OK, here's the next step of the "Universal Mandolin Scale" theory.

Arpeggios!


|-5-|---|-6-|---|-7-|-R-|---|---|---| z
|-R-|---|-2-|---|-3-|-4-|---|---|---| y
|-4-|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|-7-|---|---| x
|---|-7-|-R-|---|-2-|---|-3-|---|---| w
|---|-3-|-4-|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|---| v
|---|-6-|---|-7-|-R-|---|-2-|---|---| u
|---|-2-|---|-3-|-4-|---|-5-|---|---| t
|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|-7-|-R-|---|---| s
|---|-R-|---|-2-|---|-3-|-4-|---|---| r
|---|-4-|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|-7-|---| q
|---|---|-7-|-R-|---|-2-|---|-3-|---| p
|---|---|-3-|-4-|---|-5-|---|-6-|---| o
|---|---|-6-|---|-7-|-R-|---|-2-|---| n
|---|---|-2-|---|-3-|-4-|---|-5-|---| m
|---|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|-7-|-R-|---| L
|---|---|-R-|---|-2-|---|-3-|-4-|---| k

This time I labeled the strings with letters k through z. I started at k 
so we wouldn't have any confusion with the note names A to G.
Notice that string k has exactly the same fingering as string r and
string y. It's just that r and y are each shifted down one fret.

Now look at the numbering of the scale tones. Notice that there is a 
first finger position for every scale tone from R to 7. If you look 
further then you'll see that there is a 2nd finger position for every scale 
tone from R to 7, there's also a 3rd finger position for every scale tone
and a 4th finger position for each scale tone.

So let's start playing arpeggios. For our first arpeggio we'll do a very 
simple Major 7th arpeggio. The formula for a Maj7th is Root, Major 3rd, 
5th, and Maj 7th. Or R, 3, 5, 7 from the standard major scale. Let's
play it in the key of A so we'll use the 2nd fret of the low G string as 
our root. Now we simply play the R, 3, 5, and 7 notes in the scale.

To cover the first 2 strings we would have this :

|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|---|-5-|---|---|---|-7-|---|---| 
|---|-R-|---|---|---|-3-|---|---| 

However, we have 2 more strings so let's go ahead and play a 2 octave 
arpeggio.

|---|---|---|-7-|-R-|---|---|---| 
|---|---|---|-3-|---|---|-5-|---| 
|---|-5-|---|---|---|-7-|-R-|---| 
|---|-R-|---|---|---|-3-|---|---| 

Now, we not only know a 2 octave arpeggio for a Major 7th chord but we 
also have learned a Maj7th arpeggio position with the root on the first 
finger AND another one with the root on the 4th finger.

As an exercise you should try to build a 4 string, 2 octave arpeggio 
in the key of C (5th fret of the bottom string) with the root starting 
on the 3rd finger. You should end up playing the first 4 note arpeggio 
with the root starting on the 3rd finger and the next 4 string arpeggio 
will start on the 2nd.


Dominant 7th Arpeggios:

A Dominant 7th Arpeggio is made up of Root, 3rd, 5th, b7th. We can 
build this arpeggio in one of 2 ways. We can either play the same 
arpeggio we played above and flat the 7th OR we can use the musical 
theory of "modes". Remember from the scale lesson that there is 
a different mode built off of each scale tone. The modes are listed 
this way:

Root Ionian Major 7th CMaj7
2nd Dorian Minor 7th Dm7
3rd Phrygian Minor 7th Em7
4th Lydian Major 7th FMaj7
5th Mixolydian Dominant 7th G7
6th Aeolian Minor 7th Am7
7th Locrian Minor7th b5 B m7 b5

Looking at the Mixolydian mode (based off of the 5th scale tone) we 
see that it produces a Dominant 7th chord (which is what we want to 
build). Here's what that all means in a nutshell. It means that if 
we want to build a dominant 7th chord or arpeggio (and in this example 
let's say we want to do it in the key of C) then we just find a scale who's
5th scale tone is C. HOWEVER, to make it easier than that we just 
look at the big scale and place any of the "5's" on a C. Then we take 
every other scale tone and we have a C7th chord/arpeggio. The C on 
the bottom string is on the 5th fret so let's lay a scale on the fingerboard
with the 5 on a C note.

|---|---|-2-|---|-3-|-4-|---|-5-|---|---| 
|---|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|-7-|-R-|---|---| 
|---|---|-R-|---|-2-|---|-3-|-4-|---|---| 
|---|---|-4-|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|-7-|---| 

Call the 5th note the "root" of our dominant 7th chord and just take 
every other note to make the c7th arpeggio

|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|-2-|---|---|-4-|---|---| 
|---|---|---|---|-5-|---|---|---|-7-|---| 

But it's no longer the 5th of a scale, it's now the root of the scale 
with a flatted 7th. That makes our new arpeggio look like this:

|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|-5-|---|---|b7-|---|---| 
|---|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|-3-|---| 

Guess what? This is exactly the same as our Major 7th arpeggio but with 
the 7th flatted by one half step.

To do a 2 octave arpeggio we take our scale with the "5" placed on a C 
note again

|---|---|-2-|---|-3-|-4-|---|-5-|---|---| 
|---|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|-7-|-R-|---|---| 
|---|---|-R-|---|-2-|---|-3-|-4-|---|---| 
|---|---|-4-|---|-5-|---|-6-|---|-7-|---| 

And we take every other note in each octave starting at the "5" note. 
AND we renumber them to represent a dominant 7th arpeggio

|---|---|-5-|---|---|b7-|---|-R-|---|---| 
|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|-3-|---|---|---| 
|---|---|---|---|-5-|---|---|b7-|---|---| 
|---|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|---|-3-|---| 

Before I sign off let's quickly build a minor 7th arpeggio. That would 
be the same as our dominant 7th arpeggio with a flatted 3rd.

|---|---|-5-|---|---|b7-|---|-R-|---|---| 
|---|---|-R-|---|---|b3-|---|---|---|---| 
|---|---|---|---|-5-|---|---|b7-|---|---| 
|---|---|---|---|-R-|---|---|b3-|---|---| 

Well, that's a lot of stuff to think about. But if you start playing 
with the big scale as it relates to modes and arpeggios I think you'll 
find that this opens up your understanding of the entire fingerboard.

Next time, how to use this same big scale to construct extended chords
and arpeggios (9ths, 11th, 13th chords).