Tag Archives: how to use arpeggios

How To Use Arpeggios In Jazz – Important Skills

Like everybody else, you are trying to play jazz and improvise solos, but it is difficult not to sound mechanical or robotic because you can really only choose between playing either a scale or an arpeggio which makes your solo boring. You need to learn how to use arpeggios in your solo lines in a more creative way!

In this video, I am going to give you 4 different ways to create melodies with arpeggios that you can add to your vocabulary and really change up how your solos sound.

In fact, with these techniques, you can take any chord and make a lick over that using diatonic arpeggios.

The Arpeggio and How To Practice Them

First, let’s look at a simple way to learn and think about arpeggios in the context of the scale then I will get into how you use this to make lines.

When you play jazz lines then the chords often change very often so it makes sense to mostly use arpeggios in one octave.

That means that you can get a lot out of practicing arpeggios in the scale as diatonic arpeggios in an exercise like this.

First the scale :

and then these arpeggios:

I have another lesson where I talk about this and how to use it that you can check it out here: The Most Important Scale Exercise In Jazz

Now let’s get to using scale notes, arpeggio patterns and chromaticism to make some great jazz lines with arpeggios.

1 Adding Diatonic notes

The easiest way to create strong melodies with arpeggios is to mix them with the scale tones.

If you take a Cmaj7 arpeggio and then add scale notes between the chord tones then you can make lines like this:

The way you should practice and work with this is probably more spending time figuring out how to make your own lines than practicing the exercises.

2 Arpeggio patterns

The next place to explore is to start playing the notes of the arpeggio in a different order. Below are a few examples of how you can do this:

If you use this in a lick then it could be something like example 6 and 7:

3 Chromatic notes

Another great feature is to use chromatic leading notes in an arpeggio. As an exercise you can add a chromatic leading note before every note in the arpeggio as shown in example 8:

Making lines with this and some of the previous concepts would give you something like these examples:

4 Inversions and Octave Displacement

Arpeggios can be inverted and you can also use octave displacement to create some very solid melodies that also contain larger intervals.

Doing exercises like this is really good for getting flexible with arpeggios, but you can also just take out one and work with that.

Octave displacement is another way to break up the direction of a melody. The idea is to have a melody is moving in one direction and then move a part of the melody an octave up or down. You can find an explanation of it in this lesson in Jazz Lick #4: Jazz Licks on a Maj7 chord – How To Sound Like Bebop

Some examples of licks on a Cmaj7 using Octave displacement and inversions are shown here below:

If you want to explore more things you can do with arpeggios and take it more into a bebop direction then check out 3 Easy Bebop Licks – How To Sound Like Jazz

Want to learn how to use this on a song?

Or check out the Easy Jazz Standards Bundle with this lesson at a reduced price:

Easy Jazz Standards Solo Bundle

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3 Great Ways To Use Arpeggios In A Solo

Arpeggios are one of the building blocks you need to have in your vocabulary. But using Arpeggios in a solo can be very difficult. They can be hard to use in a way that sounds like a natural melody and not an exercise.

One way you can learn that is to check out how master jazz guitarists like Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino use arpeggios in their playing. Take over some of their great ideas and start using similar concepts in your own jazz licks and solos.

In this video, I am going to show analyze some great arpeggio phrases and talk about how you can use them in your own playing.

Content:

0:00 Intro – Arpeggios and Jazz Vocabulary

0:35 Example #1

0:37 Wes Montgomery – Great Arpeggio Polyrhythm idea

1:47 Example #1 Slow

1:52 Example #2

2:07 Pat Martino’s take on this rhythmical idea

3:02 Example #2 Slow

3:09 Putting this into your playing #1

3:29 Putting this into your playing #2

4:12 Example #3

4:14 Pat Martino’s Power Arpeggio Pickup

5:08 A Great Chromatic Idea

5:25 Example #3

5:49 Putting this into your playing #3

6:07 Putting this into your playing #4

6:41 How To Practice This and What To Focus on

7:27 Example #4

7:38 Wes’ Amazing Sense Of Melody

8:29 Example #4 Slow

8:46 Making Long Phrases like Wes!

9:27 Putting this into your playing #4

9:33 Like The Video? Check out My Patreon Page!

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My secret arpeggio and 3 places I use it!

Sometimes it is great to look beyond the diatonic arpeggios for some rich or more colorful sounding arpeggios.

This video is about one of these arpeggios that I really use a lot for melodic minor, altered or Lydian dominant sounds.

Finding the arpeggios

Usually we find arpeggios by stacking 3rds in a scale, but in some cases we can get some really great sounds by building chords in other ways.

The arpeggio I want to talk about in this lesson is the dom7th(#5) arpeggio. The A7(#5) is shown here below:

Where does the dom7th(#5) chord belong?

There are a few places where you can construct this arpeggio.

It is of course found in the whole tone scale, and a can be constructed in both harmonic major and minor.

In this lesson I will focus on it in the context of melodic minor. Purely because that is where I use it the most.

The dom7th(#5) can be found in two places in the melodic minor scale.

If we take the A7(#5) as an example then it can be found on the 5th degree of D melodic minor:

And also on the 7th degree of Bb melodic minor:

Using the arpeggio

If we look at the A7(#5): A C# F G  then it is worth noticing that it is in fact an A augmented triad and an A.

The fac that the augmented triad is a part of the arpeggio is probably one of the reasons why it is so useful for a lot of different chords in melodic minor. The augmented triad sound is a big part of the melodic minor sound. Just think of an DmMaj7 where the upper part of the chord is an augmented triad.

The Altered dominant

When using the arpeggio on an altered dominant we have two options.

The altered dominant in this case is a Db7alt. The two dom7(#5) arpeggios we have available are then A7(#5) and C#7(#5) (or Db)

In this example I am using the A7(#5). If we relate the A7 arpeggio to a Db root we get: A(b13) C#(root) F(3rd) G(b5). So there is a lot of color in the arpeggio.

The Abm7 line is a descending Bmaj7 sweep arpeggio followed by a small turn with a leading note on before the root.

On the Db7alt the line is really just the A7(#5) arpeggio adding a B to resolve to the 3rd of Gbmaj7 in bar 3.

Tonic minor

In the second example I am using the line on a tonic minor chord. The A7(#5) related to D would be: A(5), C#(Maj7), F(3rd), G(11).

The first bar is really just a simple Dm line with a leading note under the root. The 2nd bar is coming from the A7(#5) arpeggio that finally resolves to the 9th(E) of Dm6 (or DmMAj7)

Lydian Dominant

The Lydian dominant example is using a IV IVm progression in F major. In this case it is in fact II bVII I that is being used, but the main idea is of course subdominant, subdominant minor to tonic.

The line on the Gm7 is first encircling the root of the chord and then ascending a Gm7 arpeggio with an added A. 

The Eb7 bar is first the A7(#5) arpeggio followed by Bb and C to resolve to the 3rd(A) of Fmaj7. The ending is tagget with a small pentatonic turn.

Make you own lines with these arpeggios

The examples I went over here are of course only a glimpse at a quite vast amount of options available with this arpeggio.

The best way to get this arpeggio in to your playing is to use it in different situations in songs that you already know so that you can explore the sound of the arpeggio. 

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You can also download the PDF of my examples here:

My secret arpeggio and 3 places i use it!

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for topics or how I can make the lessons better then please let me know. Leave a comment on the video or  send me an e-mail. That is the best way for me to improve my lessons and make them fit what you are searching for.

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How to Come up with New solo ideas – Rethink the stuff you already know

It can be difficult to come up with new ideas for your solos, but this video talks about how you can use all of the diatonic triads, arpeggios, pentatonic scales etc and find the right ones to the chord you are playing over. Not only playing just with the arpeggio, but also how to mix it with the other material.

The video has a lot of examples and explanations and also a lot of philosphy on playing over changes, superimposing arpeggios and other things like developing a personal sound and taste.

 

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0:49 The Maj7 and the F Major Scale

1:10 What I will check out

1:48 The Fmaj7 chord and diatonic arpeggios

2.55 Solo using Fmaj7 arpeggio

3:12 How you solo with an arpeggio when learning new ideas

3:53 Arpeggio from the 3rd

4:18 Solo using Am7 Arpeggio 

4:43 Why we don’t really want the Bb in there and C7 doesn’t work

5:46 A 3rd below: Dm7

5:56 Solo using Dm7 Arpeggio

6:31 Arpeggios against another root note and the having an overview of the scale

8:20 Solo using F major triad 9:29 Am triad solo

9:51 Thoughts on making melodies with Am triad vs Fmaj7

11:01 Solo using C major triad 11:23 C major triad and not having the 3rd in the arpeggio.

12:14 Solo using D minor triad

12:32 Finding associations with the different arpeggios and the sound they make

13:48 Quartal Harmony

15:19 Solo using Quartal Arp from G

15:34 DIfferent fingerings and mixing it with other things

16:27 Solo using Quartal Arp from A

16:53 Connecting to the chord, using chord tones

17:28 Solo using Quartal Arp from D

17:46 Emphasizing the intervals in the arpeggio

18:32 Solo using Quartal Arp from E

18:53 Different patterns of the Arpeggio

19:37Other options like spread voicing, drop2 and inversions..

20:14 Pentatonics

20:27 Solo using Dm Pentatonic

20:47 Choosing pentatonic scales for a chord

21:48 Solo using Am Pentatonic

22:13 The “other”Pentatonic scales lesson series

22:48 Shell Voicings – Finding Useable

24:10 Solo using Fmaj7 Shell Voicing

24:51 Solo using Am7 Shell Voicing

25:05 Ways to practice shell voicings in postition and along the neck

26:26 Solo using Dm7 Shell Voicing

27:38 Solo using Em7b5 Shell Voicing

27:55 Compensating for the lack of chord tones in the arpeggio

28:44 What am I trying to do when practicing with these arpeggios

29:26 Sus4 triads and Mark Turner

30:03 Finding useable Sus4 triads

30:38 Difference between Sus4 and Quartal Harmony?

32:02 Solo using Gsus4 triads

32:33 Solo using Asus4 triads 32.49 The sound of the sus4 triad

33:35 Solo using Csus4 triads

33:51 Using the resolution of the sus chord in the melody as well.

34:42 Solo using Dsus4 triads

35:05 Sus4 triads as voicings.

35:33 Using this approach to develop and understand your own taste

37:38 Outro

 

5 Great ways to use a minMaj7 arpeggio

The minMaj7 arpeggio is a beautiful Minor sound that most of us probably associate with the Tonic minor chord in Melodic minor. You can however use it in a lot of other places as I will go over here today!

In this video I am going to take a minMaj7 arpeggio and show you how you can use it in 5 different contexts on different chords. All the examples are using chord progressions from well know standards so that you have a place where you can put it to use right away!

1. The minMaj on a Tonic Minor chord

The first example is using the minMaj7 arpeggio in the most basic way: On the Tonic minor chord. The example I am using is the first three bars of Solar, a reharmonized or embellished minor blues progression.

The line is starting with the CmMaj7 arpeggio and then really highlighting the maj7. From there it makes a small descending melody and skips up to the 9th(D). In the second bar it is again emphasizing the maj7th(B) and making a clear transition to Gm7 by walking up to the 3rd(Bb)

2. Locrian ♮2

The Locrian Natural 2, or somtimes called the Locrian #2 sound, is a half diminished chord with a ♮9. In this example I am using the first 3 bars of the famous jazz standard Stella By Starlight.

Since Locrian ♮2 is a melodic minor chord this is basically the melodic minor version of a half diminished sound. Since the m7b5 chord is an Em7b5, the corresponding melodic minor scale is G melodic minor and 

Again the line starts with the G minMaj7 arpeggio, and the target note is the maj7(F#) which is then here the ♮9 over the Em7b5. The next part of the line is another upperstructure that works well for the Locrian ♮2 sound: The major triad on the 7th of the chord, which here is a D major triad.

On the A7 the line consists of a C#dim melody with some approach notes. The line resolves to the 9th of Cm7.

3. Lydian Dominant

One of the most common places to apply melodic minor is on the Lydian dominants. Any dominant that doesn’t resolve a 4th up or a 5th down we can make into a Lydian b7 chord.

The example I am using here is from the standard Take The A Train where I am using the minMaj7 arpeggio on the D7 which is a V of V. The melodic minor scale that goes along with this  D7 is the A melodic minor.

The line on the Cmaj7 is some relatively simple C7 or C major pentatonic melodies which then moves to the D7 with a chromatic approach.

On the D7 I start the line with the A minMaj7 arpeggio. The line continues by chaining the AminMaj7 arpeggio together with an F#m7b5 arpeggio (which is the arpeggio from the 3rd of D7). The 2nd bar of the line is using a small scale run with an enclosure that finally resolves to the 5th(A) of Dm7.

4. The Altered Dominant

The other dominant that we often use from the melodic minor scale is the altered dominant. The example I am using here is a II V I in the key of C with the altered domiant G7. G7 altered scale is the same scale as Ab melodic minor so the arpeggio is in this case an AbminMaj7 arpeggio.

The line starts with a Dm pentatonic melody with a skip from the 5th to the root. From here it uses a descending Am 1 3 4 5 pattern. 

On the G7alt the line starts with the Ab minMaj7 arpeggio. From the G it continues with a Fm7(b5) arpeggio that then resolves to the 9th(D) of Cmaj7.

5. Dorian #4

Dorian #4 is the 4th mode of Harmonic minor, so this is the only example that is not coming out of the melodic minor sound. 

The Dorian #4 sound is a m7 chord with a 9,#11 and a 13. In this case I am using the first four bars of a Cm blues, and that means that the it’s the G harmonic minor scale and the G minMaj7 arpeggios.

Essentially the sound we could use to describe this sound with could be a chord consisting of a D major triad over a Cm7, since the extensions 9,#11,13 spell out a D triad in C.

In the example I first state the Cm7 sound in the beginning. The first two bars are coming out of an embellished Ebmaj7 arpeggio which is the arpeggio from the 3rd of Cm7.

in Bar 3 I start using the #4 sound. In this case this is done with the GmMaj7 arpeggio. First the G is encircled with A and F# and then the arpeggio is played ascending. The final notes in the bar extend the arpeggio by using the 7th and two more notes to form a 1st inversion D major triad.

In the 4th bar the line transitions into C7 to move on to Fm7. The line here is using F harmonic minor and the melody is based around an E diminished arpeggio with an added scale run.

Effective practice!

For anything we practice it is important that we make sure to check out where it can be applied. Any arpeggio is going to fit on a substantial number of chords and therefore it is important to spend time working on this aspect of exploring an arpeggio as well.

I hope you can use the material I covered here in your own lines and put the minMaj7 to use in some new contexts in your guitar solos!

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You can also download the PDF of my examples here:

5 Great ways to use a minMaj7 arpeggio

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for topics or how I can make the lessons better then please let me know. Leave a comment on the video or  send me an e-mail. That is the best way for me to improve my lessons and make them fit what you are searching for.

Please subscribe to my YouTube channel and feel free to connect with me via Instagram,Twitter Google+ or Facebook to keep up to date with new lessons, concerts and releases.