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arpeggios

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(@woekitten)
Eminent Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 7
Topic starter  

what are arpeggios and what do you use them for? and also what are modes (aeloian, pythagorian etc) and what are those used for?
where can i start learning these? and what do i need to know before learning them?


   
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(@musenfreund)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 5108
 

Arpeggios are chords played one note at a time -- sometimes called broken chords. The term comes from the Italian for harp -- hence to play the chord as one would on a harp.
Do you know the Beatles song on Abbey Road, "Because". All arpeggios. Or the acoustic part of "Stairway to Heaven"? Arpeggios. Or the gentle sad part of "Behind Blue Eyes"? Arpeggios.

Modes are a way of thinking about scales. That's very broad and vague, but intentionally so. Are you just beginning? If so, wait for a while before you begin to think about modes. If you're not at the beginning stage and want to venture off into the fascinating but sometimes confusing world of modes, try David's lesson A la modal.

I hope that helps.

Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon


   
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 sirN
(@sirn)
Reputable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 358
 

Many an 80 guitar hero would sweep pick arpeggios. By raking the pick across the strings while playing the notes.

check out my website for good recording/playing info


   
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(@call_me_kido)
Estimable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 179
 

Heh, Pathagorian....anyone else catch that?

Dont worry bro it comes with time. Learning modes isnt on your priority list to be a great musician, it doesnt hurt but it doesnt make the man either.

Kido


   
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(@alex_)
Honorable Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 608
 

Many an 80 guitar hero would sweep pick arpeggios. By raking the pick across the strings while playing the notes.

thats just sweep picking... yeah they are arpeggio's but dont think of it like arpeggio's are to be sweep picked think like sweep picking, plays arpeggio's because arpeggio's are everywhere, in everything.

even 10 notes in a melody line reflect to form some sort of chord, taking notes from the chord and playing them, with a lot of other notes inbetween.

chords have 3+ notes, take those notes and play them independantly, and you will have an arpeggio..

F A F D A F D.. mix it around, you have a D minor arpeggio.


   
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 sirN
(@sirn)
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Joined: 20 years ago
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I'm not saying that arpegios have to be swept picked. But if you want a million examples of that, you can listen to many an 80's hair band or guitar hero for them.

Sure, Ain't Talking 'Bout Love by Van Halen is another example of arpegios. Picked normally, yet arpegiated on the intro and throughout the verses (slightly different from intro). Oh, and heavily flanged.

Think of them as you do your nose. Pick them anyway you want....just pick 'em. :lol:

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(@alex_)
Honorable Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 608
 

thats a good saying lol..

but still, thoughts on arpeggio's are still being so condensed, i mean arpeggio's were one of the most / if not the most important melodic feature of classical music..

it doesnt revolve around the guitar, its a song thing, a music thing, not a playing things..

people need to open their minds more, see that things dont revolve around the guitar, the guitar takes things from a much wider world and uses them.

things become more clear then, i personally think.


   
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 sirN
(@sirn)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 358
 

Sounds good. Hey, I got a question. Can a scale degree have a double sharp in it? And if so, what would it be called? Some form of Augmented?

For instance, if I created my own exotic scale and then harmonized it and one of the notes produced a chord that was two notes sharp from it's major counterpoint, then how would I describe that chord? If it's possible anyway. :oops:

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(@noteboat)
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Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 4921
 

Sure, it's possible. It happens regularly in minor keys because of the raised seventh in the harmonic minor scale... for example:

G#-A#-B-C#-D#-E-Fx-G#

When you harmonize a scale that's not major or minor, or when you harmonize a scale in something other than thirds, you're getting into non-traditional harmony.

That can get into some fuzzy naming... let's say your scale harmonizes to a chord C-E#-Gx. All chords are named in relation to the major scale - and C major doesn't have E# or Gx. The C major scale does have A, which is enharmonic to Gx, and F, which is enharmonic to E#, so your chord formula would be seen as 1-4-6 of the C major scale.

Next you have to decide what context this is going in... heavily altered scales sometimes create pieces that don't have a strong tonal center, so if your music seems to be wandering through a number of key centers, calling this chord 'F' (F-A-C, enharmonic to E#-Gx-C) might be the most straightforward. If your piece does have a strong center, then retaining the C root will be important to understanding the harmonic flow, and you'll want to name it C something..... so what's the context? Does the rest of the melody imply major or minor? Dominant or major seventh?

Not all chord tones are always played (if they were, 13th chords would be impossible on 6 string guitars!), so you need to think about what's implied, but not played - if it sounds like E natural and Bb would fit in the melody, the chord might be called C13 (C-E-G-Bb-D-F-A), with you playing the root, 11th, and 13th. If the E natural won't fit, but Eb will, Cm13 might be the choice... if neither fits, but Bb does, C13sus4... if Bb doesn't fit, but B natural does, Cmaj13sus4... if Bb doesn't fit, but G natural does, C6sus4... and just like the Energizer bunny we can keep going and going and going.

If your entire piece ends up being non-standard, that's ok. Plenty of modern jazz is harmonized in intervals other than thirds; the chord names will still follow standard theory, as convoluted as they may seem.

Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL


   
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 sirN
(@sirn)
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Joined: 20 years ago
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Cool. Thanks. 8)

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(@slydog)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 243
 

Just have to throw this bit of trivia in - anyone who's watched TV in the States has probably heards NBC's little three note jingle - da-dum-da. Most people associate the letters N-B-C. But it's an arpeggio of a C chord (G-E-C) and it stands for General Electric Corporation.

So now anytime you play a C chord, just consider yourself a corporate sellout. :D

Blame it on the lies that killed us, blame it on the truth that ran us down.


   
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