WORMHOLE GUITAR | Binary Arpeggios

Example 1: Am | E

Example 2: Am | Ebm

Example 3: Am | Bm

What about it?

A “binary arpeggio,” as I’m calling it, is a pattern created by interweaving the tones of two complimentary or opposing chords. The first note of the sequence belongs to the primary chord, the second note to the secondary chord, and so on. The concept is simple, but there are multiple ways to realize such frameworks. In Examples 1 and 2 the facing chords are represented by toggling between their root notes, then thirds and fifths. Example 3, on the other hand, shuffles the chord tones into a more complex root¹- fifth², root² – fifth³, third¹ – third² distribution. Note also that the chords which are paired may be diatonically related as in Example 1 (A minor) and Example 3 (F major) or harmonically at odds as in Example 2.

Why bother?

As with previous Wormhole Guitar material like Compound Arpeggios No. 1, the binary shapes provide unusual fingerings which makes them valuable as exercises. Run these patterns on loop to a metronome observing the picking notations and watch your technique develop. But of course the more important function of the concept is to spark creativity. Stuck in a writing rut? Do your new riffs sound like third-rate Jimmy Page? Try to intertwine some logically connected or wildly disparate chords and marvel at the unique sounds.

WORMHOLE GUITAR | Compound Arpeggios No. 1

Compound Arpeggios No. 1

What about it?

“Compound Arpeggios No. 1,” as the name suggests, comprises a series of arpeggios glued together, a confluence of patterns which yields distinctive results, both melodically and in terms of fretboard execution. The chords outlined here are linked up based on neck geography: The last note of the first shape (Gm) is a half step away from the first note of the next shape (B) and so on. This mechanical closeness is what adjacent chords have in common, as opposed to being unified by key. Taken as a whole, then, the pattern is tonally ambiguous, lacking a gravitational center. If you dig in, however, you’ll notice that alternating chords go together: Gm, F and Am (chords 1, 3, 5 in the sequence) all belong to the key of F major; B, F# and G#m (chords 2, 4, 6) belong to F# major. This internal logic keeps the thing from sounding entirely chaotic.

Why bother?

First of all, these two measures function as an exercise. If you’re one who practices arpeggios, chances are that you’ve worked with straightforward major or minor triad-based patterns. Those sound great and are easy to apply. But here we have material with peculiar twists and turns which melds chords in various inversions. The unfamiliarity of the structures will make the music more challenging to perform at first. And honing dexterity never hurt any guitarist. Next—and more importantly—compounding arpeggios as a concept is meant to make you think outside the confines of standard guitar procedure. We’ve all heard those guitarists who out of habit—though dazzlingly—trot out the same old sweep patterns in solo after solo, which is ultimately as interesting as wallpaper. The idea is to get creative and fashion new patterns that work inside the music you’re playing. What’s more, the concept can be applied to composing ear-twisting riffs or unearthly melodies. This theory, by the way, was inspired by Nicolas Slonimsky’s mammoth Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns. 

A note on picking: There are multiple ways to approach this example; the indicated pattern employs a combination of alternate and directional (sweep) picking.

Click here to download a PDF of “Compound Arpeggios No. 1.”

Wormhole Guitar is a journey through time and/or space. Maybe.