Beginning Arpeggios

This is a useful exercise for familiarising yourself with the major and minor triad arpeggios. The following exercise utilises the I, IV, V, iv, ii, iii triads to give you a good grounding in basic arpeggios. It will get you used to playing simple arpeggios all over the fret board. These can then be strung together to create larger ones, or be used as base positions for creating phrases.

I’m going to use the key of C as a template. You should then play the same exercise in all 12 keys. Use the circle of fifths to make sure that every key gets equal attention.
It might be useful to create a simple I, IV, V, and iv, ii, iii sequence to play over.

Play each triad over and over until your backing track moves on to the next chord. Use a combination of all down strokes and alternate picking. Sweep picking is something you should only do when you’re playing arpeggios so fast that alternate picking is inefficient or practically impossible.

The principle is that you play each triad, including it’s inversions, spanning an entire octave along each group of three strings beginning with the first available inversion.

I = Chord I (in the key of C this would be C)
ii = Chord ii (in the key of C, Dm)
iii = Chord iii (Em)
IV = Chord IV (F)
V = Chord V (G)
iv = Chord iv (Am)

b= 1st inversion
c= 2nd inversion

KEY OF C

MAJORS

Group 1.

 Ic         IVb        V          I          IVc        Vb              
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----2-----|----3-----|----0-----|----5-----|----7-----|----5-----|
|--3---3---|--3---3---|--2---2---|--7---7---|--8---8---|--5---5---|
|3-------3-|5-------5-|3-------3-|8-------8-|8-------8-|7-------7-|

 Ib              IV              Vc             Ic                    
|---------------|---------------|--------------|---------------|
|---------------|---------------|--------------|---------------|
|---------------|---------------|--------------|---------------|
|------10-------|------10-------|------9-------|------14-------|
|---10----10----|---12----12----|---10---10----|---15----15----|
|12----------12-|13----------13-|10---------10-|15----------15-|

Group 2.

 I          IVc        Vb         Ib         IV         Vc       
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----0-----|----2-----|----0-----|----5-----|----5-----|----4-----|
|--2---2---|--3---3---|--0---0---|--5---5---|--7---7---|--5---5---|
|3-------3-|3-------3-|2-------2-|7-------7-|8-------8-|5-------5-|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|

 Ic             IVb             V            I                    
|--------------|---------------|------------|---------------|
|--------------|---------------|------------|---------------|
|------9-------|------10-------|-----7------|------12-------|
|---10---10----|---10----10----|---9---9----|---14----14----|
|10---------10-|12----------12-|10-------10-|15----------15-|
|--------------|---------------|------------|---------------|

Group 3.

 Ib         IV         Vc         Ic         Vb        V         
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----1-----|----1-----|----0-----|----5-----|----6-----|----3-----|
|--0---0---|--2---2---|--0---0---|--5---5---|--5---5---|--4---4---|
|2-------2-|3-------3-|0-------0-|5-------5-|7-------7-|5-------5-|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|

 I            IVb             Vb         Ib                       
|------------|---------------|----------|---------------|
|-----8------|------10-------|----8-----|------13-------|
|---9---9----|---10----10----|--7---7---|---12----12----|
|10-------10-|10----------10-|9-------9-|14----------14-|
|------------|---------------|----------|---------------|
|------------|---------------|----------|---------------|

Group 4.

 Ic         IVb        Vb         I          IVc        Vc       
|----0-----|----1-----|----3-----|----3-----|----5-----|----7-----|
|--1---1---|--1---1---|--3---3---|--5---5---|--6---6---|--9---9---|
|0-------0-|2-------2-|4-------4-|5-------5-|5-------5-|7-------7-|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|

 Ib         IV             V               Ic                      
|----8-----|------8-------|------10-------|------12-------|
|--8---8---|---10---10----|---12----12----|---13----13----|
|9-------9-|10---------10-|12----------12-|12----------12-|
|----------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|----------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
|----------|--------------|---------------|---------------|

MINORS

Group 1.

 iv         iib        iiib       ivb        iic        iiic           
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----2-----|----0-----|----2-----|----7-----|----3-----|----5-----|
|--3---3---|--0---0---|--2---2---|--7---7---|--5---5---|--7---7---|
|5-------5-|1-------1-|3-------3-|8-------8-|5-------5-|7-------7-|

 ivc             ii           iii            iv                 
|---------------|------------|--------------|----------------------|
|---------------|------------|--------------|---------------|
|---------------|------------|--------------|---------------|
|------10-------|-----7------|------9-------|------14-------|
|---12----12----|---8---8----|---10---10----|---15----15----|
|12----------12-|10-------10-|12---------12-|17----------17-|

Group 2.

 ivb        ii         iiic       ivc        iib        iii       
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----2-----|----2-----|----0-----|----5-----|----7-----|----4-----|
|--2---2---|--3---3---|--2---2---|--7---7---|--7---7---|--5---5---|
|3-------3-|5-------5-|2-------2-|7-------7-|8-------8-|7-------7-|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|

 iv             iic             iiib         ivb                   
|--------------|---------------|------------|---------------|
|--------------|---------------|------------|---------------|
|------9-------|------10-------|-----9------|------14-------|
|---10---10----|---12----12----|---9---9----|---14----14----|
|12---------12-|12----------12-|10-------10-|15----------15-|
|--------------|---------------|------------|---------------|

Group 3.

 ivc        iib        iii        iv         iic        iiib    
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----1-----|----3-----|----0-----|----5-----|----6-----|----5-----|
|--2---2---|--2---2---|--0---0---|--5---5---|--7---7---|--4---4---|
|2-------2-|3-------3-|2-------2-|7-------7-|7-------7-|5-------5-|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|

 ivb           ii              iiic       iv                    
|-------------|---------------|----------|---------------|
|-----10------|------10-------|----8-----|------13-------|
|---9----9----|---10----10----|--9---9---|---14----14----|
|10--------10-|12----------12-|9-------9-|14----------14-|
|-------------|---------------|----------|---------------|
|-------------|---------------|----------|---------------|

Group 4.

 iv         iic        iiib       ivb        ii         iiic 
|----0-----|----1-----|----0-----|----5-----|----5-----|----2-----|
|--1---1---|--3---3---|--0---0---|--5---5---|--6---6---|--5---5---|
|2-------2-|2-------2-|0-------0-|5-------5-|7-------7-|4-------4-|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|

 ivc          iib             iii        iv                     
|-----8------|------10-------|----7-----|------12-------|
|--10---10---|---10----10----|--8---8---|---13----13----|
|9---------9-|10----------10-|9-------9-|14----------14-|
|------------|---------------|----------|---------------|
|------------|---------------|----------|---------------|
|------------|---------------|----------|---------------|

Now apply the above template to the eleven remaining keys. Remember that the notes of the arpeggios should just overlap a little. They shouldn’t be allowed to ring out the whole time, though you can at first if you’re new to arpeggios.

Comments

[chris flatley]

mistake:
chord iv should read chord vi. for some reason i made this mistake everytime (red face)
i'lhopefully i can get this changed.

[KingHenrik1967]

this isnt really beginning arpeggios is it... this is more Arpeggio training, than a begginers guide to... unless the title is just a tad misleading...

[Leather Sleeves]

^Its kind of both I think. Arpeggios start with the triad.

Nice article, its well organized and serves as a good reference.

[Dumpster510]

this really should be labeled as a lesson on chords (i know, musical semantecs). i'm not accusing you of 'stealing' this lesson, but its incredibly similar to a joe satriani video lesson on learning chords.

[chris flatley]

arpeggios are broken chords so I dont really understand the point youre making.
As for the Joe Satriaani thing. I wouldn't want to put myself anywhere near his league, but people tend to come up with the same solutions to the same problems. After all a triad is a triad and an inversion is an inversion. The shapes are the same no matter who you are. I put them in a useful order. It doesn't surprise me that others have done the same.

[chris flatley]

****in' ingrates *grin*