Arpeggio
A maj
Major
- Formula
- 1 3 5
- Notes
- A C♯ E
Notation
Fretboard — frets 0–24
Degrees
| Degree | Note | Interval | Semitones | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | perfect unison | 0 | The root — the tonal centre every other note is heard against; land on it and the sound resolves. |
| 3 | C♯ | major third | 4 | The major third — the bright note that makes a quality major; it defines the chord's colour and pulls gently toward the root. |
| 5 | E | perfect fifth | 7 | The perfect fifth — the root's strongest companion; it anchors every triad and stacked-seventh quality. |
About this arpeggio
The major triad is the most stable sound in Western music: a root, a major third and a perfect fifth stacked into one bright, unambiguous chord. Everything else in this dictionary is measured against it — the third supplies the major colour, the fifth anchors it, and the root makes it land. Because it contains no seventh, it works over almost any style, from folk strumming to jazz comping, and it is the shape most other qualities grow from. Arpeggiated, it teaches your fingers the three points of the chord before extensions blur the picture. Listen for the moment the third meets the root: that wide, open interval is what major means.
How to practise this arpeggio
- Pluck the three notes one at a time and let each ring before playing the next.
- Play the triad in every position, then connect two neighbouring positions without a gap.
- Improvise a short phrase using only these three notes over a major vamp.
- Once it feels easy, arpeggiate it in triplets with a metronome at a slow tempo.