Minor 7th arpeggio shapes are important for every guitar player to know. These arpeggio shapes help you outline minor 7th chords in songs you are playing, improve your finger control, and are fun to work on. If you already know your minor pentatonic scale shapes, this is going to be an easy skill for you to learn. Minor 7th arpeggios go with minor 7th chords. If you're trying to improvise over an Am7 chord, you would play an Am7 arpeggio. All you need to know is where to find an A on your fretboard, and then play the matching minor 7th arpeggio shape. Arpeggios are like playing chords, but doing it one note at a time like with your scale patterns. You can use these arpeggio shapes to play solos, melodies, or riffs. Your minor 7th arpeggio shape is very similar to your minor pentatonic scale shapes. the hardest part of working on minor 7th arpeggios is making sure you aren't accidentally playing a minor pentatonic scale! By learning to play your minor 7th arpeggio shapes in different keys, you will improve your knowledge of the guitar fretboard. What do you need to know first? If you know your minor pentatonic scale shapes already, these arpeggios will be easy for you to learn. Having a working knowledge of the notes on the fretboard will be helpful for you as well. If you're eager to just dive in and start learning your arpeggios though, go ahead. The quick start guide below will get you going, and you can learn the other pieces fo the puzzle as you go. Arpeggio Shapes Quick Start GuideFollow diagrams below for finger patterns and practice examples as you learn these arpeggio shapes. Do one thing at a time. You'll get better results if you don't try to learn everything at once. Pick a minor 7th arpeggio shape to work on, and stick with it for a while. When that shape gets easy to play, move on to the next arpeggio shape. It's better to know a couple of these arpeggio shapes thoroughly than to rush your way through learning all of them at once. To learn more about min7 arpeggio shapes, practice strategies, etc keep reading past the first set of diagrams. That's where you'll find all of the little details that make these arpeggio shapes tick. 6th String Form5th String Form4th String Form3rd String Form2nd String Form5 Arpeggio ShapesThere are 5 common finger shapes for minor 7th arpeggios. These finger shapes line up with your 5 minor pentatonic scale shapes. Making this connection in your mind can help you learn these arpeggios faster. Using the starting notes shown in the examples above will help you quickly access these arpeggios as you play. Minor 7th Arpeggio IntervalsArpeggios are chords that are played one note at a time, like a scale pattern. The word arpeggio translates to "broken chord" - like a chord that has been broke into it's individual pieces. Minor 7th arpeggio is made up offer notes: The root (1), flat third (b3), fifth (5), and flat seventh (b7). These are the interval names that work the most directly with the types of chords we are dealing with in jazz music. Often times classically or theoretically correct interval names can be confused with the chord quality we are dealing with. Technically the flat third is called a minor third, and the flat seventh is called a minor seventh, in case you're interested. I find that using the labels of flat third and flat fifth works more directly with what you are doing to the notes to change the quality of the chord or arpeggio. Ultimately, you can call these whatever you want or need to, as long as it helps you play and doesn't leave you confused. You'll find these interval numbers in the diagrams below. As the finger patterns get easier for you to play, put more focus into learning the intervals and keeping track of them as you go. Until the arpeggio shapes are easy to play, I wouldn't worry about this part too much. 6th String Form5th String Form4th String Form3rd String Form2nd String FormHow To Practice Arpeggio ShapesGo slow at first. One of the biggest mistakes I see students making is trying to go too fast, too soon. Practice each pattern slowly, and give your fingers a chance to learn where they are supposed to go before you start speeding things up. Some of the best guitar players I've met have talked about the importance of slow practice, so it's worth taking the time to try it out. Play each pattern all over the neck. My favorite approach for this is to move up the neck one fret each time you play the arpeggio until you:
Whatever happens first, that's your stopping point for the day. You'll build up to playing the pattern 12 times pretty quickly. If you're feeling good after 12 frets, try working your way back down the neck, too. Play with the arpeggio shape, not just through it. Most people stop once they can play their arpeggio patterns up and down. To really get a command of this material, you need to play with it, not just going through the motions. Try improvising, writing a lick or melody, or just playing the notes in a random order. It doesn't matter too much what you do, just take the time to experiment and play with your new arpeggio shape. Use your arpeggios in music as soon as you can. If you're improvising over chord changes in jazz standards, pick an arpeggio shape and use it every time you find a minor 7th chord. You can also find a minor backing track on youtube and work on your arpeggio shapes in a single key. Am7 for example - find an A on the 6th string and play with your arpeggio shape. Repeat on the 5th, 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings. This gives you a way to test out your arpeggio shapes with a single chord or simple progression playing in the background. Write a melody based around your arpeggio shape. You can come up with a melody or riff based mostly around any of your arpeggio shapes. Add other notes as needed, just keep in mind the original intent of the exercise. Try This:Start by working on one arpeggio shape, and get it under your fingers so the pattern is easy to play. Once you have one shape down, get started on the next one.
Being able to play each of these arpeggio shapes is the most important part - don't get too hung up on the theory as you get started. Once you can easily play each of the 5 minor 7th arpeggio shapes, start working on keeping track of the intervals as you go. Say them in your head or out loud with each note that you play. Don't worry too much about the theory part - teaching yourself the intervals in this context will give you a good working knowledge of music theory, especially if you apply it to other arpeggio and scale shapes. Have fun with it - if you're working too hard at this stuff, you're doing it wrong. Keep practicing, and let me know how it goes!
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