The Guitar Player's Resource
Happy international guitar month! This is a continuation from the last lesson, "Sweeping Arpeggio Shapes (You Should Know)". Hopefully, you have those shapes down and you are ready to move on. This lesson we are going to continue right where we left off with the major shapes and then move right to the minor. For this lesson we will be just doing the A shape with the minor. All the other shapes we did for the major work with the minor, you just lower the 3rd. Let's get right to it.
Example 3a is based on our next pattern, the A shape. This one is very common; most of you know this one if you have experimented with arpeggios. The note on the 6th string is not always added. If you add it, this is the full range of the arpeggio.
MP3 - Sweeping Arpeggio Shapes, Example 3a
Example 3b and Example 3c use the same concepts we've used in the previous examples, using 2 and 3 strings and adding pull offs.
MP3 - Sweeping Arpeggio Shapes, Example 3b
MP3 - Sweeping Arpeggio Shapes, Example 3c
Example 3d This is a very common 5th string sweep picking arpeggio shape. The root of this arpeggio is on the 5th string. This one sounds great at high speeds, be sure to go slow first.
MP3 - Sweeping Arpeggio Shapes, Example 3d
Example 4a is an E shape arpeggio, but we will be using it with minor arpeggios off of Gm. This one is very common, notice it outlines the 6th string minor barre chord shape.
MP3 - Sweeping Arpeggio Shapes, Example 4a
Example 4b and Example 4c are the 2 string and 3 string minor shapes, and Example 4d adds the 4th string.
MP3 - Sweeping Arpeggio Shapes, Example 4b
MP3 - Sweeping Arpeggio Shapes, Example 4c
MP3 - Sweeping Arpeggio Shapes, Example 4d
Example 4e is the full 6th string minor sweep picking arpeggio. This shape can be tricky when sweeping, you have to make you roll your first finger so the notes don't run together. Don't forget to roll your first finger with the previous examples that are based on the E shape.
MP3 - Sweeping Arpeggio Shapes, Example 4e
OK, that is it for now! In the next lesson we will cover some more shapes. Visit mikecampese.com for more information.
Mike Campese is an all-around music performer, session artist and teacher competent in many musical styles, electric and acoustic. He has studied at G.I.T. (Honors Graduate), and with Paul Gilbert, Norman Brown, Stanley Jordan, Scott Henderson and Keith Wyatt.
