One question I frequently get asked is “how do I make arpeggios sound like jazz?”

This article presents 5 jazz guitar arpeggio rhythmic studies that have helped the students I teach use arpeggios to ‘sound like jazz’.

The most important concept to explore with any new chord, arpeggio, or scale is rhythm which is the prime focus in each of these 5 jazz guitar arpeggio studies.

This lesson features 5 different examples in notation, tab and audio to help you integrate some jazz rhythms when practicing arpeggios and better your jazz improv chops.

Each exercise can be applied to any type of arpeggio, such as major, minor, dominant.

Each exercise is in the key of C and based around the same position of the fretboard.

Try to practice each of the arpeggio studies in all 12 keys, applied on different areas of the neck as well as to the tunes and progressions that you are working on.

Jazz Guitar Arpeggio Study 1

Syncopation is a big part of jazz which is why this first jazz guitar arpeggio studies example demonstrates the rhythmic idea of starting a phrase on an up beat of the bar.

Another way that you can sound musical when improvising with arpeggios is by starting on a different note besides the root. This exercise demonstrates starting on the 7th of the arpeggio.

Arp Ex 1

Jazz Guitar Arpeggio Study 2

Triplets are frequently used by jazz musicians to add interest to scales, arpeggios, chords, and licks.

Jazz guitar arpeggio studies 2 uses the same harmony as the first example with different rhythms which proves how much mileage can be obtained from a phrase by changing it rhythmically.

Arp Ex 1

Jazz Guitar Arpeggio Study 3

The next example examines a common jazz rhythm which also demonstrates how a triplet can be used.

Jazz guitar arpeggio studies 3 combines the two techniques shown in the first two examples; starting on an off beat and using a triplet to add interest to an arpeggio.

Practice alternating between the rhythms discussed so far using 1 single arpeggio type such major 7, then go through each rhythm.

Arp Ex 3

Jazz Guitar Arpeggio Study 4

This next example features a common rhythm used by players such as Wes Montgomery that is particular effective to use with descending arpeggios.

Pay attention to the fingering on the minor arpeggio on the B and G strings.

Arp Ex 4

Jazz Guitar Arpeggio Study 5

Here is a melodic pattern to finish off this jazz guitar arpeggios studies.

This jazz guitar arpeggio pattern starts with a triad pattern and finishes on the 7th of the arpeggio.

Unlike the other patterns, the exercise is only 1 bar, but you could easily reverse it to make it a two bar phrase.

Arp Ex 5

Once you can play each pattern from memory over the different arpeggio chord types try to mix and match the patterns together to create lines.

The example below shows how you can form a line using two examples from the studies.

Jazz Guitar Arpeggio Studies ii V I Lick

Each of the previous arpeggio studies might sound a little incomplete in its own right so I have included a lick to show you how that can sound fuller and more musical in the content of a full line.

This ii V I lick is totally based of arpeggios and uses all the material discussed in the article over a common jazz progression.

The lick starts with the pattern found in the 4th exercise which is followed by the second pattern reversed.

The lick finishes off with the second pattern again, only this time it’s ascending.

ii V I lick

Further Practice

Once you can play each one of the arpeggio studies, start to look at adding chromatic approach notes to arpeggios and eventually jazz guitar enclosures.

Practicing arpeggios in simpler rhythms such as quarter notes is recommended for technical study such as mapping out arpeggios over the neck, but different rhythms should be practiced as soon as the fingering is memorized.