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Arpeggio Fragments II
by Denis Taaffe
Welcome to another edition of “Practice Up.” I am pleased to announce that I finally reached a goal of mine – I just completed and released my 100th full length album, entitled Modern Rock Guitar Vol.100 – Natural Textures. You can hear audio samples of each track at my website, dtguitar.com. While recording the album, I used a lot of arpeggio fragments and connected them into phrases.
Last month, we looked at many six-note A7 arpeggio fragments. Rather than using an entire arpeggio, I found that by using just a small part of it, I could create more melodic sounding and longer sequences to insert into my solos. This month, we will add a D7 arpeggio to our A7 arpeggio fragments, again using six-note fragments. Let’s take a look.
Example 1) The next three examples use the A7 six-note arpeggio fragments from example 1 of last month’s column. The first six notes are from the A7 arpeggio, and the following six notes are from the D7 six-note arpeggio fragments.
Example 2) Again, the first six notes are an A7 arpeggio and the next six are a D7 arpeggio.
Example 3) If you take the time to really explore the fretboard, you will find that there many fingering possibilities. Once again, the first six notes are an A7 arpeggio and the next six are a D7 arpeggio.
Example 4) The next three examples use the A7 arpeggio fragments from example 2 in last month’s lesson. The first six notes are an A7 arpeggio and the next six are a D7 arpeggio we are adding:
Example 5) Here is another example of exploring alternate fingerings. The first six notes are an A7 arpeggio and the next 6 are a D7 arpeggio we are adding:
Example 6) This example illustrates yet another way you can approach these arpeggios. As is the same from the last examples, the first six notes are an A7 arpeggio and the next 6 are a D7 arpeggio:
Example 7) We will now be taking six-note A7 arpeggio fragments from example 3 of last month’s column and, as you’ve most likely guessed, adding our six-note D7 arpeggio fragment as follows:
Example 8) Learning these various shapes and fragments will help you expand your fretboard horizon. Again, the first six notes are an A7 arpeggio and the next six are the D7 arpeggio we are adding:
Taking simple six-note fragments from the A7 arpeggio and adding other six-note D7 arpeggio fragments can create some really melodic phrases. There is no better way to learn these arpeggio shapes than by playing with their various forms – you’ll definitely want to try these both descending and ascending. Play through them in different orders. Experiment with fragments in different keys.
I’ve always found these A7 to D7 arpeggio fragments to be useful. Working them into your solos always yields cool results, and can really spice stuff up. I am always surprised at how it is easy to build really long, flowing passages using this method. For next month’s column, we will cover the rest of the A7 fragments in last month’s lesson. See you next time!
Dennis Taaffe
Denis Taaffe uses improvisation, regular guitar and guitar loops done on the fly to create his own unique style. He has released 100 independent CDs, 8 of which have been considered for Grammy Awards. He also has endorsements with Kradl picks, Seymour Duncan Pickups, Ernie Ball/musicman strings, Parker guitars & Boomerang Pedalboards. dtguitar.com
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