Arpeggio

Arpeggio ( Pl: arpeggios ) is the musical term for a chord, in which the individual tones are sounded ( at short intervals ) not simultaneously but sequentially. It also speaks of a broken, or dissolved chord.

Definition and sound

The word derives from arpa, Italian for harp, from, therefore, means literally, the chord should be played " harp- like" as on a harp. When the arpeggio not advertised, that is listed in exact note values ​​, it is indicated by a vertical line in front of the snake to arpeggios chord.

" Arpeggiated " or " arpeggiando " In a broader sense means a form of accompaniment in music theory: The accompaniment is done not by independent contrapuntal voices and also does not consist of homophonic accompaniment chords, but out in eighth or sixteenth consequences, often dotted, split chords. This is achieved by a greater density of events in the company, and thus a dense acting music theory. This form of monitoring was extremely popular in the early classical period.

History

The arpeggio originally belonged, such as the trill to the musical embellishments that were not fixed by the composer but left to the taste and skill of the musician. In 1500, the first hints of embellishments are occupied by characters. Specifications of the sign of the execution took place in the 18th century, notably by François Couperin and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

More recently, the combined electric guitarists to achieve higher game speeds often the arpeggio with the stop technique Economy Picking ( Sweeping ). In electronic music, such as synthesizers, an arpeggiator is used to record an arpeggio, which can then be played back with a stop or signal. In the early video game music and the consequential Chiptune fast arpeggios are often used due to the limited number of sound channels, and have thus become for many people the acoustic symbol of this genre.