Arpeggio
The notes of a chord sounded one at a time in sequence rather than together, in any order or range.
Arpeggios are how harmony becomes a melodic line, and a huge amount of lead playing is arpeggio playing: sweeping through chord tones across the neck, or picking them in a pattern over a held chord. Because they follow the harmony, they always sound functional even when fast. Practising them as shapes on the neck also teaches where each chord tone lives, which is why teachers use arpeggio patterns long before students can name the chord tones they are playing.
Example: an ascending shape through the same triad in three positions, swept with the pick, produces a smooth run that sits over the chord rather than beside it.
See also
Related
- PageChord
- PageSweep picking
- PageAccent
- PageAccessory
- PageAccidental
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley
- PageAd-Rock