Bass Guitar Secrets How to Start From Scratch and Quickly and Dramatically Ignite Your Bass Playing Skills...

What we are going to take a look at in this lesson are the most basic forms of major and minor arpeggios. There will be a lesson that covers major and minor arpeggios in a more complete manner, so this is just a starting point for your arpeggio exploration. Arpeggios are important not only for developing your technique, but your ear as well. Arpeggios will be very important as you are learning to create bass lines over chord changes.

One important word to understand in this lesson, and in music overall is root. The root is the primary note that a chord or arpeggio is named after (A is the root of the chords Am, A7, A5, etc.)

Basic Major Arpeggios

The first arpeggio we are going to look at has it's root on the 4th string. So the name of the arpeggio will come from the name of the note that you put your 2nd finger on to start. You are then going to play the notes from the lowest sounding, to the highest and back down. Next to the picture of the arpeggio, you will see an example of the arpeggio in tablature format, and a video to give you an idea of the sound and how it looks when played.

= the root note

There are only 3 different notes in a major or minor arpeggio before the names of the notes start over. So you will notice that there is a root indicated on the 2nd string of a major arpeggio root on the 4th string. When we say that an arpeggio has the root on the 4th string, that does not mean that the 4th string is the only place you will find the root. It only means that the lowest root that particular arpeggio form is on the 4th string. That root will be your guide when playing the arpeggio on different frets.

Of course for these arpeggios to be of any use, you will need to know what the names of the notes on the neck of the bass are. Especially the 3rd and 4th strings to start with.

Root on the 4th string

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Root on the 3rd string

This is the same shape, just move up a set of strings.

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Page 2, Extending the basic major arpeggios