Arpeggio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article requires authentication or verification by an expert.
Please assist in recruiting an expert or improve this article yourself. See the talk page for details. This article has been tagged since May 2008.

An easily recognizable Bach arpeggio

In music, an arpeggio is a broken chord where the notes are played or sung in succession rather than simultaneously. The word, like many other musical terms, originates from Italian, in which it means "in the manner of the harp."

1 Explanation
2 Instruments
3 Media
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Explanation

an arpeggiated chord

An arpeggio is a group of notes which are played one after the other, either going up or going down. The notes all belong to one chord. The chord may, for example, be a simple chord with the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the scale in it (this is called a "tonic chord"). An arpeggio in the key of C major going up two octaves would be the notes (C,E,G,C,E,G,C).

An arpeggio is similar to a broken chord, but a broken chord keeps rising in groups of three or four notes, each group starting a little higher^{[citation needed]}.

Students of musical instruments learn how to play scales and arpeggios. They are often a requirement for music examinations.

An "arpeggiated chord" means a chord which is "spread", i.e. the notes are not played exactly at the same time but are spread out. Harps very often play arpeggiated chords. In piano music they are quite often used. An arpeggiated chord is written with a wiggly line going from top to bottom in front of the chord. An arpeggiated chord is spread from the lowest to the highest note. Occasionally composers such as Béla Bartók ask for them to be played from top to bottom. This is shown by adding an arrow pointing down.

[edit] Instruments

Any instrument may employ arpeggiation, but the following instruments use arpeggios most often:

String instruments are used to play arpeggios in classical music. Along with scales, arpeggios are a form of basic technical exercise.
Bass guitarists often use arpeggios to play out chords.
Guitarists use arpeggios extensively in certain genres, such as Neo-classical, and often while employing the sweep-picking technique.
Synthesizers are often called upon to play arpeggios, especially in electronica. Some synths contain arpeggiators especially for this purpose.
Keyboards, such as piano and accordions are used to play arpeggios.

In Western classical music, a chord that is played first with the lowest note and then with successive higher notes joining in is called arpeggiato. Sometimes this effect is reversed, with the highest note coming first. In some modern popular music arpeggiato is called a "rolled chord".

In early computer music, arpeggios were often the only way to play a chord since sound hardware usually had a very limited number of oscillators. Instead of tying them all up to play one chord, one channel could be used to play an arpeggio, leaving the rest for drums, bass, or sound effects.

[edit] Media

Sound sample with arpeggios

A synthesized flute-like instrument and a harp playing various chords in arpeggio, joined later by strings playing the same notes simultaneously.

Problems listening to the file? See media help.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.