Arpeggios #2 Hirajoshi Pelog Slonimsky

Hi, this lesson covers a very nice aspect of my technique and playing.

I think the use of “designed arpeggios” is a priceless tool in order to enrich the vocabulary in your playing and composition.

I wrote some arpeggios on the past that have been very useful for me. Had a big influence in the desing of arpeggios following the “212” Tim Miller´s construction (Not always is the same patron, sometimes is “121”, sometimes more patrons). 212 refers on playing 2 notes on the 6th string (or lowest string), 1 note on the 5th string, 2 on the 4th string and so on. By this, on a 6 string guitar you´d have a 9 note arpeggio.

This lead me to explore this type of playing having in mind the quantity of notes per string. Starting from this principle, I tried to design the arpeggios playing at least one time the third of the chord/scale. All the notes of the arpeggios are from the scale, In this particular lesson I listed 4 to 6 arpeggios for each of these modes with variations:

Hirajoshi pentatonic scale (1,9,b3,5,b6)
Pelog hexatonic scale (1,b9,#9,3,5,b6)
Reductions adapted of some “Quadritonal arpeggios” of Nicolas Slonimsky

The “Quadritonal arpeggios” is a chapter of the great book of Nicolas Slominsky “Thesaurus of scales and melodic patterns” where he develops some large arpeggios from the combination of 4 triads. I reducted some of those arpeggios having in mind the set of 4 triads and applying them on the construction of a new arpeggio shaped with the characteristics of the technique described above. These ones are really nice, 3 arpeggios. The ascending arpeggios are different from the descending (so 6 in total for the quadritonal arpeggios). Used this over a dominant chord bring a “spice taste” to the vocabulary.

The Hirajoshi and Pelog scales are also very versatile and nice scales. Hirajoshi works well over minor and lydian chords and the Pelog over Dominant chords.

Tried to follow these steps as a principle for the right hand: When the arpeggio is Ascending, downstroke to all the strings except 4th and 2nd string, those strings attack them with the middle finger (hybrid picking). When the arpeggio is descending, upstroke to all the strings (Sweep). When you have two notes per string: hammer on , pull off or slide in other words: just one attack per string. Articulate them.

On the music sheet I wrote the notes and tab. Each bar represents a string (so there will be 6 bars in total for each arpeggio, sorry the desings are for 6 string guitars, but if you have a 7th string guitar I encourage you to add those notes 🙂 ); The first bar is the 6th string, 2nd bar the 5th string and so on. All the examples are in C. The circled numbers represent the degree (thinking in degree relationships helped me a lot to interiorize more quickly the arpeggios).

Is really important to notice that these Arpeggios can be played superimposed, be creative!.

Is really important to analyze the arpeggio you are studying and once you know what is happening, transpose it (12 keys please!).

ALSO WROTE SOME LICKS APPLYING THE HIRAJOSHI AND PELOG SCALE YOU CAN CHECK IT OUT HERE.

I hope this is useful and that you enjoy it.

Dig it.

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