Arpeggios
An arpeggio is a chord whose notes sound one after another. Play C, E and G together and you hear a C major chord in one moment. Play C-E-G-C in order, ending on the next C, and the same harmony becomes a line that moves upward. The notes belong to the chord even while you hear them separately.
- Chord notes in sequence
- C-E-G-C
- Direction and timing can change
keep practicing
Play C-E-G together, then separately. Keep the notes the same and change only their timing.
What is an arpeggio?
"Arpeggio" is a way of playing chord notes, sometimes called a broken chord. A C major arpeggio might go C-E-G-C up the keyboard, then C-G-E-C on the way down. The extra high C repeats the root in a new octave. It does not turn the chord into a different type.
An arpeggio can also change direction or skip a note in the order. The important connection is that the notes come from a chord. C-E-G outlines C major; C-E flat-G outlines C minor. If you change E to E flat, you change the chord being outlined.
How do you play your first arpeggio on piano?
Start by finding C, E and G. Play them together once, so you know the chord you are about to spread out. Then play C-E-G slowly, leaving a short, even gap between the notes. Add the C above G if it is comfortable to reach.
Try playing down: high C-G-E-C. Use one hand at first. Let your hand move naturally toward the next note and keep the wrist relaxed; a larger arpeggio may need a change of hand position rather than a wide stretch. Baylor Piano Basics shows how the fingering changes when a compact triad becomes a one-octave arpeggio.
Once C-E-G-C feels familiar, use the chord notes F-A-C-F or G-B-D-G. Read the chord first, then spread it into notes. You are learning one procedure that can follow many chord changes.
What changes when the chord notes no longer start together?
A blocked chord presents its notes at once. An arpeggio reveals them in time. If each note is short, you hear a clear pattern of separate attacks. If the notes sustain or a pedal holds them, they overlap and can sound closer to a chord.
Try C-E-G slowly, then with shorter gaps. The notes have not changed, but the rhythm has. That makes an arpeggio useful for giving motion to a section without changing its harmony.
Where might you use an arpeggio?
- As accompaniment
Instead of holding C major through a whole bar, play C-E-G-E in a repeating pattern. Your hand keeps moving while the harmony stays on C.
- Inside a melody
A melody can climb through C, E and G to outline the chord underneath it. Those notes tell the listener about the harmony even when no one plays them together.
- Across a chord change
If the harmony moves from C to F, change your notes to F-A-C when the new chord begins. Continuing C-E-G over the F chord would create a different set of combined notes.
Turn a chord into a moving part
Play each example at a comfortable pace, without worrying about speed. The goal is to recognize the chord inside the moving notes.
Try it yourself
- Hear the blockPlay C-E-G together or use "Hear C" above.
- Break it apartPlay C, E and G one after another. Compare with the "broken" button.
- Change the rhythmRepeat C-E-G-E evenly, then pause after G. Which version fits your phrase?
- Follow another chordPlay F-A-C-F. Say "F major" before you begin, so the line does not become a pattern without a chord behind it.