Arpeggios
Although it is possible to play chords on the bass, it is more common to play the notes individually as part of a bass line. When the notes of a chord are played one at a time, they are called an arpeggio. The value of arpeggios is that they enable you to play lines which fit chord progressions perfectly, since every note of an arpeggio is a note of the accompanying chord.
The following examples are commonly used arpeggios. They all contain a root note, third and fifth of the major scale. It is important to memorize these arpeggios as they will become very useful in creating bass lines.
The best way of learning arpeggios is to memorize the notes in each one, and to remember the pattern they form on the fretboard.
C Major Arpeggio Pattern
Each chord type has its own pattern of notes that can be moved up and down the fretboard or across the strings. The most common pattern for a major chord arpeggio is shown next (the C major arpeggio pattern starts at the 3rd fret of the 3rd string (A string).
F Major Arpeggio Pattern
If you play this same pattern starting at the 3rd fret of the second string (D string) the root note will be F. Therefore you are playing an F major chord arpeggio.
G Major Arpeggio Pattern
If you play this same pattern starting at the 3rd fret of the fourth string (E string) the root note will be G. Therefore you are playing a G major chord arpeggio.
Example 57 incorporates the three major chords shown here. The notes of each arpeggio can be played in any order.
