Guitar Arpeggios and Playing Two or More Notes Together
If you already understand how to hold your guitar, tune your guitar, name the parts of your guitar and you understand the basics, the next step would be to learn about accompaniments and arpeggios.
In music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with a soloist or ensemble. The person or group of persons who plays the melody is known as the lead. The accompaniment supports the lead by repeating certain sections of measures which correspond with the melody such as:
An arpeggio sounds like something difficult doesn't it? Well, it isn't. If you can play a G chord, you can play an arpeggio. An arpeggio is simply playing the notes of a chord one right after another rather than playing them all together with a strum. If you find a series of notes that go up the scale and then down and are evenly spaced, chances are you've found an arpeggio.
To play an arpeggio, simply find the notes in the chord and place your finger on the strings that correspond to the notes. Then play each string individually allowing each note to sound before moving on to the next one. You should keep your finger and thumb off the string when you're not playing it so that it can ring. Below you can see an example of an arpeggio:
You can practice arpeggios on any chord. Try playing a G chord note by note and you'll be playing an arpeggio. Play an E chord the same way. Now practice playing arpeggio's from the high note in the chord to the low note and vice versa. This will accoustom you to the chord structures and help you improve your ear.
Playing Two Notes Together
When you see two notes in sheet music that are directly on top of another, they are to be played simultaneously. This has been named two part harmony. You can play two notes together by using a pick and finding the two notes to be played and striking both strings quickly. You can also play them by using your thumb and finger to pluck both strings at the same time.
Playing More Than Two Notes Together
If you play more than two notes together, you are playing a chord. A fancy name for a chord is a "triad" which means "three notes." To play a guitar chord, simply find the top string of the chord and strum to the bottom string quickly so that all notes sound together.