Lear to Play Arpeggios
In this article, we're going to
start things off with a bang by getting
your chops in shape with a new practice
regimen involving arpeggios that is
exclusive to Guitar Tips.
It all starts when you
pick up the guitar.
How often have we sat with our
guitar while listening in awe to our
favourite guitarists wondering how they
became so good? Chances are we've all
done it once or twice (OK, that's the
understatement of the century). The key
to their success is easily obtainable
when we take a look at how they practice
and what they use to stay in shape. Not
unlike an athlete, musicians need to put
in their training time as
well.
In the words of John Pertrucci
(lead guitarists for Dream Theatre), "As
you embark on your practice regimen,
there will be times when you hit the
wall. It will feel like you're stuck--
you know, the frustrating sense that no
matter how long you practiced something,
you just can't seem to master it." The
key to getting out of this rut that John
talks about is having a practice routine
that covers all of the necessities. This
requires a tool box or
"System".
The system is quite simple and
is known by the term PACS (pronounced
packs), which stands for "practice
arpeggios, chords, and scales." It's a
system I have developed for you to keep
these essentials in mind. I have found
that in the past, some of my students
felt as if they had run out of material
to practice with and as a result they
became discouraged. This has held true
with many of our subscribers who have
emailed us asking for something new and
exciting to practice with.
With PACS, there is always new
material available and starting now you
can find it right here!
Step
#1
The first step is setting aside
a practice time each day and preferably
in a place without distractions. If you
don't practice your fingers will become
lazy and you will find that your speed
and dexterity will decrease. This wastes
time that you could be spending on
learning new material and even if you can
only spare 15 minutes a day you will
notice a difference within a week. It is
critical that you set up a time each day
and try to include at least five minutes
each for arpeggios,chords and
scales.
Lets make something clear,
practice doesn't make perfect. It makes
the knowledge acquired permanent. Don't
practice the same stuff over and over, it
gets boring. Dive into new aspects of the
PACS system and become more knowledgeable
on various topics. You won't be
disappointed. In our upcoming editions we
will show you how your favorite
guitarists implement this into their
playing and how you can too!
Step #2
All of the great lead and rhythm
guitarists know their arpeggios and they
use them. If you are playing hot leads,
you'll find the right notes close by and
in the correct key. Also, when playing
rhythm guitar, you'll glide through the
progression, giving the song a flavor of
it's own, not to mention the unlimited
number of picking
combinations.
Arpeggios by definition are
individual notes of a chord played one
after the other in a "harp" like effect.
Sometimes you add a few notes to a chord
to complete the arpeggio(depending on the
chord) or use different fingerings but
for the most part you can use a standard
chord shape and pick out the notes of the
arpeggio. Take a look at this A Major
arpeggio:
A Major Arpeggio:
...See the resemblance to the
chord? Every aspect of PACS is
intertwined and dependant on one another.
Here are some more examples of arpeggios,
along with the chord for
reference.
G Major Arpeggio:
G# Major Arpeggio:
B Major Arpeggio:
--These arpeggios all
follow the same fingering but are just
moved up or down on the
fretboard.
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