This month Tim Pettingale moves on from Major arpeggios into the realms of Minor soloing, based around arpeggios from the jazzy Minor 9th chord.
Last time we applied a five-step method in order to learn and play a Cmaj7 arpeggio across the whole fretboard, and began to create useful jazz licks by adding passing notes to our arpeggio framework. This time we’ll repeat the exercise but instead using a Minor arpeggio.
Due to how the intervals fall on the fretboard, we don’t need the 2-1-2 shapes we’ve used previously
I could have chosen a straight Minor 7 arpeggio but instead opted for the Minor 9, as it’s a sound used so frequently in jazz.
The Minor 9 often functions as the II chord in the Minor II-V-I sequence, such as Dm9 -G7-Cmaj7 in the key of C Major. Minor 9 arpeggios are useful to spell out the II chord in that context, but are also essential for playing on modal jazz tunes (which often feature multiple bars of Minor chords) and for soloing over the I chord in a Minor II-V-I (Bm7b5-E7#5 -Am9, for example).
Dm9 is spelled D (root), F (b3), A (5th), C (b7), E (9th). Due to how the intervals fall on the fretboard, we don’t need the 2-1-2 shapes we’ve used previously (where we take the first and third notes of a three-notes-perstring run on the first string, and the second note on the next string), and will instead focus on box position and extended shapes. This approach should really open up the fretboard for your solos.
NEXT MONTH Tim finishes his series showing how to create great Jazz Arpeggios
EXAMPLE 1 SIXTH-STRING BOX SHAPE
Here’s a good starting point in playing Minor arpeggios across the whole fretboard.
EXAMPLE 2 FIFTH-STRING BOX SHAPE
The next logical step. Notice that the addition of the 9th interval makes these patterns sound more like lines than straight arpeggios.
EXAMPLE 3 EXTENDED ARPEGGIO SHAPE
The sixth-string root extended arpeggio shape spans 10 frets. If you’re playing an archtop and the 20th fret feels somewhat inaccessible, omit the high C note.
EXAMPLE 4 RAPIDLY ASCENDING SHAPE FROM THE FIFTH STRING
If we play an extended arpeggio shape from the root on the fifth string, due to the interval layout we have a couple of possible options. Try this rapidly ascending shape that requires seve
