Stuck on arpeggio's

[djgroovin]

I am studying a lot of theory along with playing and practicing daily(about 8 months now).  I'm practicing my scales, chords(triads), arpeggio's and riffs.  I am having a hard time relating arpeggio's to practical playing.  I don't really get the relationship of the notes when I start playing as it pertains to a song.  I've been hitting this hard for the last week or so.  Does someone have a different way of explaining it?

[uriahsmusic]

...IN TIME EVERYTHING YOU HAVE LEARNED WILL LEARN PLAY A ROLE IN HOW YOU PLAY.  ARPEGIOS ARE PRACTICED PRIMARILY FOR DEXTERITY
ENHANCEMENT.  THEY TEACH YOU HOW TO CROSS STRINGS IN TIME AND EVENTUALLY VERY QUICKLY.  
FOR AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH AN ARPEGGIO YOU CAN HIT AN "A" NOTE ON THE LOW "E" STRING FOR 1 BEAT THEN ARPEGGIATE FOWARDS AND BACKWARDS IN THE SPACE OF ONE BEAT FOR EACH CHORD, AN A CHORD , THEN A B MINOR CHORD, THEN A C MINOR CHORD AND AND ON THE NEXT DOWN BEAT HOLD DOWN A "D" NOTE.

NORMALLY YOU MIGHT HAVE JUST HIT THE A NOTE FOR 4 BEATS THEN THE D NOTE FOR 4 BEATS...BUT AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE EXAMPLE APEGGIOS CAN LIVEN THINGS UP A BIT!

[djgroovin]

I'm not sure exactly what you mean.  Are you saying that arpeggio's are basically played as riffs?

[uriahsmusic]

arpeggios are a sequence of notes generally repeated

ex. c major arpeggio  cegcegcegcegceg  or ceggecceggec

when played on a bass or guitar it usually refers to a chord being broken up and played by its individual notes instead of hitting all of the notes in the chord at the same time....

so really an arpeggio is a riff that doesnt change much!...most people think of it as a pattern or a figure that is repeated or played in the same pattern from key to key!

I will tab the arpeggio that I spoke of earlier for you so you can see it!

[uriahsmusic]

--------------2--2---------------------4-4---------13-----
   ----------3----------3-------------5--------5--------------
   -3-3--5------------------5-----7---------------7----------
   ------------------------------------------------------12-------

[djgroovin]

OK!  I understand what arpeggio's are (notes of a chord played one at a time) but still not clear on how they work into a song.

Am I to play just part of an arpeggio are all of it up the octive?

I'm just trying to get that light bulb to flash on for my own understanding.

[uriahsmusic]

....that is really a matter of choice! ...though I gave an example of an arpeggio I dont use them...on guitar they work but on bass they may not work for you. Generally a riff with different notes is better.  Arpeggios are generally taught to build dexterity in crossing from string to string and not really for a bass to just play in a song unless it is that type of music like dance or club music . That type of music uses bass arpeggios big time!

[djgroovin]

Oh ok.  I understand now.  Thanks!

I will continue to practice them...it does help in understanding the relationship of the notes the cords.