arpeggios book

[drewgrass]

a month ago i started using, the tim o'brien arpeggio's to warm up with. they have vastly improved, my fretboard knowledge and dexterity. im looking at joseph brents scales and arpeggios book. and ive heard getting into jazz mandolin has some good arp workouts. ive checked out ffcp but ive been working through bluegrass up the neck. so i was going to wait until im done before i move on to that. i am into straight ahead bluegrass. i love jazz and played alot of finger style jazz guitar in school, and i have a good knowledge of jazz and theory. i know i can apply ffcp to anything bluegrass etc.and its something ive planned on getting into at a later time. but at the moment i want some good arpeggio workouts that are musical like the o'brien ones. so which way would you go any recommendations would be welcome thanks to all.

[Geoff]

I recently recieved the Chris Thile instructional DVD for Christmas. He goes over some arpeggio excercises in it. They are a little classical oriented but seem highly useful. He also has some very up the neck scale patterns that are taken from a violin excercise book. The arpeggio excercises include inversion arpeggios and are arranged in very musical patterns. He goes over the key of G on the DVD, but you can print out sheet music from the disc in notation and tablature that includes the keys of A and B. The exercises are 47 measures of up and down the neck each. I might look into the Tim O'brien book you're talking about. It seems like a good investment also.

[drewgrass]

. I might look into the Tim O'brien book you're talking about. It seems like a good investment also.[/QUOTE]

hey geoff its a free exercise at mandozine here is the link. http://www.mandozine.com/index.php/t...ens_arpeggios/

[Geoff]

Oh awesome and thank you. I did realize after I posted that you never actually said that you had a Tim O'brien book, I'll look at that link right away.

[drewgrass]

bumpity.

does anyone mind commenting on the arpeggio exercises in getting into jazz mandolin

[pickloser]

GiJM's first scale exercises also have some arpeggio work, but the main arpeggio exercises come fairly early in the book. Major 7, dom 7, min 7, and min 6 arpeggios, using various fingerings are given. I appreciate that the exercises run thru all keys and the arpeggios are not all lowest note to highest and then back down. This non-linear approach to the arpeggio exercises is what, I think, makes GiJM's superior to other "arpeggio exercises" I have tried out. I do think, based on purely personal experience, that one's first arpeggio exercises should be more in the style of the Tim O'Brian warmup--straight major scale arpeggios, played fairly straight high to low and back. I was struggling mightily with GiJM arpeggios, until I decided to cool my jets and get the Tim O' arpeggios coming out of my mando well, before I worked thru the GiJM exercises. After working on the ToB arpeggios thru the circle of fifths, the GiJM exercises came much more easily, and I better recognized which chord tone I was on as I played them.

I was (still am, really) fairly new to mandolin when I started GiJM, I thought the arpeggio exercises were difficult to get under the fingers. I can run them with some fluency now, and I believe this work has advanced my technique such that the work was very worth it. I am more apt to recognize arpeggio patterns in tunes I want to learn, and I am more able to use arpeggios in making up my own versions of tunes and breaks.

With your jazz background, GiJM in general and the arpeggios in particular will probably pose no mental challenge to you, but your fingers are in for a real workout.

Best of luck with your playing!

[Clamdigger]

Thanks Drewgrass. Big help. Clamdigger

[Geoff]

I've just been looking at the arpeggio exercises from the Chris Thile DVD again. They are very melodic sounding and would be very useful if they could played as second nature. The pattern goes up and down the follwing arpeggios in succession: Gm, GM, Em 1st inv., CM 2nd inv., Cm 2nd inv., diminished, G7. When played fast it sounds a little like a classical etude. There is also the notation/tabs for the same exercise starting with Am.

[JonZ]

Could someone post a reference to where the Tim O'Brien arps can be obtained?

[GVD]

Could someone post a reference to where the Tim O'Brien arps can be obtained?

drewgrass did just that in post #3.

[pickloser]

Here's the document.

[gmando]

Mike Marshall's finger busters are another good resource in this vein...it's kind of like boot camp for your fingers...but worth it...

[chasgrav]

Here's a little tip regarding the Tim O'Brien arpeggios (or any other online tab):

Copy and paste it into a word-processor. Increase the font size, and make it bold before printing. It's a lot easier on old eyes like mine.

Keep it in a folder or binder, and make it part of your daily warm-up routine. They really do improve your dexterity and knowledge of the fretboard!

[chasgrav]

Whoops, should have looked at Pickloser's post before commenting.

Bold face does make it easier, though!

[chasgrav]

bumpity.

does anyone mind commenting on the arpeggio exercises in getting into jazz mandolin

I'm working with Ted's book now, and enjoy it a lot. It's very challenging, and I'm taking my time with it.

There are a few threads and also a 'Social Group' devoted to the subject, and you should be able to find lots of commentary there.