Drop D arpeggios — endurance in A New
On a power chord (root-fifth, no third), 'arpeggiating' doesn't mean plucking a full chord finger by finger like on an open chord: it means picking each note of the power chord (root, fifth, octave) individually, one after another with a pick — the 'gallop' technique so central to metal riffing. A fast version over the A grid (A5d, C5d, D5d), which demands real wrist endurance since every power chord is now played note by note instead of in one strummed motion.
Tips
If your endurance gives out after a few bars, drop the tempo: a clean, slow gallop always beats a fast, sloppy one.
Chord progression — A
Bar 1
A5d
i
Bar 2
A5d
i
Bar 3
C5d
III
Bar 4
A5d
i
Bar 5
D5d
iv
Bar 6
D5d
iv
Bar 7
A5d
i
Bar 8
A5d
i
Chords
Related sheets
- Wide exploration riff — D minor (Level 5)
- String-skip zigzag riff — D minor (Level 5)
- Drop D strumming — single accent in D (call and response) (Level 5)