Bass Arpeggios

So, why is there a whole page on Bass Arpeggios? Why are they so Important to learn?

Fact of the matter is, most basslines are built using Arpeggios as a/the main part of the bassline!

There are a quite a few reasons why Arpeggios are so useful when it comes to playing any kind of music, especially on the bass:

1. They are the best way to outline many different kinds of chords.

Many different kinds of Scales and Chords can be built out of each Arpeggio. Knowing many of them will give you different ways of looking at various kinds of harmony.

2. With enough practice, they will allow you to learn the notes on the neck much easier.

If you can play Bass Arpeggios up and down the neck proficiently, you'll have a much better grasp of the neck.

3. They are fairly simple to play.

Due to the fact that there are only a few notes to learn for each one, they don't take as long to learn as scales, or even chords.

4. The Patterns are movable up and down the neck.

The Major 7 Arpeggio, for example, is the same up and down the neck. It is the same for every other root up and down the neck.

5. They give you a lot of harmonic information with a few notes.

Playing through even the simplest Arpeggio will give you all sorts of information about what kinds of Scales and Chords you can play with it.

The following examples were all written in the key of C Major.

Lets take a look, shall we? :)

4 Note Arpeggios:

Minor Arpeggios

Return to the Homepage from the Bass Arpeggios page