Categories: Music

How to study the arpeggios? Discover 10 practical tips


If you don’t know how to study arpeggios, this is your lucky day. Here, we have prepared a clear and objective tutorial that will make you understand this topic once and for all. At the same time, we have listed 10 practical tips on how to train arpeggios – they will work for any musical instrument. Like this, […] The post How to study arpeggios? Discover 10 practical tips that first appeared on Cifra Club.

If you don’t know how to study arpeggios, this is your lucky day. Here, we have prepared a clear and objective tutorial that will make you understand this topic once and for all.




At the same time, we have listed 10 practical tips on how to train arpeggios: they serve a any musical instrument. In this way, you will have a well structured step by step, avoiding losing concentration. Gorgeous, isn’t it?

So, let’s learn how to study arpeggios!

What is the arpeggio?

First, we need to understand what arpeggios are. Take a look: the arpeggio is a universal concept, which is part of the music theory of all instruments. In this sense, an arpeggio is nothing more than the melodic way of expressing the chords.

In other words, instead of playing a chord the usual way, with all the notes at once, you should play each note individually and in succession. Easy, isn’t it? Here, you understand the concept of arpeggio!

Therefore, the arpeggio can be played by two main chord structures, the triad and the tetrad. The first is made up of three notes: root, third and fifth. The other is made up of four notes: root, third, fifth and seventh.

The arpeggio can follow this ascending order of notes, but it can also be descending or even random. That is, you can play the notes of a chord in any sequence – if you play them all, it’s still an arpeggio.

types of arpeggios

When the arpeggio follows the order of the notes of a wake up, is considered “together”. In this way, there are two ways to play: ascending And downward.

The ascending arpeggio starts on a low note and ends on a high note. On the other hand, the descendant goes in the opposite direction. Also, when the order of the notes is random, the arpeggio is called “disjoint”, okay?

In this context, if an arpeggio is played in only one octave, it is considered “simple”. If it is applied in more than one octave, it is called “composite”. Quiet so far?

What is the arpeggio for?

Decidedly, arpeggio is one of the best ways to melodically express the sound of a chord. So this function automatically provides harmonic intent, even if it’s just melodic.

That is, without the need for a background to show the chords, the musician manages to lead the listener to a perception harmonic of the stretch. It’s a complex and very beautiful feeling, almost like a magic trick, you know?

In this sense, the arpeggio allows its use in various scenarios. It can be a powerful follow-up feature or a trump card improvisations. Additionally, arpeggios are often used in compositions, generating unique strokes.

For each musical instrument, even the arpeggios can be approached differently. For example, an arpeggio played softly on a piano creates an intimate and sweet atmosphere. already an arpeggio quickly played on the guitar generates a frenetic and ecstatic feeling.

Be that as it may, arpeggios allow the player to create impactful melodies and themes. Therefore, mastering the arpeggios is extremely important, as is understanding the musical scales and knowing the intervals, for example.

songs with arpeggios

To consolidate the concept and, in fact, understand how it is applied in practice, we have selected some songs that contain arpeggios. Watch!

Stairway to heaven – Zeppelin LED

Considered to be one of rock and roll’s greatest anthems, Stairway to heaven is a great example of using easy arpeggios on the guitar.

So the intro of the song has the chord notes fingerings individually, in ascending and descending order. This creates both a melodic and harmonic effect to the passage, which has become iconic.

Somewhere in time – John Barry

The classic movie soundtrack Somewhere in timecomposed by artist John Barry, it has been adapted for the most part various musical instruments.

Either way, it’s a fine example of how arpeggios can be used in compositions, both to create suggestive themes and to support the melody. Then check out the song played on the piano:

Arpeggios from hell – Yngwie Malmsteen

As the name suggests, this track is one of the best examples of how arpeggios can sound energetic and intense in the Guitar.

Thus, by playing arpeggios with virtuosity and using distortion, Swedish musician Yngwie Malmsteen creates an impressive sound. so he checks Arpeggios from hell:

After all, how to study arpeggios?

Now is the time to take a look at 10 practical tips that will serve as a solid guide for your arpeggio studies. Come on:

1. Study chord formation

First of all, you need to understand the formation of the chords. There is no escape. Without proper mastery of this fundamental concept, arpeggios study shouldn’t get started, okay?

Remember if: arpeggios are the transformation of chords into melody. Therefore, knowing the musical notes, the breaks and the structuring of the agreements is fundamental.

2. Arpeggio types map

After following the tip above, it’s time to map the different types of arpeggios to your instrument. So, it doesn’t matter if you play piano, keyboard, guitar, guitar or bass … The reasoning is the same.

Locate the musical notes and, immediately after, map the arpeggios starting from a harmonic field of referencewhich can be bigger or smaller. As a result, you will become familiar with the different formations of triads and tetrads.

3. Experiment with rhythmic variations

Now it’s time to play the arpeggios in different rhythm settings. For example, it goes from one, two, three and four notes per bar. Then he tries other variations, with note changes and non-temporary symmetrical performances.

Doing so will create a range of sonic possibilities in your mind, as well as expand creativity. This will be very useful when creating different arrangements.

4. Apply in multiple octaves

Arpeggios can be played using an octave or a major octave range. Depending on the instrument, you can play arpeggios by combining up to three octaves.

This way you’ll be able to play the same arpeggio in different regions, exploring the bass and treble sounds.

5. Perform interval jumps

When you’re studying arpeggios, it’s also interesting to perform interval jumps. This means that you don’t always have to play the notes in sequence.

There are no rules here. Play the notes randomly or invent alternative patterns. For example, the sequence might look like this: tonic – Thursday – Tuesday or Thursday – Tuesday – tonic.

Again, this simple exercise has the power to expand your musical horizons, opening your eyes (and ears!) To new avenues and possibilities.

6. Sing the notes

As another exercise, we suggest that you sing the notes of the arpeggios. This way, you can unlock essential skills for any musician, including musical perception and development of the melodic sense.

7. Create overlaps

Did you know that you can layer arpeggios to get other chord extension notes? Ok, this is a subject for intermediate to advanced learners, but it’s nice that you know about this possibility.

For example, it is possible to play the E minor minor seventh arpeggio (E – G – B – D) on a base with a C major chord (C – E – G).

Therefore, the intervals generated between the relationship of the melodic notes with the base would be: tonic – major third – perfect fifth – major seventh – major ninth (C – E – G – B – D).

This feature enhances the phrasing of any musician, giving a differentiated refinement to the performance. That is, it offers complex sounds a soils and improvisations, making your playing even more attractive.

8. Get familiar songs

Learning songs that have arpeggios is a very enjoyable way to build knowledge. At the same time, this type of study allows you to know and incorporate the practical application of arpeggios.

9. Create themes

Once you’ve taken the songs from others, it’s time to create your own compositions. So, challenge yourself. This tip has the power to take you to another level of musicality, as well as being a lot of fun.

For example: “Today I’m going to create a pop rock-style intro song using just the arpeggios.” Or also: “now I’m inventing a theme with 6/8 arpeggios”.

Incorporate it into your improvisations

Finally, it’s time to incorporate arpeggios into your improvisations. In this sense, mix the resource with other elements that are already part of your phrasing, such as the application of scales, Greek and licks.

Over time, the performance of arpeggios will become natural to your playing and improvising.

So, did you like our guide on how to study arpeggios? By following the steps above, you will learn this topic sooner than you thought, you can be sure.

On the other hand, we highly recommend that you become a student of the Club Academy Code. It is our online course platform, where you study where and when you want and are accompanied by the best teachers at a fair price.

In this context, we have lessons for the most varied musical instruments, as well as a specific course in music theory. There you can deepen your knowledge in a way you never imagined, we guarantee it!

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Source: Terra