Mastering Arpeggios for Jazz Violin, Cello, & Viola
A common problem for string players is mastering harmony on bowed string instruments. To master harmony on your instrument, you must first be comfortable with commonly used chords. Part of the solution is to master common 7th chords in all inversions, also known as practicing arpeggios for jazz violin, viola, or cello, in all keys.
The key to accomplishing this is in HOW you practice these arpeggios.
- Expand your vocabulary and ultimately improvise with greater comfort and ease.
- Internalize jazz arpeggios and improve your harmonic fluency.
- Contains all commonly used seventh chords are transcribed in all inversions in all twelve keys.
- Skill Level: All levels. Exercises lie within first position on the violin and viola.
The goal is to recognize voice-led relationships within common chord progressions.
Bowed string instruments can articulate some chords with double, triple, and quadruple stops. I recommend that you first learn to articulate the chords as arpeggios.
This practice is not only useful for studying Jazz.
Because the harmonic foundation you’ll gain from this practice will help you improvise, compose, and arrange in any musical style or situation.
For a more comprehensive method to master harmony on bowed string instruments, see the Harmony Handbook
Most classically trained string players are capable of quickly recalling root position arpeggios, but…
To improvise over a chord progression, one must be able to instantly recall chords from the root, 3rd, 5th, and/or 7th. The lack of ability to recall chords from any inversion is one of the biggest blocks to mastering harmony for classically trained players.
To overcome this block, I prescribe studying chords, arpeggios, and accompanying scales in specific ways. I lay this out clearly for you in the forward of the arpeggios workbook. The workbook then lays out all arpeggios in all keys and all clefs (cello, viola, violin) in three forms:
1) Root position
2) Extended range
3) All inversions in extended range
Here is a video that demonstrates how to find the arpeggios in all three forms.
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By reading from the workbook, you’ll get the arpeggios under your fingers quickly.
With time you’ll be able to get off the page. I recommend you both read from the page and work without the notation.
Mastering arpeggios and scales in the right way is crucial to learning how to learn to improvise in tonal music.
It’s all about fundamentals.
Happy Practicing!
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- Expand your vocabulary and ultimately improvise with greater comfort and ease.
- Internalize jazz arpeggios and improve your harmonic fluency.
- Contains all commonly used seventh chords are transcribed in all inversions in all twelve keys.
- Skill Level: All levels. Exercises lie within first position on the violin and viola.
