Arpeggios
An arpeggio is simply a chord played one note at a time. Because every note belongs to the chord, arpeggios let you solo melodically while spelling out the harmony underneath — the bridge between rhythm playing and lead guitar.
Chord vs. Arpeggio
A chord sounds all its notes together; an arpeggio (Italian for "broken") sounds the same notes in sequence. Same raw material — root, 3rd, 5th, sometimes a 7th — but spread out in time. That makes arpeggios perfect for outlining changes in a solo, writing fingerstyle parts, and connecting chord shapes across the neck. Hear the difference below: play the block chord, then arpeggiate it.
Arpeggio Explorer
Root note
Arpeggio type
Every chord tone in this position. R = root. Play them one at a time — that's the arpeggio.
Dark and emotive — the workhorse of rock and metal lead playing.
Compare the block chord with the arpeggio — same notes, different feel.
Arpeggio Formulas
| Type | Degrees | Notes (A) |
|---|---|---|
| Major (maj) | 1 – 3 – 5 | A – C# – E |
| Minor m | 1 – ♭3 – 5 | A – C – E |
| Major 7th maj7 | 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 | A – C# – E – G# |
| Minor 7th m7 | 1 – ♭3 – 5 – ♭7 | A – C – E – G |
| Dominant 7th 7 | 1 – 3 – 5 – ♭7 | A – C# – E – G |
Click any row to load that arpeggio above.
Putting Arpeggios to Work
Land on a chord tone over each chord in a progression and your solo will always sound "right" — arpeggios show you exactly where those notes are.
One note per string lets the pick "sweep" through the shape in a single motion — the technical heart of neoclassical and metal lead playing.
Rolling through a chord one string at a time is the basis of countless fingerpicking patterns, from folk to classical to pop ballads.
See the full shapes
Explore every chord voicing in the Chord Visualizer, or map the scales these arpeggios live inside with the Scale Visualizer.