The Guide To Arpeggios By Adam Ironside

THE GUIDE TO

ARPEGGIOS

BY ADAM IRONSIDE
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The Guide To Arpeggios By Adam Ironside

- FOREWORD

It is important to have at least a decent knowledge of chords and chord formation in

order to use this lesson to your advantage.
Underneath each example you will see the letters i, m, r, and p in combination.

This is the left hand fingering

i stands for index finger

m stands for middle finger
r stands for ring finger
p stands for pinkie (little finger)

Where you see a letter in brackets i.e. (m) this is the sign
to tap the note. In this case you would be using your middle
finger on your right hand to tap the note indicated above.

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- INTRODUCTION

Arpeggios are one of the best devices, in my opinion, when it comes to making music.
Using them correctly can instantly transform a dull or boring solo into something truly
inspirational, beautiful, and most importantly; musical.
Whilst this guide mainly focuses upon using sweep picking to accomplish the arpeggio
shapes presented, it is important to note it is not a guide about the mechanics of sweep
picking. You can find many, many lessons on the right hand technique side of sweeping all
over the internet and in many books. This, instead, is a lesson for primarily the left hand.
The book will show you positions and shapes for many different arpeggio forms and their
inversions.

Now, before we get ahead of our selves too much it is important to learn basic arpeggio
shapes that are the most economic for playing.. I am going to give you a pretty big run-
down of the arpeggios and fingerings I like to use, and then, how to link them to create
the long flowing patterns in the style of the greats such as Jason Becker, and more
recently, Matthew Mills.

Now, without further ado, let me introduce you to the wonderful world of arpeggios.

- WHAT IS AN ARPEGGIO?

An arpeggio is basically the notes of a chord played individually. For example, if you were
to play the notes G, B and then D you would have just played an arpeggio. Which chord do
these three notes belong too? The answer is G Major, therefore you have just played a
G Major arpeggio. It's that simple. People often get tied up trying to decipher what
arpeggios are and use long complex paragraphs to explain them and in the end the reader
is left confused, and still unaware as to what arpeggios actually are.
I have described it in the simplest way I know how to, an arpeggio is just the notes of a
chord played individually.
So does that mean when you strum a chord you are actually strumming an arpeggio? I
guess it does. The only difference between an arpeggio and a chord is that notes of an
arpeggio are played individually whereas the notes of a chord are played all together.
'Chord' is just an easier way of saying 'Strummed Arpeggio‘.

To make sure you have the idea behind arpeggios, try these simple exercises.
I will give you three notes, try to work out which chord they are from. (For now they are
only basic major and minor arpeggios).

a) C - E - G b) A - C - E
c) D - F#- A d) C - E - A

The answers: a) = C Major

b) = A Minor
c) = D Major
d) = A Minor (2nd Inversion)

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Did question d stump you? If so do not worry, I will quickly explain how to get the
answer.

I'm guessing that you managed to work out that question b was A Minor yes? Then when
you came to question d you probably thought to yourself, ‘hang on a minuet what is going
on here? It has the same notes but in a different order‘. By putting the notes in a
different order you have just created an inversion.

For example: A - C - E is the root position of A Minor. Why? Simple, A is the starting
note for the arpeggio.

C - E - A is the first inversion of A Minor. The notes are exactly the same,
the only difference being is you start the arpeggio on the C note (the third), instead of
on the A note (the root).

E - A - C is the second inversion of A Minor. Again the notes are exactly the
same but this time you play the arpeggio starting on the E note (which is the fifth in the
A minor arpeggio). The difference in sound is slight but if used correctly over the
correct chords, these inversions can add whole new 'flavours' to your music.

I hope this successfully explains the basics of arpeggio formation and inversions to you.
If not, try reading through again slowly and you should gradually gain an understanding of
this concept.

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The Guide To Arpeggios By Adam Ironside

- PLAYING ARPEGGIOS ON THE GUITAR

There are, as you can imagine, several ways of playing arpeggios on guitar. This lesson
focuses mainly on sweep picking however it will also touch upon some of the other
techniques involved in playing arpeggios including; tapping, sliding, and alternate picking.

There are many places on a guitar where you can play an arpeggio. Take the notes C, E
and G (a C Major arpeggio) and count how many times you can find each note on the
guitar. As you can see there are quite a few places where the notes C, E and G exist on
the guitar neck. This lesson is going to show you several places on the neck, and across
multiple strings, where arpeggios can be played. Without further ado let’s introduce the
first way to play arpeggios.

- ARPEGGIOS ON ONE STRING (MAJOR)

Let's start off by learning how to play arpeggios on one string. We'll take the high E
string and play the E Major arpeggio.

The E Major arpeggio consists of the notes: E, G# and B.

- E Major Root Position on One String

To play this arpeggio it is best to use either alternate picking or legato techniques.

Okay? Simple I know.

- E Major First Inversion on One String

To play this, unless you have a really good stretch on you, you will need to incorporate
tapping into your playing. I recommend picking the G#, hammering onto the B and then
tapping the E note.

Again pretty simple, but like I said, this is the most basic arpeggio on one string.

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- E Major Second Inversion on One String

Similar to the second inversion, pick the first note, hammer the second and then finally
tap the G# note.

Another simple arpeggio.

Well done, now memorise these shapes and you can play any Major arpeggio on one string.
The shape stays the same, the only thing that differs is the notes you play.
Congratulations, this is the first step to playing arpeggios.

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- ARPEGGIOS ON ONE STRING (MINOR)

Okay so you’ve learnt how to play the major arpeggios on one string, the next step is to
memorise the shapes for minor arpeggios on one string.
This time we’ll use the B string and we’ll learn the E Minor arpeggio (E, G, and B).

- E Minor Root Position on One String

Similar to the last two inversions on the Major arpeggio, this arpeggio is easiest played
by picking the first note, hammering onto the second and finally tapping the B note.

Like the major arpeggio, the minor arpeggio on one string is pretty straightforward and
can be learnt almost instantly.

- E Minor First Inversion on One String

Just as before, use a tapping technique to achieve this arpeggio.

This requires a bit of a wider stretch but you should still be able to achieve it easily.

- E Minor Second Inversion on One String

By now you should probably have worked out this next shape by yourself. Don’t worry if
you haven’t, take a little time to experiment and if you still have no luck I have tabbed it
out for you here.

Again a wide-ish stretch but one that is easily achievable with a little warm up.

Now, memorise these shapes like you have the Major ones and you’ll find you already
know twenty-four arpeggios and three inversions for each! How? Remember that each
shape can be played anywhere on the guitar just use different notes. That means you
know three inversions for the major and minor arpeggios of A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F,
F#. G, G#.

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- ARPEGGIOS ON TWO STRINGS (MAJOR)

But where is the sweep picking? You promised sweep picking! Relax, now I will introduce
you to the wonderful world of sweep picking ☺.

This is not a lesson on the physics of sweep picking, just how to apply it, so if you do not
already know what is involved with sweep picking then I recommend learning as you
cannot really go any further with this lesson until you do. There are hundreds of lessons
available on the net but I particularly recommend Zack Uidl’s ‘Rolling Technique Lesson’
and Roo’s ‘Sweep Picking’ lesson, both available on Shred Academy. These should give you
a good start.

Okay, so now we are going to begin sweep picking, starting first just across two strings.
These are still basic three note arpeggios and all that differs between these and the one
string arpeggios is that we are moving the lowest note down a string so that all the notes
become closer together, enabling sweep picking in case you prefer that over tapping.

The first arpeggio we are going to look at is the C Major arpeggio (C, E, and G).

- C Major Root Position on Two Strings

This is pretty easy and straightforward to alternate pick, however at higher speeds it is
a lot easier to sweep between the C and E notes and then hammer onto the G. However,
personal preference is essential as always.

- C Major First Inversion on Two Strings

The same applies for the second inversion of C Major as the first; picking choice is up to
you but at high speed sweeping and hammering is recommended.

You shouldn’t be experiencing too many problems with these shapes, however if you are
practice slowly and on a clean amp setting so you can check the accuracy of your notes.

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- C Major Second Inversion on Two Strings

The first thing you should notice when looking at this tab is that you are required to play
two different notes with the same finger! This inversion uses a technique called rolling
and this is why I directed you to check out Zack Uidl’s lesson earlier in the chapter.
Rolling is not barring! Do not bar the eight fret in order to play this arpeggio otherwise
you will probably end up with the G and C notes ringing out together instead of
individually. The rolling technique takes a lot of time, effort and hard work to perfect
but is a technique that is absolutely essential to the fluid playing of arpeggios.

Take the arpeggio slowly and build speed from there. Make sure the G and C notes are
not ringing out together.

Again, memorise these shapes and practice them as often as you can using the alternate
picking and sweep picking methods.

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- ARPEGGIOS ON TWO STRINGS (MINOR)

Very similar to the two string major arpeggio patterns are the two string minor patters.
It is essential to learn both so here I will provide you with the three inversions of the
two string minor arpeggio. Like the major arpeggios the only difference between this and
the one string shape is that we move the lowest note of the arpeggio down a string so
that it is higher up on the fret board and closer to the other notes. The arpeggio we are
going to be using is D minor (D, F, and A).

- D Minor Root Position on Two Strings

As you will see the first inversion of the minor shape is very similar to that of the major
shape the only difference being is that the third is lowered a semi-tone (one fret).

Hopefully this arpeggio will not cause you too many problems. Again, and I keep stressing
this, ensure accuracy first, speed second.

- D Minor First Inversion on Two Strings

Inversion two requires more of a stretch between the A and D note. Stick it out and you
should get it down.

- D Minor Second Inversion on Two Strings

Again, like the third inversion of the two string major arpeggio, you will notice the first
two notes, A and D, require the rolling technique to be used. You should have already
checked this out but if not study Zack Uidl’s rolling technique lesson. Remember, rolling
is not barring.

Also, to play the F note I would usually use my pinkie, however it sometimes can be more
comfortable to use your ring finger. It just depends how high up the fret board I am.

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- ARPEGGIOS ON THREE STRINGS (MAJOR)

Now were getting to the fun stuff. This is where you can really start to experiment with
different types of chords and form unusual and exotic sounding arpeggios. For the time
being though we will stick to our tried and trusted major and minor arpeggios.
So, the arpeggios we’ve learnt so far have only three notes? How do we add a fourth?
The answer to that question, at the moment, is, ‘we don’t.’ All we do is we take the first
note of the arpeggio and add it onto the end. For example, a C Major arpeggio will then
become; C, E, G and C again. So lets learn the three string major shapes in the key of B
Major (B, D#, F#).

- B Major Root Position on Three Strings

Now we are starting to get a little more difficult. The sweep motion must now cover
three strings. Not only that but there is a two string roll to worry about and a fair size
stretch.

Bet you wish you took my advice and went and watched the rolling lesson huh? Go and
watch it, they only get worse.

- B Major First Inversion on Three Strings

This is probably my favourite three string major inversion. I like the way the shape rolls
off the fingers, you can get some great speeds with this shape.

When first starting sweep picking this is another shape that is fairly difficult to grasp
due to the roll required between the F# and B notes. Stick at it and you will pick it up
eventually.

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- B Major Second Inversion on Three Strings

This is probably the most common and widely-used inversion for the three string major
arpeggio. It’s the easiest one to play and is seen ubiquitously across the shred music
genre. There’s not a great deal to explain here so just crack on with it.

Okay so now you know the three inversions for the three string major shape. Practice
them, learn them and memorise them so you can play them without thinking, the are the
bread and butter of most arpeggio based shred tracks. When you are familiar with them,
try this next exercise I have made to get you interlinking the shapes and moving around
the neck.

- C Major Three String Arpeggio Exercise

Again aim for accuracy and fluidity of the arpeggios before speed. Connecting them
smoothly is more important than playing them fast.

Keep practicing this idea and practice it in various keys to increase your fret board
knowledge.

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- ARPEGGIOS ON THREE STRINGS (MINOR)

Okay so now you’ve got the major ones down right? If not run through the above chapter
again until the shapes are firmly rooted in your brain. Next up is the three string minor
shapes. These are probably the most common of all arpeggios played on guitar, almost
every ‘shred’ song you hear will feature these types of arpeggios as they are very
versatile and, once practiced, can be played very fast.

We are going to take a look at the A Minor arpeggio (A, C and E).

- A Minor Root Position on Three Strings

This is the first arpeggio we’ve learnt that requires use of all four fingers. Start off
slow as this may prove to be a bit of a finger twister to the newer player.

The stretch from E to A may cause you some grief initially but stick at it.

- A Minor First Inversion on Three Strings

This is difficult. As you can see this arpeggio requires a three string roll on the index
finger. Accuracy is essential here, otherwise you will end up allowing the C, E and A notes
to ring out by barring instead of rolling.

This one will take a lot of time to perfect and isn’t a particular favourite of mine.

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- A Minor Second Inversion on Three Strings

This is the shape which most people find easiest from the three string minor inversions.
It does require all four fingers to be used but in a way that is easy to get to grips with.
Try it out and you’ll see what I mean.

Your fingers seem to automatically fall at those frets and if I hadn’t but the m, r, i, p
markings you would still probably use that fingering.

So, lets get up to date. You should now have knowledge of how to form and how to play
both basic major and minor arpeggios on one string, two strings, and how to extend the
arpeggio to play it on three strings yes? If not then work your way back through the
book up until this point, it’s okay, I’ll wait for you.

When you are up to speed try out this next exercise. Unlike the previous chapter,
instead of linking the three shapes together for you, I am going to give you an example
of how to combine major and minor arpeggios together. The example is in D Major and
for simplicity consists of only the D Major and B Minor triads.

- Combining Three String Major and Minor Arpeggios Exercise

This looks rather daunting, but don’t worry! If you’ve learnt the three string shapes then
you should be able to play this. The only problem should be transitioning smoothly
between the arpeggios, but again, this comes with practice. This is D Major and B Minor.

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- ARPEGGIOS ON FOUR STRINGS (MAJOR)

This is where it starts to get tricky! Not only do we have an extra string to contend with
we also have to add a second note on the fourth string. These are going to take time to
learn but are worth it. They look pretty flash to watch and sound cool.

To play three string arpeggios we added the root note on top of the arpeggio, but what
do we do for four string arpeggios? Well, we add another two notes on top of the
arpeggio so we are now playing six note arpeggios! This is where the fun comes in. Begin
learning these shapes in D Major (D, F#, and A).

- D Major Root Position on Four Strings

Here is the first inversion. What you are doing here is playing the same arpeggio twice
but in different octaves. There are other fingerings and shapes for these arpeggios but
I am only going to show you the ones that I find most comfortable to play. However,
please do experiment with your own fingerings and shapes to see which ones are right for
you.

My preference to play these type of arpeggios is to pick the D note, hammer onto the
F#, sweep between the A, D and F# notes and then finally hammer onto that A at the
top. As ever though experiment with different methods and find which is right for you.

- D Major First Inversion on Four Strings

The second inversion of the major arpeggio on four strings is not the easiest to play. The
three string roll is quite difficult at faster speeds but work at it and don’t let those
notes ring out.

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- D Major Second Inversion on Four Strings

By now you should be getting used to the rolling technique and should be able to pull off
this roll with minimal difficulty. The real problem here is the position shift involved from
moving your index finger from the first A note over to the second A note in time.
Practice this slowly as position shifting is something that’s very important to fluid playing
of arpeggios.

Okay that’s the four string major patterns covered. Next up are the four string minors.

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- ARPEGGIOS ON FOUR STRINGS (MINOR)

Right, the four string minors are not often used by many players because it’s a lot easier
to use the five string shape. However, I feel it’s still important to take just half and
hour of your time or so and get the four string minor shapes down as you never know,
they may prove useful to you.

We’ll learn the following shapes in C# Minor (C#, E and G#).

- C# Minor Root Position on Four Strings

Okay so its not the most difficult shape you have had to learn so far but its still a bit of
a finger twister until you get used to it.

Hey, at least there’s no rolling…

- C# Minor First Inversion on Four Strings

…And the rolling is back. I told you it would be an integral part of arpeggio playing. This
inversion is considerably more difficult that the first. Not only is there a stretch at the
top of the arpeggio there is also the roll to contend with. Keep at it and you should
manage it.

You’ll see how the five string shape for this inversion is actually easier than the four
string shape, but I still think its important you learn both versions.

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- C# Minor Second Inversion on Four Strings

Essentially only a two finger arpeggio, but boy is it difficult. The three string roll, the
large stretch and the position shift may cause you some trouble. This is probably my
least favourite of all arpeggio shapes.

As always these are my recommended fingerings but feel free to experiment and find
which are most economical for you.

- Combining Three and Four String Major and Minor Arpeggios

This sounds a lot more complex than it is. Take a look but don’t let it frighten you it isn’t
as hard as it appears if you’ve learnt the three and four string shapes. This is in A Major
and F# Minor.

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- ARPEGGIOS ON FIVE STRINGS (MAJOR)

Ah the trusted five string arpeggio. Probably the most commonly used form throughout
guitar music is the five string arpeggio shapes. Once learnt they can be played at
lightning speeds as demonstrated by guitarist such as Matthew Mills. (You did check him
out didn’t you)?
There is a lot of rolling to contend with and some tricks fingerings and stretches. We
are also adding another note to the mix so we now are playing seven note arpeggios.
Needless to say you’ll hate them until you can play them, then when you can, you won’t
stop playing them!

Let’s take the G Major Arpeggio (G, B, and D).

- G Major Root Position on Five Strings

Despite the tricky roll on the ring finger this is one of my favourite arpeggios and
probably my favourite major arpeggio shape. It has two fairly nasty stretches and a
three string roll but you’ll see it seems to fit under your fingers perfectly.

If you can’t manage the roll with your ring finger try using your middle finger. I
personally find it harder but it’s which ever way is most economic to you.

- G Major First Inversion on Five Strings

The difficult thing about this inversion is there are now two rolls to worry about. They
are only small though and by now you should be pretty competent at it.

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- G Major Second Inversion on Five Strings

The main problem causer here is that big stretch at the start of the arpeggio. Nail this
and the rest of the arpeggio should follow rather smoothly.

The shift from the first D note to the second with your index finger may cause some
problems initially but you should pick it up fairly easily.

- Interlinking The Five String Major Shapes

This is a tough exercise to begin with as it involves sliding which we haven’t covered yet
in arpeggios as well as some quick, tricky position shifts. Stick with it though and you’ll
love this little lick once you get it down.

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- ARPEGGIOS ON FIVE STRINGS (MINOR)

Now the five string minor shapes. Personally find these shapes more difficult that the
majors as there are often wider stretches and more finger twisting to be had. Like
everything though, practice makes perfect.

We’ll study these shapes in E Minor (E, G and B).

- E Minor Root Position on Five Strings

This arpeggios is a fairly difficult one especially when played lower down the neck like
here as it has a big stretch and a fairly awkward ring finger roll.

Ascend chromatically using this arpeggios and you get that typical 80’s metal solo type
sound. I guarantee you will play this arpeggio over and over again when you get the hang
of it.

- E Minor First Inversion on Five Strings

This is one of the harder arpeggios shapes you’ll have to learn. The double roll make this
shape a real hard nut to crack.

There’s not a lot of advice I can give you on this arpeggio, just practice, practice,
practice.

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- E Minor Second Inversion on Five Strings

Finally, a shape that requires no rolling.

- Sequencing Arpeggios Exercise

This exercise will take you through some of the shapes and patterns we have learnt so
far. Unlike the other exercises that have been just major and minor this one will take
you through several of the chords of D Major rather than just the D Major and B Minor
chords.
This lesson will also start you off playing arpeggios in different time signatures.

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- ARPEGGIOS ON SIX STRINGS (MAJOR)

This is where the huge Jason Becker and Matthew Mills style arpeggios come into play.
For now I will just show you the three basic inversions again and then later we can
extend them and add and remove notes. For now though learn these shapes in Bb Major
(Bb, D, and F).

- Bb Major Root Position on Six Strings

The double roll makes this arpeggios difficult, but trust me, its easier than it looks, its
not as hard as some of the others you have learnt this far.

-Bb Major First Inversion on Six Strings

This inversion is easier than the first and the only real difficulty here is coming to terms
with that roll on the pinkie, it can be very tricky to nail it at speed.

- Bb Major Second Inversion on Six Strings

You are about to find out why this is one of the most uncommon shapes of the six string
major arpeggio to play. It’s very difficult to play. You have a huge stretch and a three
string roll to worry about. Nonetheless I think it is important to learn it, you never know
you might be able to play it easy?

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- ARPEGGIOS ON SIX STRINGS (MINOR)

How did you cope with that third inversion? It’s hard isn’t it? The minors aren’t a great
deal easier I’m afraid. Let’s try these in A Minor (A, C and E).

- A Minor Root Position on Six Strings

I hate it, and you probably will too. This one is very difficult and I personally rarely use
it but there is the odd time when you just have to so it’s worth learning. Go really slow as
those rolls have a tendency to either be muffled or ring out, they’re hardly ever perfect.

- A Minor First Inversion on Six Strings

Another difficult shape to get to grips with, a bit of a finger twister too.

- A Minor Second Inversion on Six Strings

(The note in brackets is where we have moved the A note from, otherwise you’d need an
extra finger!)
This arpeggio isn’t too bad. The initial roll is a bit of a pain but after that it is
straightforward.

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- Putting These Arpeggios To Use

Here is a nice Jason Becker-esque pattern in G Major. It is difficult to play at first but
with a little effort it is achievable. Grace and finesse is key here not speed, these
arpeggios sound better played at a tempo of around one-hundred and forty bpm than at
lightning speeds.
The pattern goes through a G, D, Em, C, G, D, Bm, C progression.

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- EXTENDED ARPEGGIO FORMS

This section is going to show you some more complex and unusual arpeggio shapes. By
adding and removing notes we can obtain some really sweet sounds, and some horrible
sounds if that‘s what you fancy. I am only going to show you the first inversion for each
of these arpeggios and it’ll be up to you to work out the other inversions if you require
them, which you will.

- THE SEVENS
Some of my personal favourite arpeggios are the sevens, (minor, major and dominant) and
these are fairly simple to play if you have already learnt the major and minor shapes.

- G Major Seven
The major seventh arpeggio is made simply by adding a major seventh note into the mix.
In G major this note is F#. This means the notes of the arpeggio are now G, B, D and F#.
Our first four note arpeggio.

The extra notes and the tapping may cause difficulty at first, but its worth it for the
sweet smooth sound you get from this arpeggio.

- G Minor Seven
In similar fashion to the major seventh arpeggio the minor seventh arpeggio is made by
adding a minor seventh note the a minor arpeggio. In G Minor this note is F. So the
arpeggio is now G, A#, D and F.

Like the major seventh arpeggio this may cause some difficulty at first but I find it
easier than the major and dominant shapes.

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- G Dominant Seven
The dominant seventh arpeggio is formed by adding a dominant seventh to the major
arpeggio. This is essentially playing a major arpeggio but with a minor seventh in it. So
the arpeggio will become G, B, D, and F. It has a unique and bluesy/jazzy sound to it.

Easier than the major but perhaps more difficult than the minor in my opinion. Play this
over a dominant seventh chord and you will see its unusual charm.

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- THE NINES

Now its getting crazy! Here we will be playing major, minor and dominant ninth arpeggios
which have five notes! Yes five. They have a great sound to them and the major ninth is
one of my favourite arpeggios overall.

- C Major Ninth
The major ninth arpeggio is formed by taking the major seventh arpeggio and adding to it
a major ninth. In C Major this would be C, E, G, B, and D.

Struggling yet? I am. A pretty tricky arpeggio to pull off, however it is so rewarding
when you do, it sounds super smooth and has a great melodic sound to it. If it gives you
too much grief a common thing to do is drop a few of the recurring notes. For example
you could play the arpeggio C, E, G, D, E, G, B, C. It still has all five of the notes required
to be a major ninth arpeggio but is what I call the ‘bare bones’ of an arpeggio. Just
enough notes to make the arpeggio but not enough to fill it out if you know what I mean?
It still sounds cool and is considerably easier to play but just lacks the fluidity and feel
that the full arpeggio can bring.

- C Minor Ninth
In similar fashion to the major ninth arpeggio all we need to do here is add a minor ninth
to a pre-existing minor seventh arpeggio. So the notes this time round will be C, Eb, G,
Bb, D.

Again, this is a fairly difficult arpeggio to pull off but it is definitely worth your time.
Similar to the major you could try reducing the occurrence of the notes to make it
easier to play, for example try playing; C, Eb, G, Bb, D, Eb, G, Bb, C.

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The Guide To Arpeggios By Adam Ironside

- C Dominant Ninth
For the dominant ninth we just need to add a major ninth note to the pre-existing
dominant seventh arpeggio. This would mean C, E, G, Bb, D.

Not quite as pleasing on the ear as the other ninth arpeggios but still can be of use to
you so it’s worth learning.

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The Guide To Arpeggios By Adam Ironside

- SUSPENDED ARPEGGIOS

Suspended chords are three note chords played without the third. In place of the third
we add the second or fourth. These then became Sus2 and Sus4 respectively. They have
a unique and unusual sound. Great for melodic arpeggio lines.

- Sus2
I will show you these suspended arpeggios in A Major. Remember to take out the third
and add a second so that instead of reading A, C#, E the formula reads A, B, E.

Nice sound eh? Hopefully this arpeggio doesn’t cause you too much difficulty and we can
move on to Sus4 arpeggios.

- Sus4
Similar to the Sus2 arpeggio we remove the third but this time add a fourth in place of
the second. This means the notes become as follows A, D, E.

A little harder than the Sus2 due to the bigger stretch but again it shouldn’t cause you
too much difficulty.

There are of course many, many more arpeggios but these are the ones you are most
likely to use and to be confronted with (unless you intend to study classical and jazz
where arpeggios such as maj13#11 and other such complicated chords come into play).
I hope you enjoy the next section which will give you some cool licks in the style of some
of my favourite artists.

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The Guide To Arpeggios By Adam Ironside

- PLAYING IN THE STYLE OF

This section gives you a few cool licks in the styles of some of my favourite players which
implement arpeggios.

- Yngwie Malmsteen
This example shows the diminished arpeggio which we have not yet learnt. However it is
really simple and is formed by taking a major chord and flattening the third and the
fifth. It gives a harsh, unbalanced sound but when used well can fit the music perfectly.
Yngwie’s music is a good example of this.
The lick starts off with a diminished arpeggio run and then into an A Harmonic Minor
trademark Yngwie lick.

- George Bellas
Here is a difficult but interesting and melodic George Bellas type arpeggio sequence in a
6/4 time signature. It is in D Major and is based on ninth arpeggios flowing from D Major
nine to E Minor nine.

- Jason Becker
This is what you’ve worked for, the ability to play complex arpeggio lines such as this one
inspired by Jason Becker, the king of the arpeggio.
It is in D Major and flows through several arpeggios including; D Major, A Dominant 7, A
Major, G Major 7 and B Minor. Good luck and enjoy!

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The Guide To Arpeggios By Adam Ironside

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The Guide To Arpeggios By Adam Ironside

- AFTERWORD
As I mentioned earlier this guide is in no way a complete break down of every arpeggio as
there are literally hundreds of more chords and chord inversions that you can choose
from. This book was to get you started with the basic shapes and to hopefully provide a
good beginning guide to the wonderful world of arpeggios. Until next time, see you around
the Shred Academy!

- Adam Ironside

**
I would like to thank Ben (the owner of Shred Academy) for making this book a reality
and also a huge thanks goes out to Justin Armstrong for proof-reading the book for
theoretical and grammatical errors. Thanks Justin!
**

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