Arpeggios

An arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time, and it's the fastest way to make a solo sound connected to the chords instead of running up and down a scale. This chapter teaches guitar arpeggios from simple triads to your first sweep picking.

You start with major and minor arpeggios in C, rooted on the 8th fret of the low E string, across two octaves. Only the thirds change between the two, so you hear exactly what makes a chord major or minor. Next come seventh chord arpeggios, the sound of jazz, soul, funk and blues: Cmaj7, C7 and Cm7, each one a single note away from the next. The last lesson introduces sweep picking, playing a small A minor triad shape with one continuous pick stroke, then moving the idea through Am, Dm and Em.

Every tab exercise plays in the browser with a click and a tempo ladder, so you build control at a slow tempo before chasing speed. Keep the notes separate and your lines will outline the changes clearly.