12 Notes

The Joy Of music. 

Guitar music.

Brought to you by a man who has spent a great many years playing the guitar, teaching himself how to make music.  With the exception of 6 months in high school, I am completely self taught.

I have 2 libraries of music that I can go to whenever I wish.  I have music books by, and in the name of, a great many types of musicians, like Allan Holdsworth and Ian Anderson, and J.S. Bach and a whole host of others.   The other one is the music library in my head.

I will teach whatever comes to mind to teach.  If you want to know something specific, ask and ye shall receive.  I will leave each exercise up for a few days, maybe a week, maybe a hair more, and when I am ready, I will take each exercise here and place it as an article on the blog for you to read there.

On with the music!

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Click the title of each article to go to the corresponding lesson.

5 Note Minor Arpeggio Exercise /  String Skipping  /  Pentatonic Scale – A happy riff  /  Acoustic – Finger Style Primer  /  The Major Scale  /   The Natural Minor Scale  /  Alternate Picking Exercises  /  A Few Basic Chords  /  Dissonance – Chords  /  Arpeggio Exercises, Part II  /  The Double Harmonic Major Scale  /  Speed Drills  /  Tapping Basics / Phrygian Mode Basics / A Lesson in Musicality
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Lesson 16: Major scale arpeggios.  In lesson one I went over a rather lengthy number of 5 note minor arpeggios.  Today, in lesson 16, we are going to do some major scale arpeggios.

There are two textbook definitions of the word arpeggio from the world english dictionary.  One is a chord whose notes are played in rapid succession rather than simultaneously, and the other is an ascending and descending figure used in music practice. Today we’ll be doing some of both. 

Let’s get to it.

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To begin with, we’ll do some 4 note 3 string ascending arpeggios.  These are about the easiest arpeggios you can play, so get them under your fingers

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
- – - – - – -2 – - – - – - -3 – - – - – - -4 – - – - – - -5 – - – - – - -6 – - – - – - – -7
- – - – -3 – - – - – - -4 – - – - – - -5 – - – - – - -6 – - – - – - -7 – - – - – - – -8 – -
-1 -5 – - – - -2 -6 – - – - -3 -7 – - – - -4 -8 – - – - -5 -9 – - – - -6 -10 – - – -

And perform this exercise as far up the neck as you can, which, at a minimum, puts the lowest played note in the arpeggio at the 13th fret. Then take the same shape and play it all the way back down the fretboard.   

Do the same for this one here.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
- – - – - – -2 – - – - – - -3 – - – - – - -4 – - – - – - -5 – - – - – - -6 – - – - – - – -7
- – - – -3 – - – - – - -4 – - – - – - -5 – - – - – - -6 – - – - – - -7 – - – - – - – -8 – -
-1 -5 – - – - -2 -6 – - – - -3 -7 – - – - -4 -8 – - – - -5 -9 – - – - -6 -10 – - – -
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

You know the drill with this stuff,  all the way up and back down the fretboard. 

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Now for some other arpeggios, not 4 note, 3 string arpeggios following the R,3,5,7 formula, but not far from it.  This one is going to go with the R,3,7,9 formula(a major 9th chord) and there will be only one note played per string.  A small change, but all change is good here. 

- – - – - - - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
- – - – - – -2 – - – - – - -3 – - – - – - -4 – - – - – - -5 – - – - – - -6 – - – - – - -7 -
- – - – -3 – - – - – - -4 – - – - – - -5 – - – - – - -6 – - – - – - -7 – - – - – - -8 – - -
- – -1 – - – - – - -2 – - – - – - -3 – - – - – - -4 – - – - – - -5 – - – - – - – 6- – - – - 
- -2 – - – - – -3 – - – - – - -4 – - – - – - -5 – - – - – - -6 – - – - – - -7 – - – - – - 
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

I find it easiest to play the first and last notes with the middle finger on the above exercise. And, as always, play the exercise as far up the neck as your fingers can reach, I cannot stress that enough. 

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Next up, because I like the way 9 chords sound, we’ll do a few add 9 arpeggios.  The difference here is that the exercise will move across the strings before moving up the fretboard. 

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -3 – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -4 – - -
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – -3 – - – - -6 – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -4 – - – - -7 – - – - -
- – - – - – -2 – - – - -5 – - – - -3 – - – - – - – - – - -3 – - – - -6 – - – - -4 – - – - – - -
- – - – -5 – - – - -3 – - – - -1 – - – - – - – - – - -6 – - – - -4 – - – - -2 – - – - – - – - -
- – -3 – - – - -1 – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -4 – - – - -2 – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
-1 – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -2 – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -5 – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -6 – - -
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – -5 – - – - -8 – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -6 – - – - -9 – - – - – - -
- – - – - – -4 – - – - -7 – - – - -5 – - – - – - – - – - -5 – - – - -8 – - – - -6 – - – - – - – - – - -
- – - – -7 – - – - -5 – - – - -3 – - – - – - – - – - -8 – - – - -6 – - – - -4 – - – - – - – - – - – - -
- – -5 – - – - -3 – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -6 – - – - -4 – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
-3 – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -4 – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

This exercise, besides the obvious statement from me about playing it all the way up the fretboard, should be played as slow as necessary to play it right.  Play it slow until you can play it without missing a beat.  Then and only then should you try to play it faster.  This isn’t a race, no need to try to play this as fast as Buckethead, or Chuck Schuldiner.   Speed happens after mastery, not before. 

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I hope you enjoyed the lesson, and if there are any problems with the lesson, or anything here, feel free to drop me a line.  Thanks for stopping by!