Arpeggios

An arpeggio and a chord are really the same thing. The only difference is that the notes in a chord are usually sounded together whereas the notes in an arpeggio are sounded separately - usually in formula order.

Arpeggio Type Selector

Use this to select a type of arpeggio. All the available arpeggios are divided up into the following musical groups:

• All Arpeggios
• Major Arpeggios
• Minor Arpeggios
• Dominant Arpeggios
• Altered Dominant Arpeggios
• Other Arpeggios

To view the arpeggios available within a group, click on the + sign next to it. The group will then expand. To collapse a group, hiding the chords, click on the - sign.

To select an arpeggio click on it. This will cause the arpeggio information and the fretboard display to change.

Arpeggio Information

Displays detailed information about the currently selected arpeggio.

Arpeggio Name: The root note and most common name used to represent that arpeggio or chord.

Arpeggio Notes (in red): The notes contained within the scale. This changes to reflect the current root note.

Formula: A method of calculating the notes in a musical structure regardless of key. To convert a formula into a set of arpeggio notes, compare each formula element to a major scale that starts on the same root note.

Example: A 7(b9) arpeggio has a formula of: 1, 3, 5, b7, b9. To work out the notes in a C7(b9) chord:-

C major scale: C, D, E, F, G, A, B

Selecting the 1st, 3rd and 5th gives C, E and G.
The 7th is B which when flattened gives Bb.
The 9th does not appear in our scale but when we count up 9 notes from C (counting as 1) we reach the note D which is the same as the 2nd. Therefore the flattened 9th is Db.

C7(b9) = C, E, G, Bb, Db

Postion Selector

GuitarPower can display arpeggio notes over the entire fretboard or can restrict display to a position. (A position refers to where the first finger is placed on the fretboard and all the notes that can be reached by the other fingers.) Example: 2nd position means first finger at the 2nd fret.

In many cases selecting 4 note positions will display all of the arpeggio notes in a position. In some cases selecting 5 note positions may be necessary - this is sometimes called an extended position where either the first or fourth fingers stretches to reach a note outside the normal 4 note position.

Selecting All Positions will display notes over the entire length of the fretboard.

Play

Clicking the 'play' button causes the current arpeggio to be played. Guitar Power can output to your computer's sound card or to a MIDI instrument. For information concerning MIDI setup, click here.

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