The fundamental definition of a chord is three or more notes played in unison. Another way to describe a series of notes that are all played at the same time is that they are played “harmonically”. This isn’t the only way to play chords.
Breaking Up Is Easy To Do
What I’m referring to is arpeggios. An arpeggio is a fancy Italian word for a broken chord. A broken chord is a sequence of notes that 
may repeat themselves ascending or descending within a chord. They may also span more than one octave.
The word arpeggio comes from the Italian word arpeggiare, which means to play on a harp. You could say that the notes of an arpeggio are played “melodically”. But even though the notes are played separately, the listener may hear the notes as being played as a chord because of the chordal relationships of the tones.
An arpeggiated chord is defined as one that is spread out with the notes being played separately. When you play the notes of a chord individually, you differentiate those notes. It can be a refreshing change for any song or piece of music; even for a brief part of a song.
The Craft of Arpeggios
Arpeggios are often practiced by singers and instrumentalist that play non chordal instruments such as a trumpet or flute. Even though they can be performed up or down, they’re normally played from the bottom up. Arpeggios are a common practice on the piano.
I remember the days of traditional piano lessons when I was introduced to arpeggios. I only saw them as a simple exercise that had no real value. But as I continued my journey of self instruction, I learned that not only are they a useful tool to learning chords, they’re also fun!
The simplest arpeggio is formed from a Major chord. If you’re not thoroughly familiar with all 12 Major Chords, arpeggios can be a useful tool to learn all of them. Keep in mind that they can be played with either right, left or both hands.
Know your 12 Major Chords…
You can also play ascending and descending arpeggios in the same movement.
You can also play the arpeggios in first inversion…
..and second inversion.
As you can see, the Noteshots show the rhythm and structure of the arpeggios without actually displaying the notes on the keys themselves.
You can add the root of the chord in the left hand to support the right hand arpeggio for a fuller sounding movement.
Alberti Who?
The Alberti bass is an accompaniment figure that was often used in the classical era of music. It’s nothing more than an arpeggio pattern that presents the chord pattern of the lowest, highest, middle, highest. The pattern is repeated throughout a song.
The broken chord pattern helps to create a smooth, sustained, flowing sound on the piano. Just be aware that the Alberti bass as well as any bass pattern can get monotonous if you continuously play it without changing for the sake of variety.
Put the Pedal Down
Remember to use your pedal when playing arpeggios. Press down on the pedal just before you start, let up and repeat after each chord. All of these notes can start to mesh together and sound very muddy without effective pedaling. Just use your ear. It will tell you if your pedaling is enhancing your arpeggios.
After getting some experience with the simple arpeggios in this article, venture out and create your own. You’re only limited by your imagination because you have an infinite amount of rhythms and note sequences.
Until next time, Go Play!
Greg Lee
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