Jazz Arpeggios – Complete Beginner’s Guide

One of the most effective ways to outline any jazz chord progression when soloing is arpeggios. 

Built with chord tones, arpeggios directly bring out the sound of every chord in a jazz progression.

While they’re effective for outlining changes in your solos, you have to play a new arpeggio with every new chord change.

As Joe Pass once said, “When the chord changes, you change.”

This makes arpeggios a powerful tool for every improviser to learn, and makes them more challenging to use than scales and modes.  

Because of this, I’ve put together this guide to help you learn to play and solo with arpeggios over any jazz standard.

What Are Arpeggios?

Before you play arpeggios, let’s look at what arpeggios are, how they relate to scales, and how you solo with them over chord progressions. 

Arpeggios are the notes of a chord played as single notes, compared to being strummed as you would with a chord grip on the guitar. 

Arpeggios have four and seven notes, and for the purposes of these arpeggios, are built by stacking thirds from their related scales. 

We’re separating triads from arpeggios in this lesson as, while applied in a similar fashion, triad and arpeggios function differently in jazz. 

To build an arpeggio, you take the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th of the related scale and play those notes in order as single notes. 

As an example, here’s how you build a maj7 arpeggio with the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes of a major scale.

Notice how both sound like the key of C major, but that the arpeggio sounds much more directly like the Cmaj7 chord than the scale. 

This is the reason why you learn arpeggios, to directly solo over any given chord change using only the chord tones to build your lines. 

As well as learning one-octave shapes, you can also build arpeggios from two-octave scale shapes, such as the example below.

When learning arpeggios, you can play them in all 12 keys around the fretboard, and you can also apply them to common chord progressions. 

An example of this would be the one-octave shapes used to outline a ii V I progression in C major, which you can see in the example here.

When applying arpeggios to progressions, there are four variations that you can use to get the most from that exercise. 

These variations are:

1. All Ascending

2. All Descending

3. One Ascending and One Descending

4. One Descending and One Ascending

As you learn any arpeggio in this lesson, apply these four variations to get a well-rounded approach to playing these shapes. 

Common Jazz Guitar Arpeggios

The arpeggios in this lesson are the most commonly used shapes in the jazz genre. 

While there are other, more complex arpeggios to learn, these shapes give you a solid foundation to outline any progression in your solos. 

As well, by learning fundamental arpeggios, you can quickly adapt them to create other arpeggios on the guitar. 

An example of this is taking a maj7 arpeggio and lowering the 5th by one fret to produce a maj7#11 arpeggio. 

Before you dig into these essential jazz guitar arpeggios, take a look at a how-to finger these shapes on guitar. 

I’ve written each arpeggio type in one and two-octave shapes using my preferred fingerings.

But. 

If you find any of these fingerings uncomfortable, you can explore other options such as the four I’ve presented in the following example. 

Try a few of these fingerings out and then go with the one(s) that suit your hands and playing style the best. 

Lastly, a quick note on how to practice jazz arpeggios in all 12 keys. 

When working in 12 keys, one of the best ways to organize these keys is through the cycle of 5ths. 

Starting on the note C, the cycle of 5ths would be:

C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-B-E-A-D-G-C

With this approach you cover all 12 keys and move around the fretboard at the same time, a win-win practice room situation. 

How to Play Maj7 Arpeggios

You begin your exploration jazz arpeggios by learning how to build, play, and solo with maj7 arpeggios.

This arpeggio is built with the interval structure Root-3-5-7, and comes from the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes of the major scale.

To help you get the maj7 arpeggio under your fingers, here are four one-octave shapes that you can learn in all 12 keys on the fretboard. 

Learning one-octave shapes is important in a jazz context as it will allow you to easily and quickly move between arpeggio fingerings in your soloing when the chord changes are moving by quickly and you have to react in a fraction of a second to get from one chord to the next. 

You can also learn how to play two-octave maj7 arpeggio shapes as you explore this arpeggio further in your practice routine.

Have fun exploring these maj7 arpeggio shapes in different keys and applying them to your solos over maj7 chords when ready. 

How to Play 7th Arpeggios

Moving on to the second jazz arpeggio in this lesson, you now learn how to build and play dominant 7th arpeggios. 

7th arpeggios are built with the interval pattern Root-3-5-b7 and are only one note different than the maj7 arpeggio. 

In this case, the 7th is flattened, one fret lower, compared to the maj7 arpeggio. 

By comparing arpeggios, you cut a lot of time out of the learning process as you aren’t starting from scratch with new arpeggios. 

Here, you can take any maj7 arpeggio shape you know, lower the 7th by one fret, and voila, instant 7th arpeggio shape. 

7th arpeggios come from the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th notes of the Mixolydian mode, and are used to solo over dominant 7th chords. 

Here are four one-octave shapes that you can learn in all 12 keys and add to your solos over ii-V-I’s and other jazz progressions. 

Here are the two-octave 7th arpeggios to learn, practice in 12 keys, and add to your jazz guitar solos when ready.

Now that you have the maj7 and 7th arpeggios under your fingers, play them back-to-back in a key. 

So, play Gmaj7-G7 in multiple positions around the fretboard. 

This helps with getting the sound of each arpeggio into your ears and prepares you to instantly use them in your solos over progressions. 

How to Play m7 Arpeggios

To finish up the chords in a major key ii V I progression, you now learn to play the m7 arpeggio on the fretboard. 

Built with the interval pattern Root-b3-5-b7, this arpeggio comes from the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes of the Dorian mode in a jazz context. 

Though it can come from other minor modes, such as Aeolian, we prefer to use the Dorian mode when soloing over m7 chords in jazz.

To help you get started with this arpeggio, here are four one-octave shapes to learn in 12 keys and add to your jazz guitar solos.  

As is the case with any arpeggio, you can also play two-octave shapes for the m7 arpeggio on the fretboard. 

Here are two shapes to get you started, one on the 6th string and one on the 5th string, to explore in 12 keys on guitar.

You now know all the arpeggios needed to outline a iim7-V7-Imaj7 progression.

To take these shapes further, add them to your solos over jazz standards such as Satin Doll, Take the A Train, and Autumn Leaves. 

How to Play m7b5 Arpeggios

After learning major ii V I arpeggios, you move on to the first minor ii V I arpeggio, m7b5, which is used to outline the ii chord in a minor ii V I. 

This arpeggio contains the interval structure R-b3-b5-b7, and is built by stacking the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes of Locrian. 

To play a m7b5 arpeggio, you take any m7 arpeggio shape that you know, lower the 5th by one fret, and you’ve got a m7b5 shape. 

To get started with these shapes on the guitar, here are four, one-octave m7b5 shapes to learn and add to your solos over m7b5 chords.

Here are two, two-octave m7b5 arpeggio fingerings that you can learn and apply to your jazz soloing lines and phrases. 

After you know these shapes, move between the one and two-octave m7b5 arpeggios in your solos to take them a step further.

Don’t forget to solo over the backing track with these shapes to get a well-rounded introduction to the m7b5 arpeggio on guitar. 

How to Play dim7 Arpeggios

The next arpeggio can be used to solo over two different chord types, dim7 and 7b9 chords. 

Regardless of which chord you’re soloing over, the m7b5 arpeggio is built with the intervals R-b3-b5-bb7. 

And, Dim7 arpeggios are built from the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes of the whole half diminished scale.

As well, the dim7 arpeggio is built from the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes of the half whole diminished scale. 

This scale, HW dim, is used over 7th chords and brings out a 13b9 sound in your solos. 

The reason that dim7 chords work over 7b9 chords, is that the 3rd, 5th, b7th, and b9th notes of that chord produce a dim7 arpeggio. 

This means that if you have an A7b9 chord, you can solo with a C#dim7 arpeggio over that chord, hitting the 3-5-b7-b9 in the process. 

When soloing with this arpeggio, use it over dim7 chords, 7th chords when you want a 7b9 sound, and over the V7alt chord in a minor ii-V-I.

To help you get started with this arpeggio, here are four different Cdim7 one-octave arpeggios to learn in all 12 keys. 

Here are two, two-octave dim7 arpeggios to learn, practice in 12 keys, and use to solo over the dim7 and 7b9 tracks below. 

When soloing over Cdim7, use the Cdim7 arpeggio. When soloing over C7b9, use the Edim7 arpeggio. Same shape, different application.

With the dim7 under your belt, you only have one more arpeggio to learn before you can outline both the major and minor ii-V-I changes. 

How to Play m6 Arpeggios

You now learn a tonic minor sound with the m6 arpeggio, which comes from both Dorian and melodic minor. 

m6 arpeggios are built with the intervals R-b3-5-6 and you can think of it as a m7 arpeggio with the b7th lowered by a half-step (one fret). 

You can use this arpeggio to solo over m7 chords, bringing out a Dorian, m6 sound in your lines. 

As well, you can use it over the tonic minor chord in a minor ii-V-I progression. 

Here are four one-octave shapes that you can learn in 12 keys, as well as apply to m6 vamps, minor ii-V-I chords, and full jazz standards. 

Here are two different Cm6 two-octave fingerings that you can practice and apply to your jazz guitar soloing workout in 12 keys. 

With this arpeggio under your fingers, you can solo over all 3 chords in a minor iim7b5-V7alt-Im6 progression. 

Even if the chord symbols are written, iim7b5-V7alt-Im7, you can use the Im6 sound over that chord when soloing. 

How to Play mMaj7 Arpeggios

The final jazz arpeggio that you explore in this lesson is the mMaj7 arpeggio, which contains the interval collection R-b3-5-7. 

Because it is a mix between a maj7 and m7 arpeggio, you can think of it in two ways when playing mMaj7 arpeggios on guitar. 

The first way is to think of it as a maj7 arpeggio with a b3, and the second way to think of it is as a m7 arpeggio with a major 7th interval. 

Either way works, so try both and go with the one that is easiest for you to memorize and apply to your playing. 

Regardless of which way you think of this arpeggio, mMaj7 arpeggios come from the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes of melodic minor. 

To help get you started with the mMaj7 arpeggio on the guitar, here are four different one-octave shapes to memorize and add to your solos. 

Here are four two-octave mMaj7 shapes to learn and add to your soloing over vamps, ii-V-I’s, and full jazz standards. 

Don’t forget to solo over the backing tracks above these, and every, arpeggio fingering in this lesson. 

You memorize arpeggios by playing them in 12 keys. You internalize them by soloing with them over backing tracks. 

How to Practice Jazz Arpeggios

Here are three jazz guitar arpeggio practice patterns that you can work on in the woodshed as you explore these ideas further in your playing. 

The first pattern features descending arpeggios, so playing shapes from the 7th down to the root, 7-5-3-1 intervals. 

Though it’s the same shape for each arpeggio as you previously learned, reversing the notes can be tough to visualize on the fretboard. 

Learn this pattern first, then use it to solo over the backing track below to solidify it in your playing. 

The second jazz arpeggio pattern that you learn is inspired by the soloing vocabulary of jazz saxophone great John Coltrane. 

Here, you play the 7th of each arpeggio first, then ascend the rest of the arpeggio from there. 

When doing so, you play the interval pattern 7-1-3-5 for each chord, in this case over a major ii V I in the key of C major. 

Though you aren’t changing the overall sound, reordering the notes creates interest that gives you extra mileage out of any arpeggio shape. 

You are now ready to mix these two patterns to form a third arpeggio practice pattern that you can apply to various chords and progressions. 

In this case, you play the descending pattern followed by the Coltrane arpeggio pattern, alternating each as you navigate a ii V I in C major. 

If you want to take this idea further, reverse the order so the Coltrane variation comes first followed by the descending arpeggio second.

Once you have these patterns under your fingers, apply them to any/all arpeggio shapes in this lesson. 

Work them over major ii-V-I’s, minor ii-V-I’s, and full jazz standards to get the most out of these patterns in your playing. 

Have fun expanding on these arpeggios as you take the next step in your development as a jazz guitarist.