Arpeggios

An arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time. Arpeggios let you "outline" the harmony in a solo: when you land on chord tones, your lines sound strong and intentional.

Arpeggios vs. chords

When you strum Am, all notes sound together. When you play A – C – E one after another, it's an A minor arpeggio. In fingerstyle playing, arpeggiated chords are everywhere — like the classic "picking" accompaniment of ballads.

e|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
B|-----1---1---1---1---1---1---1---1-|
G|---2-------2-------2-------2-------|
D|-------------------------------------|
A|-0-------0-------0-------0---------|
E|-------------------------------------|

Triad arpeggio shapes

Here are A minor and A major arpeggios around the 5th fret, using the chord tones only:

The only difference is the third: ♭3 for minor, 3 for major — just like the chords.

Seventh arpeggios

Add the 7th for jazzier, more melodic lines:

Sweep picking

Sweep picking plays arpeggios across strings with a single, continuous pick motion — like a slow strum where each note sounds separately. It's a hallmark of neoclassical and technical metal.

e|-----12-17-12--------|
B|---13----------13----|
G|-14--------------14--|

• Down-down-down on the way up, up-up-up on the way down.
• Lift each finger right after its note so notes don't ring together ("rolling" is the key).
• Start very slowly. Sweeping sounds terrible when sloppy and amazing when clean.

Using arpeggios over changes

Follow the chords: play the notes of each chord while it sounds. Here's a simple line over Am – F – C – G that only uses chord tones:

e|-------5-------1------------------|
B|-----5-------1---------1----------|
G|---5-------2---------0---------0--|
D|-7-------3---------2---------0----|
A|-----------------3---------2------|
E|-------------------------3--------|