Simple Arpeggio Playing Over Open Chords
Arpeggios often cause a lot of confusion because I think most people believe they can’t be that simple. In reality, an arpeggio is nothing more than breaking the notes of a chord up and playing them one at a time instead of all together (and as my kids like to tell me, Arpeggio was NOT Pinocchio’s father.)
So in this example taken from a common lesson I do with my private students, you’ll get to practice your right hand picking while your left hand really doesn’t do anything but hold a chord shape.
This is a great way to get a nice sound without a lot of work. It’s common in many different styles of music. Hope you like it.
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The TAB for the example.This is the TAB for the example in the middle of the video
A great lesson as always, Griff. Thank you. I know you’re in a studio, but your patience seems to come through as though you were one on one with a student. Much appreciated.
Hi Griff, This is a very popular pattern with 12 String acoustic players. It is even more effective if you can take it one step further and use finger-picking techniques, rather than with a flat pick. A great number of early blues guitarists used arpeggio picking, and finger picking to give a much fuller sound to their work, especially 12String and resonator guitar players, who were struggling to be heard, before the electric guitar came along. This style of picking added such a fuller sound, and gave the blues guitarists another tool for creating a new level of expression to their playing, which was used by artists such as John Lennon, and Jimi Hendrix throughout their careers, and continues to inspire people to this day! Thank you for sharing this information Griff, it is a very valuable technique, and can add so much versatility to every players musical vocabulary!! Lary
Really helpful. Explained thoroughly but simply. Always learn something practical and usually fun!!(SRV lessons make me cry)
Thanks
Hey Griff, seen this lesson back in Sept 2015 and is always a great refresher. I’m learnig a Buddy Holly song called That’ll Be The Day and just before the Solo he plays the E7, E& B strings up as well as the A sus strings….all good thanks.
Michael-Sydney-Australia 16 Sept 2018.
I have seen arpegios described as liquid chords. Enjoyed the video.
Thank you GRIF…what a wonderful thing to do in getting back to my music and guitar during this quit time in our lives!
And the bonus is it’s easily memorized!
Are there some good songs that That are in this configuration with slight modifications and easily memorized? Many THANKS!
DrO
Thank you
Griff
Thanks. You usually have a brief discussion regarding theory. Would you please add from a music theory point of view how you chose these particular chords. With this knowledge, we can try this out using different keys. Thanks.
Great lesson Griff. Liked that you explained exactly where to put your fingers. Sometimes it’s unclear what strings your fingers are on. Thanks
Thank You Griff !!!
Sounds like it should be complicated, but after you explain it, it’s so simple.
Love this. Best part of this for me is that it forces you to have clean fingering on the chords. Thanks!
Very cool. I can already see a song writing itself. I’ll have to get away from my natural “barnyard G” (never heard that before) for this one, but nothing like a challenge.
Thanks!
luv ur stuff….hate the expression….”win win” lol
when playing the f cord would you start on the fifth string or fourth?
Almost invariably start on the root
Best lesson yet. Simple but very nice sound we can all play. And a great practice piece. Thank you…
Thanks Griff!
arpeggios always seemed complicated to me, but you peeled apart to make it simple for a bonehead like me. I´m hearing Nazareth´s `Love Hurts` mmh….
thanks again!
Thanks Griff something nice to occupy my time love your work.
This was a great lesson.been taking lessons for a long time and this was never brought up.thank you for your kindness and lessons
Griff, great video as always. Love these lessons. May I suggest that when you are demonstrating something that is above a beginner level, that you dispense with explaining how to play a simple chord. If people do not know how to play a G or D chord, then this will be beyond them
Thanks again Griff, you are very generous in the way you so feely share your talent. I enjoy your many emails. Some I just watch and enjoy, others I try to learn and improve my playing.
This is another great lesson! I will add this to my practice sessions for figuring and timing and especially for up and down picking. At 80 years old my hands and figures aren’t as flexible as they were when I started playing as a teenager!
“ Well I followed her to the station
With a suitcase in my hand
Yeah, I followed her to the station
With a suitcase in my hand
Whoa, it’s hard to tell, it’s hard to tell
When all your love’s in vain…”
Great lesson Griff!
Thanks so much Grifff! You are the BEST of every one! If I can learn, every one CAN! You make it so untderstandabe for every one!!!! Thanns again. I enjoyed and I willl ever loved your lessons!!!!
Nobody mentioned House of the Rising Sun. One of the first songs I ever learned back when it was The Animals big hit, and I played the arpeggios because you absolutely have to to make it sound right. Good lesson.
Fun lesson Griff. I don’t work on arpeggios nearly as much as I should and when I do it sounds too mechanical. I like the picking patterns you suggested.
Interestingly, I’ve always done Sweet Home Alabama with the first chord sequence (in reverse order, obviously) and never knew I was playing a Cadd9!
griff i play Simple Man, Knocking on Heavens Door, Love Hurts by Nazareth, House of the Rising Sun. It easier for me than chord progression.
Derrick and the Dominoes song She’s Gone
That is a nice sound
Bryan you are right. That was beautiful. Downloaded the music. Will learn it
Yes agreed with all positive comments. Great lesson
I understood this one! Thanks, something I can play with.
Cool.
I just treated myself to an acoustic Fender and want to get more into arpeggio then this falls into my lap.
Great lesson which I’m going to get right into. You can do similar to this with G7, C and F playing 6,5,4,3,4,5 then 5,4,3,2,3,4 then 4,3,2,1,2,3. After that do a similar style you were using on your D chord.
thanks..
Very cool… when you played it through I heard it as a backing track and I was playing with it! Now I know what arpeggios are! Thanks!
Nice teaching style
That Suhr Strat is your best sounding “clean” guitar by far!