Sequencing Arpeggios

Arpeggios can be useful in many ways. They help you break away from scale based licks and start creating more melodic and memorable solos. Any time you are faced with a difficult chord sequences the best way tackle them is by using arpeggios.

The examples in this lessons deal with ways to practice the basic arpeggios found in the C Major scale. We work through some of the sequence possibilities to real get the sound and shapes of these arpeggios under our fingers.

Playing these arpeggios in sequences is not only a great technical exercise but it also a great way to learn the sounds of these arpeggios. Practice playing through some of these examples and see if you can find ways of using them in your solos.

In each of these examples we move through the arpeggios of the C major scale in order. The arpeggios we use are:

Cmaj7, Dm7, Em7. Fmaj7, G7, Am7, Bm7b5

Exercise 1

Exercise 1 gives us the arpeggios of the C major scale using the sequence 1-3-5-7

Exercise 2

Exercise 2 gives us the arpeggios of the C major scale using the sequence 1-5-3-7

Exercise 3

Exercise 3 gives us the arpeggios of the C major scale using the sequence 1-7-5-3

Exercise 4

Exercise 4 gives us the arpeggios of the C major scale using the sequence 3-1-7-5

Exercise 5

Exercise 5 gives us the arpeggios of the C major scale using the sequence 7-3-5-1