Arpeggios! What are they?
How they can help your improvisation (Part Two) [Intermediate Lesson]
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Over the years, I have been asked by many of my students about what techniques they can use to improve their improvisation and melodic playing. (This of course, assuming that you are at least somewhat familiar with both diatonic and pentatonic scales). Many of my students feel that they run into a roadblock by playing the same things over and over again. My answer is learning how to practice and incorporate arpeggio's in your improvisation.
This lesson is Part Two of the series. You can read Part One here
Intermediate Lesson
Let’s do Dominant 7th’s! Great for playing the Blues!
Practice the following exercises to help you begin thinking and playing outside of the comfort zone of the linear scales.
This first diagram shows the "dominant 7th" arpeggio. This means that you will only play the notes in a dominant 7th chord (I - III - V - vii).
Will we begin on the 6th string. Think of it as a movable "shape" that you can use in any key, with the root note on the 6th string. Directly below this diagram is the “A dominant 7th” tablature for the exercise.
(dominant) 7 arpeggio
This next diagram shows the "dominant 7th" arpeggio from the 5th string root. This example begins on the 5th string. Again, think of it as a movable "shape" that you can use in any key, with the root note on the 5th string. Directly below this diagram is the “D dominant 7th” tablature for the exercise.
(dominant) 7 arpeggio
Practice these exercises every time you pick up your guitar. Use these arpeggio shapes as warm-ups. Comment below if you have any questions. Please share and consider investing in a monthly or yearly paid subscription. - Thank-you, Dave.