Using Diminished Seventh Arpeggios in Bar Six

Introduction

Okay, here I am again. We're going to look at using diminished seventh arpeggios in bar six over the four chord. This is a great way to spice up your playing. Diminished seventh arpeggios can add a nice flavor; they don't sound great everywhere, but in this particular context, they sound really quite nice.

Understanding Diminished Seventh Arpeggios

We're in bar six, and you need to be familiar with your diminished seventh arpeggio. I'll show you the part of the diminished seventh arpeggio you need to know to play specific licks.

• Starting Point: Begin from the third D and move from the F.
• Familiarity: It's essential to know where you're starting from in your head.
  • For example, if you're over the D chord, remember F sharp to start your diminished seventh arpeggio. This will keep you oriented, as it's easy to get lost with these particular arpeggios.

Diminished Seventh Arpeggio Pattern

Here's the particular pattern I use:

• D: 4th and 7th
• G: 5th and 8th
• B: 7th
• E string: 5th and 8th

You can use other patterns, but I find this one particularly useful for playing licks when transitioning from pentatonic and blues scales.

Example Exercise

First, let's play from the start and stop on the one chord (bar 7):
Count: 2, 3, 4.

Adding Diminished Licks

Now, I'll give you some example licks you can try for yourself, which will sound great when thrown into your playing.

Example 1

The first lick we're going to look at leads nicely back to our I chord and doesn't sound like you're just running through a diminished scale. It's related to the D chord.

Count: 3, 4.

One more time: 1, 2, 3.

Example 2

Here's the second example of our diminished seventh arpeggio.

Start: 8th fret on the E,
5th fret on the E,
7th fret on the B,
8th fret on the G,
5th fret on the G,
7th fret on the D,
4th fret on the D,
6th fret on the A,
5th fret on the G,
7th fret on the D.

Count: 1, 2, 3, 4.

One more time: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Example 3

Here's our third and final example of a diminished seventh arpeggio lick over bar six.

Double Stops: I like to throw in some double stops with diminished seventh arpeggios.

• Start on the 8th fret and run down all the way down the string for a complex little run.
• We'll end on an octave, leading down to the lower octave.

Walkthrough:

1. Start on the 8th fret on the G and E strings.
2. Move down to the 5th fret.
3. Transition to D and B strings on the 7th fret.
4. Drop to 4th fret on the same strings.
5. Go to the 6th on the A and the 5th on the G.
6. Move down to the 3rd fret and then 2nd fret on the A and G.
7. Shift to 5th fret on the E, 4th fret on the D, 2nd fret on the E, and 1st fret on the D.
8. Finish with 3rd fret on the A and 5th fret on the E.

Count: 1, 2, 3, 4.

One more time: 2, 3, 4.

Conclusion

That's the final example of our diminished seventh arpeggio licks. Learn these, but remember to create your own as well! There's a lot of creative potential with these scales. Just make sure you place them correctly, as they might raise an eyebrow or two if not used thoughtfully.