Rock in A minor (basic version) — arpeggios
The Am-Dm-G-C progression (i-iv-VII-III in A minor) played as arpeggios: each chord is picked note by note instead of strummed as a block, which mechanically slows down the change from one chord to the next compared with the strummed version of this same grid elsewhere in the catalogue. Arpeggiating also demands a steadier fretting hand: a badly pressed string is heard immediately note by note, whereas it might go unnoticed buried inside a strummed chord.
Tips
First play each chord as a strummed block to check it rings true, before arpeggiating it: the arpeggio mercilessly exposes a badly formed chord.
Keep a consistent string order (for example low to high) across the four chords rather than improvising a different order each time: this regularity of pattern is what makes it recognisable by ear.
Slow down the moment a note sounds muted or wrong: unlike strumming, arpeggiating doesn't forgive imprecise pressure on a single string.
Chord progression — Am
Chords
Related sheets
- call and response power riff — C (Level 4)
- Rock in D minor — syncopated muted strums (Level 4)
- String-skip zigzag riff — A# minor (Level 4)