Arpeggios — Outline the Chords
An arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time. Over its chord, every arpeggio tone fits—no guessing. That makes arpeggios the best tool for landing on strong notes and for connecting your lines as chords change.
Scales give you color; arpeggios give you harmonic glue. Mix both: run scale passages, then land on chord tones from the arpeggio.
Basic Shapes
C major triad—root, major third, fifth:
X:1
T:C-Major Arpeggio
K:C
L:1/4
"C"C E G c ||
A minor triad—same structure, minor third:
X:2
T:A-Minor Arpeggio
K:Am
L:1/4
A c E a ||
Play each example in Music Buddy. Turn on Tab to find comfortable positions; use Chords to see the triad you are outlining.
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Connecting Across Chord Changes
When the chord changes, don't restart blindly on the new root. Pick the nearest chord tone in the new arpeggio—smooth voice leading.
G major to C major—the line crosses on E (the 3rd of C), not the next note in the G arpeggio:
X:3
T:G to C — Connect on E
K:C
M:4/4
L:1/8
"G"G2 B2 d2 g2 | "C"e2 c2 g2 e2 ||
A full I–IV–V–I in C, one measure per chord:
X:4
T:I-IV-V-I Arpeggio Connections
K:C
M:4/4
L:1/8
"C"C2 E2 G2 c2 | "F"A2 f2 c2 A2 | "G"d2 B2 g2 d2 | "C"e2 c2 g2 e2 ||
Notice how each bar ends near a tone of the next chord. That flow is what listeners hear as melody—not a finger exercise.
The same skill transfers to pentatonic and modal playing: you always know where the chord tones live.
Practice tip: Over any song you know, play only chord tones on each change—no extra scale notes. Add passing tones only after the skeleton sounds musical.
Further viewing
- —shapes over a progression
- (Tomo Fujita)—phrasing with chord tones
The next lesson drills these connections in exercises.
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