In this lesson we’re going to look at arpeggios within a scale and an exercise that will be sure to twist your fingers and your mind.
Arpeggios From A Scale
What do I mean by the arpeggios within a key? In any key or scale for that matter we can build arpeggios from each note. An arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time and the basic chords like triads or seventh chords are built by stacking thirds. To find out more about chord construction and this stacking of thirds check out these lessons:
In building arpeggios within a scale, because they’re built from these stacked thirds, it’s easy to think of them with a simple method of
- Play a Note
- Miss a Note
- Play a Note
- Miss a Note
- Play a Note
Let’s take the C major scale as an example. C major contains the following notes:
C D E F G A B
If we use our method of play a note, miss a note we can build a triad from the C as follows:
Play the C, miss the D, play the E, miss the F, play the G.
This gives us the notes C, E, G. This is the C major triad. So chord number 1 in the C major scale is the C major triad.
We can perform this method on each scale degree giving us the following sequence of chords:
- Chord #1: C Major
- Chord #2: D Minor
- Chord #3: E Minor
- Chord #4: F Major
- Chord #5: G Major
- Chord #6: A Minor
- Chord #7: B Diminished
We can label chord progressions using these numbers. A 1625 progression in C Major would be as follows:
C Major – A Minor – D Minor – G Major
We can apply the same method of creating triads to seventh chords and any other chords by just adding notes from that major scale palette.
We can also apply the same method to any scale. The natural minor scale would give us a diatonic set of chords for the minor key. We could also create arpeggios in modes like the Dorian, Mixolydian, Phrygian scale etc. Any scale can act as a palette for creating chords.
Exercises
We can play through these arpeggios in a single position to create a variety of exercises.
Hey Mark, been taking your online course now for over a year, really enjoying it a lot! have I improved…. I would say yes, but still need a lot of work to do. just want to say thanks and look forward to more vids cheers from Queens ny.
Michael
How do I find the sheet music?
Hi Mark, in one page you have explained something 20 minute video elsewhere wrapped in confusion.
Amazing. Once the chord intervals are sorted you can use them in any key mode etc. Incalculable value to this exercise.