There are a number of ways for a guitarist to play a chord that can have a significant impact on how the listener is affected by the song. All of the notes in the chord do not have to be played simultaneously, which is the typical method of playing chords. The term “broken chords” covers various other methods that a guitarist can use to present a chord.

“Arpeggios” are a very similar idea, to the point the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Generally, a broken chord lets the notes of the chord ring together, while an arpeggio plays the notes of the chord separately.

Broken Chords

Broken chords are most often used for slower, mellower rhythm guitar work. This is not necessarily the only use of broken chords, but it is the most common usage. There can be a good amount of variance in how slowly the individual notes are introduced. The example below shows three different methods of playing a broken chord, each of which gives a distinctly different tone. Each method uses the exact same open Am chord, but sounds quite different.

Example 1: Standard 'A minor' chord, and three broken chord versions

Ever pick up a piece of sheet music and wish that you could hear the notes on the page? Working on ear training can be frustrating if you can’t hear the melody and don’t know how to pick it out on a keyboard. Noteflight’s online notation software can help you develop your ear training skills whether you are a beginning musician, a music educator, or a professional.

Sign up for Noteflight’s free account at Noteflight.com. Once you have registered, you have a virtual music program at your fingertips. Not only does Noteflight give you the tools to create original music and your own ear training exercises, it gives you social networking capabilities through Facebook and Twitter. You can even set up a profile to share your work with the world. Noteflight provides you with HTML code to post your scores and exercises on your own personal blog or website and allows you to export your files as audio and MIDI files.

Picking out a melody

Use Noteflight’s simple interface to input a melody for easy playback. Click to read the rest…

As I mentioned in my previous article, How to Approach Ear Training, my current approach to practicing ear training is modeled around my same approach to practicing my instrument. Whatever your instrument is, you know the importance of a warm-up routine. Besides the obvious intention of getting “warmed-up,” as in a mental and physical preparation for playing, one of the great advantages of a well-structured routine is the application of fundamentals.

For example, my primary instrument is the trombone and I have focused my warm-up routine on fundamentals of brass playing. The idea here is to get as much out of these exercises that I can and, furthermore, to choose exercises that will benefit multiple aspects of my playing. When I go to practice the trombone, I start by playing on just the mouthpiece, without the rest of the instrument and all the extra stuff it requires me to think about. Besides being an excellent way of getting all the facial muscles involved with playing warmed-up and ready to play, it’s also probably the most vital exercise for tone control, tone quality, flexibility and range. It’s a chance to focus on the very basics of brass playing. I could go on through my other warm-up exercises, but you get the idea. This same tactic, though, can be applied to ear training.

Practise listening to long notes to warm up your ears