How do you use arppegios in a solo?

[JohnJumper]

I have spent a large amount of time learning these arppegios and they are getting faster and smoother (I know they are not as fast as some of you guys)....however.... for the life of me I cannot figure out how to use these in any improvised or written soloing... Where can I find some good examples of how these type of arppegios can be used? I like the sound of them I just cannot figure out how to use them...

[rmuscat]

high johnjumper,

although i'm not an expert arpeggist (nice word lol)
you can of course,
Play for example the Am arpeggio over an Am chord (duh)
You can use an extended chord over a triad. Say an Am11 Asus2 over an Am, or a 7th
Of course there are inversions. So you can play a C over an Am and the overall feel would be of an Am7

My bet would be just start throwing them in for a while, while your're getting used to them (like i'm doing now). And you'll start discovering the options yourself.

And just the obvious. Remember to change the ordering of arpeggios! it makes magic! So don't just play the traditional patterns only as you learned them. Mix the not ordering around, find inversion etc

just my little 2c

[Mateo150]

I've been listening to a lot of Django Reinhart. He's very good, wow, he's awesome. I love that style. Anyway, try transcribing some of his tunes, he uses arps in simplistic type fashions and they sound so good. I think you really have to hear it to play it, so I'm sure people use arps differently. I hear a lot of leading tones with arps when actually in use.

[UKRuss]

One thing our very own Eric V told me in Germany this year is try to use smaller arpeggios as well or parts of arpeggios. Reason being that the 6 and 5 string arpeggios sound great and can be written into a song of course, but are difficult to use on the fly when improvising.

Little mini triad arpeggios are great for just throwing in when the time is right.

[Unhorizon]

Buy some shred cds. I recommend Jason Becker's "Perpetual Burn" or "Perspective". He uses so many arpeggios it's not even funny. Also download powertabs of songs like "Perpetual Burn", "Altitudes", and "Air" by Jason Becker. These use arpeggios extensively, and will give you a great idea of where you can take them.

One great idea is to write a really beautiful chord progression, than sweep it. Probably my favorite chord progression to sweep is the one from Canon in D, a classical piece. The chords are D major, A major, B minor, F# minor, G major, D major I believe. I love the sound of playing one arpeggio, moving down a fifth, playing that arpeggio, moving up a whole step, playing that arpeggio, etc. Patterns work nicely when playing arpeggios and sweeping.

Experimentation is the key.

[JohnJumper]

Thankyou for the suggestions. They are all very helpful ... I am working through them now! :)

[JohnJumper]

Probably my favorite chord progression to sweep is the one from Canon in D, a classical piece. The chords are D major, A major, B minor, F# minor, G major, D major I believe.
That is really nice... I added a G Major to A Major on the end to allow it to repeat

||: DMaj -> AMaj -> Bmin -> F#min -> GMaj -> DMaj -> GMaj -> AMaj :||

Really nice progression!!

[Mateo150]

I was having a little fun doing some improve over a Dm, C, Bb, C progression. I was doing my usual moving around in thirds and just remembered this thread and the article by Paul Nelson. Dm and Bb are resolved tensions where C acts as the unresolved tension. So if you think about it this way, all arps the focus on the 2nd, 4th, and seventh are fair game during C and the others are good over Dm and Bb, and the fifth I kinda use all over since that can be either resoved or unresolved depending on circumstances. I don't really think of what I'm doing in terms of playing arps, its just that I hear thirds alot in my head melodies, but they are arpeggios none the less. The way I use them is simplistic, sometimes i just keep doing a thirds run since resolved becomes unresolved back into resolved if you keep moving in thirds so I noodle around with it. Try it out if ya want, its easier for my simple mind to deal with this, then all I have to do is distinguish between resolved and unresolved instead of whatever the theory experts do.

[GuitarDreamer20]

Mateo,

Could you clarify what your idea a little? It sounds cool, but I don't quite understand your example.

Mike:)

[Mateo150]

Mateo,

Could you clarify what your idea a little? It sounds cool, but I don't quite understand your example.

Mike:)Read the article then if you don't understand, I'll try to elaborate about what I do. The article isn't very long either. I personally have been trying to incorporate a lot of wraparounds along with the "mini - thirds - arps" that I do. A wraparound as in piano terms, hit the notes above and below your target note. Check out some of Russ's playing, like on the Josie and Dorian threads, he does it pretty well IMO.

Author = Paul Nelson - he only has 2 articles both dealing with the resolved/unresolved approach.

[forgottenking2]

What I try to do with arpegios when soloing, is create a more jazzy fusiony sound (the whole neoclassical thing has been way overdone, to the point that it sounds cliche) by using tension tones with triads or 7th arpeggios. Instead of playing them against the root (am arpeggio against an am chord) you can try say a Bm arpeggio against a C chord (you'll get a lydian sounding lick) or a GMaj7 against an Am (dorian) or you can go crazy and play arpegios that are a semitone away from your chord (pretty outside sound) and get some more exotic sounds. Also, check Chris Juergensen's guide to improvisation, there's enough option to keep you busy for years (literally, I've been working on it for about a year and I'm nowhere near done). Chris is an article author here at IBM and you can find links to his website on his articles.
Check it out, it'll give you a new perspective to arpeggios and scales.

I hope this helps.

[satch_master]

what about , i dont know much about theory but say you in the key of E, couldnt you sweep apreggies of all notes in the key of E and all degress of the scale , thats alot of notes?

[rmuscat]

that would make it a kind of E13 arp no?

yes you could but playing the whole whole scale would actually break the actuall use of arpeggio, which *typically* (but not always) are scale fragments and non consequtive (sp?!) notes.

[Mateo150]

Also, check Chris Juergensen's guide to improvisation, there's enough option to keep you busy for years (literally, I've been working on it for about a year and I'm nowhere near done). Chris is an article author here at IBM and you can find links to his website on his articles.
Check it out, it'll give you a new perspective to arpeggios and scales.

I hope this helps.
I looked for this article... theres no such thing. You sure you have the correct title/author? I'd like to check it out.

[curiousgeorge]

It's funny, I've asked several long-time players what the difference is between playing an arpeggio and playing a scale and the answer I always got was, "An arpeggio is playing the notes of a chord in succession". What's the difference between targeting chord tones of a scale and 'arpeggios'. Absolutely nothing! Sorry, had to get that off my chest.... :D

[GuitarDreamer20]

It's funny, I've asked several long-time players what the difference is between playing an arpeggio and playing a scale and the answer I always got was, "An arpeggio is playing the notes of a chord in succession". What's the difference between targeting chord tones of a scale and 'arpeggios'. Absolutely nothing! Sorry, had to get that off my chest.... :D
Hey curious,

I understand what you are saying, and you have a good point. However, I think when people refer to arpeggios, they are refering to an "approach". If you only use certain notes, like C E G B D (Cmaj9), it becomes an "approach" to doing something. By neglecting the other notes in the scale for the most part, you are creating a different vibe.

Mike

[spookywooky]

Buy some shred cds. I recommend Jason Becker's "Perpetual Burn" or "Perspective". He uses so many arpeggios it's not even funny. Also download powertabs of songs like "Perpetual Burn", "Altitudes", and "Air" by Jason Becker. These use arpeggios extensively, and will give you a great idea of where you can take them.

One great idea is to write a really beautiful chord progression, than sweep it. Probably my favorite chord progression to sweep is the one from Canon in D, a classical piece. The chords are D major, A major, B minor, F# minor, G major, D major I believe. I love the sound of playing one arpeggio, moving down a fifth, playing that arpeggio, moving up a whole step, playing that arpeggio, etc. Patterns work nicely when playing arpeggios and sweeping.

Experimentation is the key.
whoa, i read the post before yours, put that song (cannon) on, came back, and read your post, and you talked about it!! that's weird!!!!

[rmuscat]

i think this is the one

http://www.chrisjuergensen.com/improvisation%20guide.htm


curiousgeorge deep down i look at it your way but i don't tell anyone! lmao! hope someone clears that up!

[Factor]

that would make it a kind of E13 arp no?

yes you could but playing the whole whole scale would actually break the actuall use of arpeggio, which *typically* (but not always) are scale fragments and non consequtive (sp?!) notes.Actually, it would make for a Emaj13 chord :) Personally I prefer Emaj13(#11). Try out the difference...

Tab of Cmaj13 vs Cmaj13(#11)


Cmaj13:
-------------------8---
----------------10-----
-----------7-10--------
---------9-------------
----7-10---------------
--8--------------------
C E G B D F A C

Cmaj13(#11)
-------------------8----
-------------7--10------
-----------7-----------
---------9-------------
----7-10---------------
--8--------------------
C E G B D F# A C


Now, figure out the fully extended arpeggioes for for the common chords. The best thing would be to let all of them share the same root.

Emaj13
Em13
Em7(b9,11,b13)
Emaj13(#11)
E13
Em11(b13)
Em7b5(b9,11,b13)

EDIT:
More OnTopic: Arpeggioes are often the meat and balls of melodies. Learn to sing the arpeggioes and many melodies will be yours to command.

[ashc]

About George's comment: Arpeggio in classical theory relates to the way that the notes of the chord are executed (played) - it means playing strictly ascending/descending order through the degrees (the words comes from harp an instrument which lends itself to that kind of playing). Any other order of sequentially playing the notes would be referred to as "broken chords". But at the end of the day I agree with the sentiment.

[rmuscat]

thanks factor i missed out that maj ... darn b7 :D

i still have to work on those extremely exteneded chords/arps they are cool.

[Mateo150]

I think you have a couple notes wrong Factor, or maybe I'm missing something... such as the flat seventh on the cmaj13 arp you have written. Same thing in the Cmaj13#11.. why the flat 7 and the flat 5?

[Gitboxer]

Just a quick question- I see the tab you put up and wondered- is it common to just take a regular old chord shape and arpeggiate (is that a word?) the notes? Or is it more common to just grab notes up and down the neck?

[SyKrash]

try learning arpeggio substitutions as well. such as an Em7 arp over a cmaj7 chord. There are a million, But try using the arp that falls on the third of the chord.

[Factor]

I think you have a couple notes wrong Factor, or maybe I'm missing something... such as the flat seventh on the cmaj13 arp you have written. Same thing in the Cmaj13#11.. why the flat 7 and the flat 5?
The flat seventh of C would be a B flat ( Bb ) not B natural. Likewise the flat 5 would be a Gb. I really can't see that I've got any of those there. The notes of Cmaj13 are C E G B D F A - or the Cmajor scale fully stacked in thirds. The notes of Cmaj13(#11) are C E G B D F# A - but not one of them contain either the flat 7 or flat 5.

Or have I gone completely bonkers? :confused:

Perhaps it's note-name-confusion?
I'm using the internationl system with the following descending chromatic notes - C B Bb A - instead of the Scandinavian/German way - C H B A (this is how bach put his name into music :p)

@Gitboxer:

Learn both. It's easier to start with arpeggiating the CAGED forms, because you clarely learn how arpeggioes relate to chords, but sooner or later you should learn arpeggioes in their inversions as well (starting on the third, fifth or seventh).

[Mateo150]

My bad, I must have been bonkers. The F# = 5b, or 4#... but thats supposed to be in there. Don't know where I got the flat 7 from.

[RhoadsLives]

Get anything with Michael angelo batio hes a god.