Tip: True Three Note Arp

Last time out we looked at a three note arpeggio that substituted for the Bb7 four note arp. I had you practice this with a repeated note, so it felt like you were playing a four note arpeggio. In other words, this repeated note made it easier to practice, because each note of the pattern, as you move from one octave to the next, is played solely on the upbeat or the downbeat.

It’s a mental thing. When you hear the F note, for example, falling on the downbeat in the first octave, you expect to hear it on the downbeat in the next octave. It’s easier to learn that way.

But it’s also more monotonous that way. Let’s take out the repeated note and play the three note arp now as a true, three note arp.

|-----------------|-10-13-13-10---------|------------|
|-------------6-9-|-------------9-6-----|------------|
|-----------7-----|-----------------7---|------------|
|-------3-6-------|-------------------6-|-3----------|
|-----5-----------|---------------------|---5--------|
|-1-4-------------|---------------------|-----4-1----|

Once you can play this smoothly, play the version with the repeated note first, and then play this version again. Which do you think sounds more varied and interesting?

Thanks for reading.

Copyright © 2010 Darrin Koltow

This first appeared in the Guitar Noise News – January 1, 2009 newsletter. Reprinted with permission.