Rock in E minor (variant) — arpeggios
The same Em-Am-D-G grid as the chord-change variant — a vi-ii-V-I in G major — but picked note by note instead of strummed. Two demands overlap: picking-hand accuracy, string after string, and holding each chord shape fully in place for the length of its arpeggio, so the notes overlap and you hear a harmony rather than a slow scale. The open chords help: Em and G leave open strings ringing on their own while you pick the next ones.
Tips
Place the whole chord before the first note and keep every finger down until the next change.
Change chord only on the very last note of the current arpeggio.
One note per string; don't re-strike the highest note when the arpeggio turns around.
Understanding this type of exercise
Em-Am-D-G in arpeggios
Each chord of the loop is spread out note by note. Let it ring, keep the fingers down, change chord on the last note of the arpeggio.
Chord progression — Em
Chords
The same exercise in other keys
Related sheets
- Rock in D (Drop D II) — fingerstyle (Level 4)
- String skipping (Level 4)
- Full round trip riff — C# minor (Level 4)