The first-position arpeggios · From Zero to Mozart

Here are the arpeggios to know now — the broken chords of the keys you're playing. Each is just ^1 – ^3 – ^5 – ^8 of the scale, and each uses a clean first-position shape.

G, D and A major

72 bpm

G major arpeggio: open G, high 2 (B), open D, 3rd finger (G). One string crossing, in the middle.

72 bpm

D major arpeggio: open D, high 2 (F♯), open A, 3rd finger (D). Two open strings — it rings.

72 bpm

A major arpeggio: open A, high 2 (C♯), open E, 3rd finger (A). The same shape as G and D, moved to the top two strings.

Notice they're the same shape: open string, high 2, next open string, 3rd finger. Learn it once, move it across.

C major and E minor

68 bpm

C major arpeggio: C (3rd finger, G string), E (1st, D string), G (3rd, D string), C (low 2, A string). No open strings — it needs a careful ear.

68 bpm

E minor arpeggio: E (1st, D string), G (3rd, D string), B (1st, A string), E (open E). A minor 3rd on the bottom (E–G) instead of a major — that's what makes it minor.

Two octaves — the same shape twice

The two-octave G major arpeggio runs the first-position shape once on the G/D strings, then again on the A/E strings:

80 bpm

Two-octave G major arpeggio, all first position. G–B–D–G on the lower strings, then B–D–G on the upper — the same skip pattern, one octave up.

Try it

Try

Play the G major arpeggio up and down, four times, slowly, listening for the ring on the two open strings and the two G's. Then do the same for D major (even more resonant). Then C major — no open strings, so use your ear hard. Arpeggios are where you find out whether your 3rd finger really knows where G lives.

The usual mistake

Rushing the skips because they feel harder than steps, and landing the 3rd finger short (flat) after a jump. The notes of an arpeggio are further apart than a scale's, so the hand travels more — go slower here, not faster, and check each landing against the open strings. The other mistake: a bumpy bow at the string crossing in the middle. Keep the bow arm moving smoothly across; the crossing should be seamless, not a lurch.