Let's kick off by learning the actual shapes you will need. We are focusing in on two shapes, the first based on the E string root and the second based on the A string root. We're going to learn the A major 7th arpeggio and D major 7th arpeggio as an example of these shapes. They are as shown below.
Next up we want to take a look at actually using the shapes in a musical context. The great thing about learning arpeggios is that you now have the option to really target the chord you are playing over by hitting keynotes within that chord. To make this as easy to pick up as possible, we will be using a backing track with the following progression:
Amaj7 /// //// //// //// Damj7 /// //// //// ////
This progression loops for the entire track and your job is to try and follow those chords. Dan leads by example in the video, but an extremely helpful grounding will be the A major pentatonic box 2. This pentatonic box is your back up, as it will work beautifully no matter which chord you are on. If you combine this shape with little bits of those arpeggios in the right place, you will be onto a winner! Try not to use the whole arpeggio either, just select 'pieces' of it that are local to whatever else you are playing (perhaps same string, or adjacent strings). Grab the backing track via the downloads section below and start practising today!
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