THE POWER OF THE ARPEGGIO
In this issue, we’re looking at resolving phrases to major chord tones in the two most commonly used CAGED positions. We’ll start off by mapping out patterns based on the E and A forms of the CAGED system. This has been done so you can see – and more importantly, hear – the notes belonging to the chord, the notes belonging to the pentatonic scale, and all of the notes in the key. Often we learn patterns without really knowing or understanding where the notes that belong to the chord we’re playing over actually are. Learning arpeggios helps us create phrases that sound musical and resolve – it’s like putting a full stop at the end of a sentence.
EXERCISE 1
Firstly, Exercise #1 outlines the C major barre chord in an E major form. The next bar outlines the C major arpeggio in this position. It’s easier to continue this pattern in a diagonal shape rather than going to the eighth fret on the high E string, but we want all of these patterns to work well in an open position. The advantage of memorising the patterns in this way is that we can utilise a capo and easily transpose songs when required. The C major arpeggio shape is very important for us to memorise, as we are outlining the three notes of the C major triad (C E G). These notes are important because they are the resolution notes – if we complete a phrase on these notes, it will sound like the phrase has finished. These notes also work great as starting points, as they belong to the chord we are playing over.
The next bar contains the C major pentatonic pattern. Some guitarists use this shape for most of their soloing ideas, and hopefully you’ll already know some phrases in this box shape so we can build on what you already know. Play through this shape a few times and pay attention to which notes belong to the C major arpeggio. A great exercise is to try and resolve each phrase to a note belonging to the C major chord. The same idea works with the scale pattern in the last bar. The C Ionian mode, or major scale, contains all of the notes that belong to key of C major. There are seven of them, and they are all naturals (no sharps or flats) – and this is unique to the key of C major. It is a great idea to play through Exercise #1 from start to finish on a loop. By doing this, you’re able to see exactly which notes belong to the C major chord, which notes are added to create a pentatonic sound, and which notes are added to complete the major scale sound.
EXERCISE 2
Exercise #2 works in the same way as Exercise #1, however Exercise #2 outlines the A major form of the CAGED system. By mapping out these two forms, we can cover a fair amount of the fretboard, from the twelfth fret down to the third fret. Play through Exercise #2 in the same way you did with the Exercise #1, making sure you can see where the chord tones and pentatonic scale sit underneath all the notes of the C major scale. This will help you tp create musical phrases that resolve and sound like little musical sentences or statements.
EXERCISE 3
Exercise #3 is a simple three-chord progression in the key of C major. Play through the exercise slowly – 60 BPM to start with – so you can get the patterns under your fingers. The idea here is to get used to hearing the notes surrounding each chord in the progression. If you repeat this exercise enough, it should become easier to create phrases in the relevant positions. When we improvise phrases, we want to be able to resolve them to a chord tone over the chord we are playing. We don’t always want to resolve our phrases, but it is important that we can. If possible, record this progression as a loop and play through Exercises #1 and #2 so you can hear the notes of the A minor arpeggio, pentatonic and modal pattern against the different chords. Then play through Exercise #3 as it is written, followed by an improvised phrase using the patterns from Exercises #1 and #2.