Sweep Picking and Arpeggio > Sweep picking exercises on major arpeggio
I think the examples 1,2 and 3 would have to be learned very well because they
are strongly related to the relative chord and this is very convenient during
the improvisations. Anyway, get careful practice on this page.
Example 1 : D major arpeggio
-------------------------------
The B on the 7th key of the 6th string doesn't belong to the D major arpeggio
(D F# A), but it makes things easier to play above all in the sweep between
different positions.
n n h n n n n v p v v v v p v
[--------------5-10p5--------------]
[------------7--------7------------]
[----------7------------7----------]
[--------7----------------7--------]
[----5h9--------------------9p7----]
[--7----------------------------9--]
2 1 4 2 2 2 1 4 1 2 2 2 4 1 2
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Example 2 : D major arpeggio
-------------------------------
Here's another position of the D major arpeggio.
n n h n n n n v p v v v v p v
[-------------------10-14p10-------------------]
[----------------10----------10----------------]
[-------------11----------------11-------------]
[----------12----------------------12----------]
[-----9h12----------------------------12p9-----]
[--10--------------------------------------10--]
2 1 3 3 2 1 1 4 1 1 2 3 3 1 2
UP
Example 3 : D major arpeggio
-------------------------------
Here's another position of the D major arpeggio.
n n h n n n n v p v v v v p v
[--------------------14-17p14--------------------]
[-----------------15----------15-----------------]
[--------------14----------------14--------------]
[-----------16----------------------16-----------]
[-----12h17----------------------------17p12-----]
[--14----------------------------------------14--]
2 1 4 3 1 2 1 4 1 2 1 3 4 1 2
I usually use these three positions for the major arpeggio because they've
got the same picking scheme : n n h n n n n v p v v v v p v.
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Example 4 : C major arpeggio
-------------------------------
This sweep involves two positions of the C major arpeggio.
n n n n n n v n v v v v v v
[------------|-----8-12-/-15-12-------|-------------| |-----]
[------------|---8------|-------13----|-------------| repeat |-----]
[------------|-9--------|----------12-|-------------| then |-----]
[---------10-|----------|-------------|-14----------| go |-----]
[----7h10----|----------|-------------|----15p10----| ---> |-----]
[--8---------|----------|-------------|----------12-\ \-8~~-]
2 1 3 3 2 1 1 4 4 1 2 1 3 4 1 2 2
UP
Example 5 : E major arpeggio
-------------------------------
This sweep involves two positions of the E major arpeggio.
n n n n n n v n v v v v v v
[-----------|-----7-12-/-16-12-------|-------------| |-----]
[-----------|---9------|-------12----|-------------| repeat |-----]
[-----------|-9--------|----------13-|-------------| then |-----]
[---------9-|----------|-------------|-14----------| go |-----]
[----7h11---|----------|-------------|----14p11----| ---> |-----]
[--9--------|----------|-------------|----------12-\ \-9~~-]
2 1 4 2 2 2 1 4 4 1 1 2 3 3 1 2 2
UP
Example 6 : A major arpeggio
-------------------------------
This sweep involves two positions of the A major arpeggio.
n n n n n n v n v v v v v v
[------------|------9-12-\-17-12-------|-------------| |-----]
[------------|---10------|-------14----|-------------| repeat |-----]
[------------|-9---------|----------14-|-------------| then |-----]
[---------11-|-----------|-------------|-14----------| go |-----]
[----7h12----|-----------|-------------|----16p12----| ---> |-----]
[--9---------|-----------|-------------|----------14-\ \-9~~-]
2 1 4 3 1 2 1 4 4 1 2 2 2 4 1 2 2
These three examples are very important because they show one of the possible
way to relate the different positions of an arpeggio.
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Example 7 : arpeggio on the turn of chords D G A D
-
-------------------------------------------------
This example involves different positions over different chords, some little
tapping make the sweep more intresting and "cooler".
D G
n n n n n n t v v v v v n n
[-------------|-------10h14-t-17p14p10----|------------|------------------|-
[-------------|----10-------|----------10-|------------|------------------|-
[-------------|-11----------|-------------|-11---------|------------------|-
[----------12-|-------------|-------------|----12------|---------------12-|-
[-----9h12----|-------------|-------------|-------12p9-|---------10h14----|-
[--10---------|-------------|-------------|------------|-(10)/12----------|-
2 1 3 3 2 1 1 4 M 4 1 1 2 3 3 1 2 2 1 4 2
A
n n n t v v v v v n n n n n
-|-------10h15-t-19p15p10----|-------------|----------------|------9h12-t-
-|----12-------|----------12-|-------------|----------------|---10------|-
-|-12----------|-------------|-12----------|----------------|-9---------|-
-|-------------|-------------|----12-------|-------------11-|-----------|-
-|-------------|-------------|-------14p10-|--------7h12----|-----------|-
-|-------------|-------------|-------------|-(12)\9---------|-----------|-
2 2 1 4 M 4 1 2 2 2 4 1 2 2 1 4 3 1 2 1 4
D
t v v v v v n n n n n v n v v v
-t-17p12p9----|-----------|----------------|-------10-14-/-17-14-------|-
-|---------10-|-----------|----------------|----10-------|-------15----|-
-|------------|-9---------|----------------|-11----------|----------14-|-
-|------------|---11------|-------------12-|-------------|-------------|-
-|------------|------12p7-|--------9h12----|-------------|-------------|-
-|------------|-----------|-(9)/10---------|-------------|-------------|-
M 4 1 2 1 3 4 1 2 2 1 3 3 2 1 1 4 4 1 2 1
v v v
-|---------------| |------]
-|---------------| repeat |------]
-|---------------| then |------]
-|-16------------| go |------]
-|----17p12------| ---> |------]
-|----------(14)-\ \-10~~-]
3 4 1 2 2
The idea behind this kind of exercise is the one to find out a turn of chords
that sounds well, trying then to relate the different positions together.
Note that for each chord exist different positions, then you can free your
imagination connecting the same turn in more ways.
At last don't feel yourself obligated to use the whole position over the six
strings for every arpeggio.
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Example 8 : arpeggio over the first three strings
-------------------------------------------------
This example reproposes the very spread idea to play a chord progression
performing an arpeggio just over the first three strings.
For a "good" performance of the piece, it's necessary to take care of the
passage between one position and the next one, in fact if we want to play
like the light-velocity we'll end to neglect the first note of each bar.
G C F
n n n v v v n n n v v v n n n v v v
[------7-10p7-----|-----8-12p8-----|-------8-13p8-------|-
[----8--------8---|---8--------8---|----10--------10----|-
[--7------------7-|-9------------9-|-10--------------10-|-
[-----------------|----------------|--------------------|-
[-----------------|----------------|--------------------|-
[-----------------|----------------|--------------------|-
1 2 1 4 1 2 1 2 1 1 4 1 1 2 2 2 1 4 1 2 2
A# D# G#
n n n v v v n n n v v v n n n v v v
-|-------10-13p10-------|-------11-15p11-------|-------11-16p11-------|-
-|----11----------11----|----11----------11----|----13----------13----|-
-|-10----------------10-|-12----------------12-|-13----------------13-|-
-|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|-
-|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|-
-|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|-
1 2 1 4 1 2 1 2 1 1 4 1 1 2 2 2 1 4 1 2 2
D
n n n v v v n
-|-------14-17p14-------|-----------------]
-|----15----------15----|-(17)b19r17p15~~-]
-|-14----------------14-|-----------------]
-|----------------------|-----------------]
-|----------------------|-----------------]
-|----------------------|-----------------]
1 2 1 4 1 2 1 4 1
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