HOW TO USE ARPEGGIOS IN YOUR SOLOS

 

Arpeggios are one of the most powerful tools in your musical toolbox, especially when soloing.

They have the ability to make your solos sound way more interesting while also making the process of soloing easier. 

So, what are arpeggios, exactly? Let’s break it down.

WHAT IS AN ARPEGGIO?

An arpeggio is simply the notes of a chord played one at a time instead of all at once. Think of it like taking a chord and spreading its notes out across time, rather than strumming or playing them simultaneously.

For example, let’s take a Cmaj7 chord. The notes in a Cmaj7 chord are:

  • C, E, G, and B

If you play these notes one after the other, you’re playing an arpeggio. It's that simple!


WHY USE ARPEGGIOS IN YOUR SOLOS?

Here’s the thing about arpeggios: they make your solos more melodic and interesting because you’re connecting the solo directly to the chord progression.

Instead of randomly hitting notes, arpeggios give your playing structure and direction. It makes playing over each chord in a chord progression way easier. And if you are familiar with chord tone soloing, this will unlock it. 

It makes soloing less about “trial and error” and more about using patterns and theory to guide your fingers and your creativity.

Think of arpeggios like a map to create better solos and navigate the fretboard.

WANT TO LEARN HOW TO MASTER ARPEGGIOS?

I’ve put together a detailed video where I’ll break down everything you need to know about arpeggios. You’ll learn how to:

  • Understand and recognize arpeggio patterns
  • Incorporate arpeggios into your soloing
  • Connect arpeggios to chords and easily improvise 

Watch the video below to watch me go into way more detail on how to use arpeggios!