How to play and practice arpeggios on the piano

An arpeggio is the act of playing a chord in single note order, starting with the lowest note (or starting with the highest note).

Arpeggios are a type of broken chord, and are played like a harp.

How to play arpeggios

As mentioned earlier, an arpeggio involves playing chords in sequence using single notes.

Please take a look here first.

This has the ``original chord'' in the bottom half, the ``chord name'' in the middle, and the ``arpeggio'' in the top half.

How should I play in such a case?

Here is what I forcibly rewrote the notes.

This also has the ``original chord'' in the bottom half, the ``chord name'' in the middle, and the ``arpeggio'' in the top half.

Please note that parentheses are "ties", not "slurs".

This time I'm rewriting it with 32nd notes.

In this way, the method of playing an arpeggio is to play the notes of a chord one after the other, matching the length of the notes of the original chord.

By the way, this time I wrote the score to match the start timing of the chord and arpeggio notes.

Conversely, there is no problem if you play a single note before the chord starts, and match the timing when you finish playing all the single notes with the start of the chord.

About the speed of arpeggios

Earlier, I rewritten the arpeggio using 32nd notes, but exactly how fast should the arpeggio be?

Actually, the speed of an arpeggio is not determined exactly .

It's all about the distance between the players

Therefore, in extreme terms, playing a single note at the speed of a 128th note is an arpeggio, and playing a single note at an eighth note speed is also an arpeggio.

However, even if the chord is a whole note, even if you play a single note at the speed of a quarter note and make an arpeggio, it has no meaning as an arpeggio.

Arpeggios are just "dispersed chords", not "single notes".

The ideal is to play at the fastest speed that allows each note to be heard and to play smoothly.

However, even if you play at a fast speed before you get used to it, the ``smoothness'' will be lost, and the listener will feel as if they are listening to a dissonant chord.

First, try playing slowly and smoothly.

How to practice piano arpeggios

Once you have your piano ready, try practicing playing all types of arpeggios.

Arpeggio is one word, but there are countless types of chords.

It doesn't do all those arpeggios.

Before practicing arpeggios

Before practicing arpeggios, you must first relax your strength.

When playing an arpeggio, the root note is basically the thumb if you are on the right hand, or the little finger if you are on the left.

Just as the pivot point is important when kicking in soccer, the first root note is the most important part of a piano arpeggio.

Your fingers should move in continuous waves from the root note.

To smooth out this wave, relax your shoulders and wrists.

Keep your back straight and your shoulders parallel to the floor (unless you have flat shoulders).

If you need to move your body while playing the arpeggio, make sure you can twist your hips from side to side while staying in that position.

Click here for information on posture.

You also need to train your finger muscles.

Basically, I often use my thumb, middle finger, and little finger, but of course I also use my index finger and ring finger.

Train the muscles that control the finger movements when pressing the keys in sequence, starting with the thumb on the right hand and five fingers on the left hand starting with the little finger.

It's not like muscle training in sports.

When carving out a rhythm on a daily basis, try carving out the rhythm in order from your thumb to your little finger, making a ``ta-ta-tan'' rhythm.

This method of finger movement cannot be mastered from the beginning.

Instead of clapping your hands, try playing the rhythm in sequence with your fingers when you are away from the piano, listening to music while driving or on the train, or while humming.

decide on the finger

In actual performance, the hands and fingers are constantly moving.

This is not limited to arpeggios, but at first you may find yourself using different fingers each time you play.

Even if the player himself thinks he is playing the same note even if his fingers are slightly changed, the difference is often clearly noticeable to the listener.

During a performance, it may be easier to connect the previous and subsequent notes by using a different finger than the one you would normally use for an arpeggio.

Decide in advance which fingers will play the arpeggios in the score, considering the preceding and following notes and the shape of the fingers.

be aware of tempo

Arpeggios are intended to be played ``smoothly''.

The key to this "smooth" performance is to keep the tempo consistent.

Let's practice by actually playing an arpeggio.

At this time, use a metronome to play the detailed single-note rhythm of the arpeggio with an accurate rhythm.

In the case of an arpeggio, the played note (finger) does not stop sounding until the chord ends.

Normally, the timing of when you release your finger is important in order to play "smoothly", but this time you don't have to think about it.

Just be sure to match the tempo at which you press (hit) the keys.

There is no need to start playing at high speed.

At first, play single notes slowly, making sure to keep the tempo consistent.

All that's left is to keep practicing.

However, don't practice too many arpeggios at once.

The important thing is to continue practicing.

Don't push yourself too hard, don't be too easy on yourself, and practice at a moderate speed.

Dispersed chords other than arpeggios

An arpeggio is a type of arpeggio, but some people often mistakenly think that an arpeggio is an arpeggio.

This is incorrect in its original meaning. In addition to arpeggios, there are several other arpeggios.

*However, even if it was originally a mistake, if it becomes commonplace, it becomes the new common sense. Someday, it may even be listed in the Kojien as ``dispersed chord = arpeggio.'' However, I don't think it will work overseas.

Let's take a look at some examples of what other abbreviated chords there are.

·arpeggio

・Alberti Bass

This is a pattern in which the chord is played in the order of "low note" → "high note" → "middle note" → "high note".

It is mainly used in classical music, and is also used in Mozart's piano sonatas.

I think this is a dispersive chord that is familiar to those who use textbooks like Beyer's.

・“Pop pattern”

Nicknamed the "pop pattern," this split chord involves playing the root note of the chord and the rest of the notes in sequence.

It is especially often seen in contemporary J-POP music, and typical examples include the intro to Remioromen's "Powdered Snow" and John Lennon's "Imagine."

lastly

Arpeggios are a great way to warm up your hands before practicing music, just like sports teams warm up before practice.

Sometimes you can complete the arpeggio by playing single notes in order, starting from the highest note of the chord.

Not only does it train finger muscles that you don't normally use, but it also provides good stimulation to your brain.

Arpeggios have no set speed or order, so you can play them creatively even if you're stuck in a musical score pattern.

Use your creativity to freely play arpeggios to add depth to your songs.