Happy Holidays! In this lesson I will be showing you ways to practice your triad arpeggios and apply them to your writing and playing. It’s very important to know your basic triads, as they are the foundation for which all other chords are built from. A triad arpeggio is a three-note chord where the notes are played separately. There are four main triads you have to know: major (Root–3rd–5th), minor (Root–flat 3rd–5th), diminished (Root–flat 3rd–flat 5th), and augmented (Root–3rd–#5th).
Figure 1 is a harmonized major scale in the key of A major (A–B–C#–D–E–F#–G#), played with triad arpeggios. Each arpeggio is played on two strings. You should also memorize the pattern of the chord qualities (major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, diminished). This pattern is the same for all major keys. In the key of A, the chords will be, (A–Bm–C#m–D–E–F#m–G# diminished). All the examples I will be showing you are based from this. You can use the sweep picking or the alternate picking technique to play these arpeggios.
Download example audio...
You can create three-octave arpeggios if you move the same arpeggio shape up the neck off the root notes. In Figure 2 I have an A major arpeggio, a B minor arpeggio, and a C# minor arpeggio moving up the neck. Be sure to continue up the neck with the other arpeggios. It will make it a lot easier to play if you use the same fingerings. Download example audio...
In Figure 3 we are staying in one position and playing all the arpeggios up the neck. Be sure to play this backwards as well, and all over the neck. Download example audio...
Figure 4 is the same idea as the previous example, but these are up and down triads. The first triad ascends and then the second one descends, repeating this movement up the scale. This is a good workout for both hands. Download example audio...
Ok, that is it! Be sure to make up your own triad arpeggio ideas and visit mikecampese.com for more info.
