIOS ON FOUR STRINGS (MINOR)

Right, the four string minors are not often used by many players because it’s a lot easier

to use the five string shape. However, I feel it’s still important to take just half and

hour of your time or so and get the four string minor shapes down as you never know,

they may prove useful to you.

We’ll learn the following shapes in C# Minor (C#, E and G#).

- C# Minor Root Position on Four Strings

Okay so its not the most difficult shape you have had to learn so far but its still a bit of

a finger twister until you get used to it.

Hey, at least there’s no rolling…

- C# Minor First Inversion on Four Strings

…And the rolling is back. I told you it would be an integral part of arpeggio playing. This

inversion is considerably more difficult that the first. Not only is there a stretch at the

top of the arpeggio there is also the roll to contend with. Keep at it and you should

manage it.

You’ll see how the five string shape for this inversion is actually easier than the four

string shape, but I still think its important you learn both versions.



- C# Minor Second Inversion on Four Strings

Essentially only a two finger arpeggio, but boy is it difficult. The three string roll, the

large stretch and the position shift may cause you some trouble. This is probably my

least favourite of all arpeggio shapes.

As always these are my recommended fingerings but feel free to experiment and find

which are most economical for you.

- Combining Three and Four String Major and Minor Arpeggios

This sounds a lot more complex than it is. Take a look but don’t let it frighten you it isn’t

as hard as it appears if you’ve learnt the three and four string shapes. This is in A Major and F# Minor.



- ARPEGGIOS ON FIVE STRINGS (MAJOR)

Ah the trusted five string arpeggio. Probably the most commonly used form throughout

guitar music is the five string arpeggio shapes. Once learnt they can be played at

lightning speeds as demonstrated by guitarist such as Matthew Mills. (You did check him

out didn’t you)?

There is a lot of rolling to contend with and some tricks fingerings and stretches. We

are also adding another note to the mix so we now are playing seven note arpeggios.

Needless to say you’ll hate them until you can play them, then when you can, you won’t

stop playing them!

Let’s take the G Major Arpeggio (G, B, and D).

- G Major Root Position on Five Strings

Despite the tricky roll on the ring finger this is one of my favourite arpeggios and

probably my favourite major arpeggio shape. It has two fairly nasty stretches and a

three string roll but you’ll see it seems to fit under your fingers perfectly.

If you can’t manage the roll with your ring finger try using your middle finger. I

personally find it harder but it’s which ever way is most economic to you.

- G Major First Inversion on Five Strings

The difficult thing about this inversion is there are now two rolls to worry about. They

are only small though and by now you should be pretty competent at it.



- G Major Second Inversion on Five Strings

The main problem causer here is that big stretch at the start of the arpeggio. Nail this

and the rest of the arpeggio should follow rather smoothly.

The shift from the first D note to the second with your index finger may cause some

problems initially but you should pick it up fairly easily.

- Interlinking The Five String Major Shapes

This is a tough exercise to begin with as it involves sliding which we haven’t covered yet

in arpeggios as well as some quick, tricky position shifts. Stick with it though and you’ll

love this little lick once you get it down.



- ARPEGGIOS ON FIVE STRINGS (MINOR)

Now the five string minor shapes. Personally find these shapes more difficult that the

majors as there are often wider stretches and more finger twisting to be had. Like

everything though, practice makes perfect.

We’ll study these shapes in E Minor (E, G and B).

- E Minor Root Position on Five Strings

This arpeggios is a fairly difficult one especially when played lower down the neck like

here as it has a big stretch and a fairly awkward ring finger roll.

Ascend chromatically using this arpeggios and you get that typical 80’s metal solo type

sound. I guarantee you will play this arpeggio over and over again when you get the hang

of it.

- E Minor First Inversion on Five Strings

This is one of the harder arpeggios shapes you’ll have to learn. The double roll make this

shape a real hard nut to crack.

There’s not a lot of advice I can give you on this arpeggio, just practice, practice,

practice.



- E Minor Second Inversion on Five Strings

Finally, a shape that requires no rolling.

- Sequencing Arpeggios Exercise

This exercise will take you through some of the shapes and patterns we have learnt so

far. Unlike the other exercises that have been just major and minor this one will take

you through several of the chords of D Major rather than just the D Major and B Minor

chords.

This lesson will also start you off playing arpeggios in different time signatures.



- ARPEGGIOS ON SIX STRINGS (MAJOR)

This is where the huge Jason Becker and Matthew Mills style arpeggios come into play.

For now I will just show you the three basic inversions again and then later we can

extend them and add and remove notes. For now though learn these shapes in Bb Major

(Bb, D, and F).

- Bb Major Root Position on Six Strings

The double roll makes this arpeggios difficult, but trust me, its easier than it looks, its

not as hard as some of the others you have learnt this far.

-Bb Major First Inversion on Six Strings

This inversion is easier than the first and the only real difficulty here is coming to terms

with that roll on the pinkie, it can be very tricky to nail it at speed.

- Bb Major Second Inversion on Six Strings

You are about to find out why this is one of the most uncommon shapes of the six string

major arpeggio to play. It’s very difficult to play. You have a huge stretch and a three

string roll to worry about. Nonetheless I think it is important to learn it, you never know

you might be able to play it easy?



- ARPEGGIOS ON SIX STRINGS (MINOR)

How did you cope with that third inversion? It’s hard isn’t it? The minors aren’t a great

deal easier I’m afraid. Let’s try these in A Minor (A, C and E).

- A Minor Root Position on Six Strings

I hate it, and you probably will too. This one is very difficult and I personally rarely use

it but there is the odd time when you just have to so it’s worth learning. Go really slow as

those rolls have a tendency to either be muffled or ring out, they’re hardly ever perfect.

- A Minor First Inversion on Six Strings

Another difficult shape to get to grips with, a bit of a finger twister too.

- A Minor Second Inversion on Six Strings

(The note in brackets is where we have moved the A note from, otherwise you’d need an extra finger!) This arpeggio isn’t too bad. The initial roll is a bit of a pain but after that it is

straightforward.



- Putting These Arpeggios To Use

Here is a nice Jason Becker-esque pattern in G Major. It is difficult to play at first but

with a little effort it is achievable. Grace and finesse is key here not speed, these

arpeggios sound better played at a tempo of around one-hundred and forty bpm than at

lightning speeds.

The pattern goes through a G, D, Em, C, G, D, Bm, C progression.



- EXTENDED ARPEGGIO FORMS

This section is going to show you some more complex and unusual arpeggio shapes. By

adding and removing notes we can obtain some really sweet sounds, and some horrible

sounds if that‘s what you fancy. I am only going to show you the first inversion for each

of these arpeggios and it’ll be up to you to work out the other inversions if you require

them, which you will.

- THE SEVENS

Some of my personal favourite arpeggios are the sevens, (minor, major and dominant) and

these are fairly simple to play if you have already learnt the major and minor shapes.

- G Major Seven

The major seventh arpeggio is made simply by adding a major seventh note into the mix.

In G major this note is F#. This means the notes of the arpeggio are now G, B, D and F#.

Our first four note arpeggio.

The extra notes and the tapping may cause difficulty at first, but its worth it for the

sweet smooth sound you get from this arpeggio.

- G Minor Seven

In similar fashion to the major seventh arpeggio the minor seventh arpeggio is made by

adding a minor seventh note the a minor arpeggio. In G Minor this note is F. So the

arpeggio is now G, A#, D and F.

Like the major seventh arpeggio this may cause some difficulty at first but I find it

easier than the major and dominant shapes.



- G Dominant Seven

The dominant seventh arpeggio is formed by adding a dominant seventh to the major

arpeggio. This is essentially playing a major arpeggio but with a minor seventh in it. So

the arpeggio will become G, B, D, and F. It has a unique and bluesy/jazzy sound to it.

Easier than the major but perhaps more difficult than the minor in my opinion. Play this

over a dominant seventh chord and you will see its unusual charm.



- THE NINES

Now its getting crazy! Here we will be playing major, minor and dominant ninth arpeggios

which have five notes! Yes five. They have a great sound to them and the major ninth is

one of my favourite arpeggios overall.

- C Major Ninth

The major ninth arpeggio is formed by taking the major seventh arpeggio and adding to it

a major ninth. In C Major this would be C, E, G, B, and D.

Struggling yet? I am. A pretty tricky arpeggio to pull off, however it is so rewarding

when you do, it sounds super smooth and has a great melodic sound to it. If it gives you

too much grief a common thing to do is drop a few of the recurring notes. For example

you could play the arpeggio C, E, G, D, E, G, B, C. It still has all five of the notes required

to be a major ninth arpeggio but is what I call the ‘bare bones’ of an arpeggio. Just

enough notes to make the arpeggio but not enough to fill it out if you know what I mean?

It still sounds cool and is considerably easier to play but just lacks the fluidity and feel

that the full arpeggio can bring.

- C Minor Ninth

In similar fashion to the major ninth arpeggio all we need to do here is add a minor ninth

to a pre-existing minor seventh arpeggio. So the notes this time round will be C, Eb, G,

Bb, D.

Again, this is a fairly difficult arpeggio to pull off but it is definitely worth your time.

Similar to the major you could try reducing the occurrence of the notes to make it

easier to play, for example try playing; C, Eb, G, Bb, D, Eb, G, Bb, C.



- C Dominant Ninth

For the dominant ninth we just need to add a major ninth note to the pre-existing

dominant seventh arpeggio. This would mean C, E, G, Bb, D.

Not quite as pleasing on the ear as the other ninth arpeggios but still can be of use to

you so it’s worth learning.



- SUSPENDED ARPEGGIOS

Suspended chords are three note chords played without the third. In place of the third

we add the second or fourth. These then became Sus2 and Sus4 respectively. They have

a unique and unusual sound. Great for melodic arpeggio lines.

- Sus2

I will show you these suspended arpeggios in A Major. Remember to take out the third

and add a second so that instead of reading A, C#, E the formula reads A, B, E.

Nice sound eh? Hopefully this arpeggio doesn’t cause you too much difficulty and we can

move on to Sus4 arpeggios.

- Sus4

Similar to the Sus2 arpeggio we remove the third but this time add a fourth in place of

the second. This means the notes become as follows A, D, E.

A little harder than the Sus2 due to the bigger stretch but again it shouldn’t cause you

too much difficulty.

There are of course many, many more arpeggios but these are the ones you are most

likely to use and to be confronted with (unless you intend to study classical and jazz

where arpeggios such as maj13#11 and other such complicated chords come into play).

I hope you enjoy the next section which will give you some cool licks in the style of some

of my favourite artists.



- PLAYING IN THE STYLE OF

This section gives you a few cool licks in the styles of some of my favourite players which

implement arpeggios.

- Yngwie Malmsteen

This example shows the diminished arpeggio which we have not yet learnt. However it is

really simple and is formed by taking a major chord and flattening the third and the

fifth. It gives a harsh, unbalanced sound but when used well can fit the music perfectly.

Yngwie’s music is a good example of this.

The lick starts off with a diminished arpeggio run and then into an A Harmonic Minor

trademark Yngwie lick.

- George Bellas

Here is a difficult but interesting and melodic George Bellas type arpeggio sequence in a

6/4 time signature. It is in D Major and is based on ninth arpeggios flowing from D Major

nine to E Minor nine.

- Jason Becker

This is what you’ve worked for, the ability to play complex arpeggio lines such as this one

inspired by Jason Becker, the king of the arpeggio.

It is in D Major and flows through several arpeggios including; D Major, A Dominant 7, A

Major, G Major 7 and B Minor. Good luck and enjoy!



- AFTERWORD

As I mentioned earlier this guide is in no way a complete break down of every arpeggio as

there are literally hundreds of more chords and chord inversions that you can choose

from. This book was to get you started with the basic shapes and to hopefully provide a

good beginning guide to the wonderful world of arpeggios. Until next time, see you around

the Shred Academy!

- Adam Ironside

**

I would like to thank Ben (the owner of Shred Academy) for making this book a reality

and also a huge thanks goes out to Justin Armstrong for proof-reading the book for

theoretical and grammatical errors. Thanks Justin!

**

Guide to Arpeggios

Documents

Transcript of Guide to Arpeggios

Scales and Arpeggios Book

Guitar al di meola - a guide to chords, scales, & arpeggios

Al Di Meola Bob Aslanian A Guide to Chords Scales Arpeggios

Al Di Meola - A Guide to Chords, Scales & Arpeggios

Berklee Basic Arpeggios Keyboard

The Easy Guide to Jazz Guitar Arpeggios Samples

All Descant Arpeggios

25151 Al Di Meola Bob Aslanian - A Guide to Chords Scales Arpeggios

Artful Arpeggios Don Mock

Jazz Arpeggios for Guitar

Welcome to Arpeggios!

some piano Arpeggios

Moyse - Scales and Arpeggios

Scales and arpeggios

Bebop Arpeggios

Mandolin Scales and Arpeggios

Diatonic Melodic Minor Arpeggios

Arpeggios in Root Position, First and Second Inversionsmargaretdentonpiano.com/arpeggios root first second inversions.pdf · Arpeggios in Root Position, First and Second Inversions

Flute LLA Scales and Arpeggios€¦ · LLA Scales and Arpeggios Concert Winds: Play scales and arpeggios from C up to 4 sharps and 4 flats memorized, two octaves where possible. Play

Guitar - Al Di Meola - A Guide to Chords, Scales, & Arpeggios