Using Arpeggios In Your Blues

Using Minor 7 Flat 5 Arpeggios in a 12 Bar Structure

Okay, we're going to start by looking at how to use a certain arpeggio over our 12 bar. We'll focus on the minor 7 flat 5 arpeggio over the third note in the key of A major.

The Arpeggio

• Starting Note: C sharp
• Fret Positions:
  • 4th fret A
  • 7th fret A
  • 5th fret D
  • 4th fret G
  • 6th fret G
  • 5th fret B
  • 3rd fret E
  • 7th fret E

Let me play that for you again...

Incorporating the Arpeggio

Now, I'm going to show you how you can use that arpeggio over the 12 bar.

1. Vamping: You can throw that arpeggio into a vamp.
2. Changing Chords: You can also change it over the other chords in the scale.
   • For D: Use the same arpeggio starting on F sharp.
   • For E: Use the same arpeggio, but this time start on G sharp.

So basically, you've got three arpeggios you can use over the various chords in the 12 bar:

• From C sharp over A
• From F sharp over D
• From G sharp over E

Here's a quick demo of how to change that over a 12 bar...
1, 2, 3, 4.

Example Licks

Next up, I'm going to show you a couple of example licks that you can use over the 12 bar using that arpeggio.

First Lick

Here it goes...

• Starting in the A key.
• Practice changing it to different keys:
  • A for the whole time.
  • Move to D when it changes, starting from the 9th fret.
  • Move back down to A.
  • Then to E, back to D, and then back to A once more.

Let's try that with some music, shall we?
1, 2, 3, 4...

Second Lick

Here's another for you to try out:

• This lick moves the arpeggio up slightly.
• It's a bit of a cheat: Not using the whole of the arpeggio.
• We go chromatically down from the 7th to the 6th to the 5th.

And again, you'll do that over the other chords in the 12 bar:

• When you get to D: Change to the D arpeggio.
• Back down to A.
• Then to E.
• Finally back down to A.

We'll do that over some music so you can hear how it fits in around the 12 bar.
1, 2, 3, 4...

Conclusion

So, there are a couple of licks you can experiment with.

The best thing you can do is to experiment by using the arpeggio, trying not to make it sound like you're just playing an arpeggio, but incorporating it into your playing.

Go away and have a go at that!