8 Ways To Make Guitar Arpeggios Sound Awesome (Even If You Can’t Play Fast Yet)

There are 2 things you can do to make your sweep picking sound totally awesome (even if you can’t play guitar fast yet):

1. Learn how to play guitar arpeggios perfectly clean, without sloppy noises and without notes ringing together. How cleanly you play guitar arpeggios is more important than how fast you play.
    
2. Learn simple creativity concepts that transform sweep picking exercises into killer licks that sound like music.

After watching the video, practice the creative ideas below and start playing awesome arpeggio licks today:

Play Guitar Arpeggios Creatively - Idea #1. Create A Break In The Pattern

For example, instead of always playing this:

…play just the descending part of the arpeggio, like this:

…or just the ascending part, like this:

Watch this video (starting at 0:33) to hear how cool this sounds:

Note: It's fine if you play guitar arpeggios in the usual way (both ascending and descending). Use all 3 possibilities (ascending and descending, only ascending, or only descending). Integrate all 3 variations into your arpeggio licks. Overusing any one idea makes your guitar arpeggios sound boring.

Play Guitar Arpeggios Creatively - Idea #2. Extend & Harmonize Guitar Arpeggios Using Inversions

You can repeat the same arpeggio many times without boring your listeners, by:

• Extending the arpeggio using inversions
   
• Using inversions to harmonize the arpeggio

To extend an arpeggio using inversions, you need strong fretboard visualization skills. Take an A minor arpeggio (notes A C E) and find its notes all over the fretboard.

Example:

Hear It

This tab shows an A minor arpeggio played in every inversion on the guitar.

To harmonize arpeggio inversions, record each inversion separately and superimpose them on top of each other. (You can play the inversions in any order.)

Play Guitar Arpeggios Creatively - Idea #3. Build Excitement By Using Unexpected Silence In Your Guitar Arpeggios

Sometimes, the easiest way to build musical tension is to not play any notes. Unexpected silence in the middle of a fast arpeggio builds massive tension and that tension creates a lot of excitement.

Example: instead of playing an arpeggio up and down, like this:

…insert rests at various moments, like this:

This makes the arpeggio easier to play and your faster playing sounds even more intense.

Watch this video to see how awesome this idea sounds:

Tip: Change where the silence is used and how long it lasts. Don’t stop on the same note of the arpeggio every time. This keeps your sweep picking licks from becoming repetitive and boring.
 

Play Guitar Arpeggios Creatively - Idea #4. Vary The Number Of Strings In Each Arpeggio Shapes

Combine 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 string arpeggio shapes to play your sweep picking guitar licks. This adds variety to your playing by changing the musical texture and builds tension.

Practice this exercise:

Step 1: Think of 4 different guitar arpeggios to play one after the other. For example:

A minor
D major
B major
E major

Step 2: Play each arpeggio using a different number of strings and a different inversion for each pattern. For example:

A minor 2nd inversion (2 string pattern)
D major root position (3 string pattern)
B major 2nd inversion (5 string pattern)
E major root position (3 string pattern)

Step 3: Create 3-5 different variations for these guitar arpeggios, varying the number of strings (and inversion types) you use.

Want to learn more cool ways to play arpeggio licks all over the guitar? Download this free sweep picking guide to learn 25 more ways to use guitar arpeggios creatively.

Play Guitar Arpeggios Creatively - Idea #5. Tremolo Pick Some Notes Of The Arpeggio

This technique is incredibly intense and it transforms traditional guitar arpeggios into licks that sound aggressive, yet are very simple to play.  

Watch this guitar arpeggios video to learn how to easily combine tremolo with sweep picking:

Go through all the sweep picking guitar arpeggios you know and find ways to insert bits of tremolo picking into them. It doesn't matter which notes of the arpeggio you apply tremolo to - it is going to sound GREAT every time.
 

Play Guitar Arpeggios Creatively - Idea #6. Combine Arpeggios And Scales Together

Most guitar players practice guitar arpeggios separately from scales. Master guitar players can seamlessly combine arpeggios and scales into creative guitar licks that sound very melodic and emotional.

Watch this video to learn how to do this:

This skill helps you go beyond simply playing guitar arpeggios into integrating sweep picking with all your other techniques in a musical way.
 

Play Guitar Arpeggios Creatively - Idea #7. Use Different Rhythmic Values To Play The Same Arpeggio

Your arpeggio licks sound a lot cooler when you vary the rhythm of the notes. Combine 16^th notes (4 notes per beat), 16^th note triplets (6 notes per beat) and/or 32^nd notes (8 notes per beat) to add variety to the sound of your sweep picking.

Example:

Hear It

Notice how this lick seems to speed up and then slow down unexpectedly. This idea builds a lot of musical tension, even if you aren’t playing very fast.

Play Guitar Arpeggios Creatively - Idea #8. Integration & Variety

Variety is critical when you want to play guitar arpeggios creatively. Using any one idea too often sounds boring after awhile (no matter how cool it is). Practice integrating the ideas from this article in unpredictable ways. This is how you transform into a sweep picking master and impress all your friends.

Want to get 25 more arpeggio ideas just like this & make your sweep picking sound awesome? Download this free sweep picking eGuide to play guitar arpeggios creatively and become a more creative guitar player.