"Connect The Arpeggios

How to solo over a Jazz Standard with just four arpeggios!
An exciting approach to jazz improvisation.

Now with MIDI examples!

IMPROVISATION APPROACHES AND YOU
Learning Jazz guitar is an ongoing process and any veteran guitarist will tell you there are no real shortcuts—you must do your share of woodshedding. However we are individuals with different sensibilities and it may be comforting to know that some Jazz methods (approaches) are more succinct than others. I have found my method, which I call, "Connect the Arpeggios" works for many guitarists.

THE BIG GUYS DO IT
"How to solo over a Jazz Standard with just four arpeggios"! may sound like a cheap line from a TV commercial, but after transcribing many solos by the greats—Wes, Joe Pass, Django, Charlie Christian and all others—I became keenly aware of the extensive use of arpeggios and substitute arpeggios over the written, original chord (Substitution example: playing Cmaj7 arpeggio over an Am7 chord and vice-versa).

IF IT LOOKS, SMELLS AND BEHAVES LIKE A CHORD...
Most (if not all) guitarists learned to play chords first and virtually everything we learned (inversions, positions, substitution, theory, etc.) about chords can be applied to arpeggios. Arpeggios have an inherent melodic content and since they are chords, they function as chords. And for many players arpeggios (like chords) are easier to visualize, hear (most important) and learn than scales.

MAKING THE CHANGES
One of the most intimidating aspects of soloing over a Jazz Standard is the barrage of chord and key changes. Here I will offer an exciting and relatively simple approach: How to play a solo over one of the most challenging of standards, the classic (and many would say the best of standards) "All The Things You Are". You can apply "Connect the Arpeggios" to any of the Jazz standards (i.e. Misty, Autumn Leaves, Body and Soul, etc.).

Step one: You'll need to learn four arpeggios (this is not hard—if you know them move on to How To Use the Arpeggios). Once you familiarize yourself with the strings, frets and fingers, play the arpeggios as 8th notes, at a tempo you handle CLEANLY. The suggested pick strokes and fingers work well for me, change them only after you have practiced them a few days.

TIP: Make sure you transpose these arps to other keys

Click any diagram and learn some straight-ahead arpeggio ideas!
Download the midi files and learn them at you own tempo.
Learn them by ear as opposed to sight.

Major Seventh Arpeggio
(1,2,3,4 = Finger D = Downstroke U = Upstroke)
Example: Abmaj7 (4th string root) ascending and descending

Minor Seventh Arpeggio
(1,2,3,4 = Finger D = Downstroke U = Upstroke)
Example: Fm7 (4th string root) ascending and descending

Diminished Seventh Arpeggio
(1,2,3,4 = Finger D = Downstroke U = Upstroke)
Example: Gdim7 (4th string root) ascending and descending

Augmented Triad Arpeggio
(1,2,3,4 = Finger D = Downstroke U = Upstroke)
Example: Ebaug (5th string root) ascending and descending

 NEXT: How To Use the Arpeggios