Thursday, July 20, 2017

Combining 'Sym-Ex.' Major 7th Arpeggios

The image above shows the two Symmetrically Extended Major 7th arpeggios, each in two different forms. On the left you see the IV/II in the middle voicing (purple) overlapping the upper I/VI (yellow). On the right the middle voicing I/VI (blue) overlaps the IV/II upper voicing (orange).

If you were playing this in the key of C, with "II" placed on the 5th fret of the 5th string, the form on the left could be written:

In the key of Eb, the form on the right would be positioned with "VI" on the 3rd fret of the 5th string:

Keep in mind that the Roman numerals in the diagrams indicate the key degrees of each arpeggio. These numerals remain the same for every key. Since there are two identical Extended Major 7th arpeggios (or minor 11ths) in each key, the only way to determine their relative positions is to decide which is the I/VI and which is the IV/II.

Also, notice that these arpeggios happen within specific "Zones" as detailed in my book "Fretography."

Another interesting combination is the lower forms with the upper forms of the same scale degree:
Here, you'll see that in the lower forms — rooted in the 6th string — both the I/VI and the IV/II are connected to the upper forms in the same geometry. 

We'll place the first grouping in the key of C as shown in the notation above. The next, we'll put in the key of G, as per the notation below:

Look carefully at the notes in both above examples. You'll notice they are the same. But their context it different within the key and will result in different possibilities in each depending on the additional chords and riffs in a particular piece of music.

Here's what they sound like ...

 (Low A minor 11th Arpeggio - ascending and descending) 


 (High A minor 11th Arpeggio - ascending and descending) 

Because this form can exist in an identical form within two different tonal contexts, it is a dynamic bit of riffage to have in your vocabulary.


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