Major Arpeggio Patterns
The following exercises are examples of commonly used arpeggios. It is important to memorize these arpeggios as they will become very useful in playing the bass. These arpeggios start on the root note (i.e., the name of the chord).
The best way of learning arpeggios is to remember the pattern they form on the fretboard. The numbers 2, 1, 4 indicate which left hand finger to use and the Roman numerals stand for each interval.
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 here (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 will be 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 will be playing a G major chord arpeggio.
Example 2 incorporates all three major chords shown in the previous diagrams. The notes of each arpeggio can be played in any order.
