Arpeggios

An arpeggio is a musical technique where you play the notes of a chord individually and sequentially rather than strumming them all at once. Often referred to as "broken chords," arpeggios bridge the gap between rhythm and lead playing. On the guitar, they allow you to outline the harmony of a song note-by-note, creating a melodic flow that sounds fluid and targeted.

Guitarists utilize different techniques to execute arpeggios depending on the musical style. Jazz and blues players frequently use alternate picking to navigate precise, articulate arpeggio shapes across the neck for improvisation. In contrast, rock and metal guitarists often employ "sweep picking," a technique where the pick moves continuously across adjacent strings in a single motion to achieve blazing fast speeds.