Arpeggio facts for kids
An arpeggio is a musical term. It describes notes in a chord that are played one after the other. Instead of playing all notes at the same time, they are played in a quick sequence. Arpeggios can go up or down in pitch. Most often, they go from the lowest note to the highest.
The word arpeggio comes from Italian. It comes from the word arpeggiare. This means "to play on a harp". Harps are very good at playing notes in this "broken" way. This is why the name fits so well.
What is an Arpeggio?
An arpeggio is a type of broken chord. A broken chord means the notes are not played all at once. There are many different ways to play broken chords. Arpeggios are a common and important type.
Why Learn Arpeggios?
Learning to play musical instruments often includes practicing scales and arpeggios. These are basic skills for musicians. They are often part of music exams. This is true for piano and string instruments like violins.
Arpeggios are useful for playing many kinds of music. For example, the famous composer Bach used many arpeggios. His Prelude in C is a great example. Guitar players sometimes use arpeggios instead of strumming chords. Banjo players also use them a lot in their music.
Arpeggiated Chords
Sometimes, a composer wants a chord to be "spread out". This is called an "arpeggiated chord". It means the notes do not start at the exact same moment. This effect is also known as arpeggiato. In modern music, it is often called a rolled chord.
You can see an arpeggiated chord written in music. It has a wavy line in front of the chord. This line goes from the bottom note to the top. It shows that the notes should be played quickly, one after another. Usually, the notes are played from lowest to highest. Sometimes, composers like Béla Bartók ask for them to be played from top to bottom. This is shown with an arrow pointing down next to the wavy line.
Images for kids
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A hardware MIDI arpeggiator
See also
In Spanish: Arpegio para niños
