Guitar Arpeggio Exercises

Name ________________ Date __________

Play each arpeggio shape ascending and descending: major and minor triads, then maj7, 7, m7 and m7b5. Let each note sound separately; don't let notes ring together like a chord. Name the chord tone (1, 3, 5, 7) as you play, and follow the tempo plan with a metronome.

Goal

Learn the chord tones of the most common chords on the neck, so you can outline harmony in solos and connect scales with chords.

C major arpeggio (root on the 6th string)

A m7 chord tones around fret 5

How to practise

One shape per day. Play it slowly, saying the degrees.
Use alternate picking first; later try sweep or economy picking on the triad shapes.
Metronome at 60 BPM, eighth notes. Increase by 5 BPM after clean repetitions.
Mute each note as you move to the next string; arpeggios should not sound like a strummed chord.
Apply them: over a ii–V–I in the progression player, play the arpeggio of each chord as it comes.

Self-check

Can you start the arpeggio from the 3rd or 5th instead of the root? Can you find the same chord in another position? Use the scale explorer to check.

Next steps

Read seventh chords and the CAGED system, and combine with string skipping.

Guitar Arpeggio Exercises