Guitar Arpeggio Lessons - Major Arpeggios, Minor Arpeggios

Arpeggios for guitar are notes from a chord played one note at a time, usually up or down in order. Unlike scales that contain some extra notes, arpeggios use only the notes found in a single chord.

Arpeggios can be used in solos or riffs and create a more harmonized sound when played with their corresponding chord.

Arpeggios use the same notes from a chord, so here's a review of how chords are made. The most basic chord forms are referred to as triads. A triad consists of 3 notes from a scale: the first note or root note, the third note, and the fifth note of the scale. Minor triads use the flat third note of the scale.

These same three notes are used and repeated throughout the fretboard when playing an arpeggio. Some arpeggios use more than 3 notes, if the corresponding chord uses more than the 1st, 3rd and 5th note of the scale. For instance a dominant 7th arpeggio.

Below are links to Arpeggio charts showing the specific notes and patterns used in each arpeggio.

Major Arpeggios







Minor Arpeggios







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