How to Play Major Arpeggios in Five Positions

How to play major arpeggios in Five Positions

What are the five positions to play major arpeggios? We will begin with how to build the major triad.

Learn the Twelve Major Scales

If you learn all twelve keys, building the major triad is easy. Starting with the key of C, no sharps or flats.

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, spells the C major scale. It has no flats or sharps and can be played on a keyboard starting just below the set of two black keys. Playing just to the lower left and going to the next set of the two black keys.

If you play every other note starting with C, you get E and G. The C is the root or 1. E is the third, and G is the fifth.

You do not have to alter any of the notes, the formula is 1, 3, 5. Unlike the minor triad which has a formula of 1, b3, 5. In this case playing a minor triad would equal C, Eb, and G. The only note affected by this is the third note E, which gets lowered a half step. On guitar, this is just one fret from any note you play. Go up or down one fret and you have played a half step.

The major arpeggio we will start with is easily played from the A minor pentatonic scale you may already know, which I will link to.

You could also alter the minor arpeggio from my previous article. You would change the A minor arpeggio into an A major arpeggio by raising the lowered third (C) to C#, one fret higher. Which equals A, C#, E.

Back to A minor pentatonic scale. Instead of starting on the A note, begin on the next note in the scale which is C. The C major arpeggio is easily inside the A minor pentatonic scale which I will show you.

Pattern One

Use the pinky finger on C. Third finger for E. Use the first finger for G, C, and E at the fifth fret. Last use pinky finger again for G and C on the second and first strings.

Pattern Two

Begin on C using your second finger. Go onto E using index and G using your pinky. Over to the fourth string, C. Use the third finger for E on the third string. Finish with the second finger for G and C notes.

Pattern Three

This pattern starts on the third (E). Use your third finger for E. Index for the next two notes G and C. For the E note, you could play this note on the third string E, but you can reach up to the next pattern and play the E on the fourteenth fret. I use the second finger for the G on the third string, leading to C with my third finger and ending on the E with the second finger.

Pattern Four

This pattern 4 starts on the E note also. Use index to pinky for notes E and G. Onto C with pinky to third finger E. Index finger for G, onto the second finger for C. Use the first finger again for E and fourth finger for G.

Pattern Five

Starting on the third (G), use the second finger on the sixth string and fifth string C note. This lines up to use first finger for E and onto the pinky for G. Continue with the pinky for C and E on the fifth fret notes. Finish with G using the second finger.

Considerations

The fingering is optional, experiment and see what works for you.

Major Seventh Arpeggios

Just like adding a seventh to the minor arpeggios, you can add a seventh note here to make this arpeggio a C major seventh arpeggio.

Our notes C, E, and G stay and we need to add a major seventh which would be the note B. After the G, skip A and play the B note. This note is a half step (one fret) below any C note in all of these patterns.

The formula for any major seventh chord or arpeggio is 1, 3, 5, 7. Once again use only the major scale to get these notes, so learn the 12 major scales. This will help you know which notes to apply any formula whether is it major, minor, major 7th, etc.

In Closing

Memorize these patterns. Apply each pattern to a C major or C major 7th backing track from YouTube.