In this lesson, I will tell you the basic pattern for different types of arpeggios.
Figure 1: Open Major Arpeggios
Emaj Amaj Dmaj Gmaj
E-|---------|---------|---------|-------3-|
B-|---------|---------|-------3-|-----3---|
G-|---------|-------2-|-----2---|-0-4-----|
D-|-------2-|-----2---|-0-4-----|---------|
A-|-----2---|-0-4-----|---------|---------|
E-|-0-4-----|---------|---------|---------|
To form a major arpeggio, play the root note, third, fifth, and eighth, all in natural notes. For example, In the G major arpeggio, the root note is E, the third is G#, the fifth is B, and the eighth is another E.
Figure 2: Open Minor Arpeggios
Em Am Dm Gm
E-|---------|---------|---------|-------3-|
B-|---------|---------|-------3-|-----3---|
G-|---------|-------2-|-----2---|-0-4-----|
D-|-------2-|-----2---|-0-4-----|---------|
A-|-----2---|-0-4-----|---------|---------|
E-|-0-4-----|---------|---------|---------|
To form a minor arpeggio, all we do is flatten the third. So, the E minor arpeggio would be E, G, B, and E.
Figure 3: Other Major Arpeggios
Gmaj
E-|---------|
B-|---------|
G-|---------|
D-|-------5-|
A-|-----5---|
E-|-3-7-----|
Of course, you can move major arpeggios all the way up the string. For example, you would keep the same pattern of root/third/fifth/eighth, but you would move it to whatever root note you want. In the G major arpeggio, we start out on G, the third is B, the fifth is D, and the eighth is G. You will start to notice that the eighth is always the same as the root, and it will be in any arpeggio you play.
Figure 4: Other Minor Arpeggios
Gm
E-|---------|
B-|---------|
G-|---------|
D-|-------5-|
A-|-----5---|
E-|-3-6-----|
Just like in the last excercise, we will play a G arpeggio, but we will make it minor by lowering the third. All we have to do is move that B down to a A3/Bb. This works all the way up the strings.
Figure 5: Arpeggios on a Single String
Emaj Em
E-|----------|----------|
B-|----------|----------|
G-|----------|----------|
D-|----------|----------|
A-|----------|----------|
E-|-0-4-7-12-|-0-3-7-12-|
This is exactly like the previous excercises we've done, except we convert all of the notes to one string. To play the E major arpeggio, we would just play the root (0), third (4), fifth (7), and eigth (12). This fingering works on any string, and can be raised any number of frets as long as the change happens to all four notes.
Once again, you can lower the third and make this arpeggio minor.
Figure 6: Tapping Arpeggios
+ + + +
E-|-12p0h4h7-12p0h4h7-12p0h4h7-12p0h4h7-|
B-|-------------------------------------|
G-|-------------------------------------|
D-|-------------------------------------|
A-|-------------------------------------|
E-|-------------------------------------|
This is an excercise I made up after practicing arpeggios on a single string. If you don't know how to tap, I would leave this lesson, because tapping is the last part. For those of you who do know how to tap, I would do this slowly at first, because most of us are used to three-note tapping. Just do what you would normally do to tap, but hammer in that final note.
