3 Beautiful Piano Arpeggio Patterns (for Any Genre)

Three go-to piano arpeggio patterns are low-middle-high-middle (LMHM), high-middle-low-middle (HMLM) and high-low-middle-low (HLML), played as eighth notes in the right hand over close chord inversions while the left hand plays the root of each chord.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Beginner · 15 min

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What this lesson teaches

An arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time instead of all at once. It gives your harmony a flowing, almost melodic quality. In this lesson Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music shows three arpeggio patterns that work for beginners, intermediate and advanced players alike, and that fit almost any style.

Everything is practised over one four-chord progression: E minor, G major, D major and A major. This progression can be heard as following the E Dorian scale, the second mode of D major, and Jason points to well-known rock songs such as Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Mad World that use this sound.

Step 1: Voice the chords close together

Before arpeggiating, play the chords as inversions so your right hand barely moves between them. Keep common notes where they are.

• E minor: E G B
• G major: D G B (move only your thumb down from E to D; G and B stay)
• D major: D F# A (D is the common note)
• A major: E A C# (slide the thumb up to E, keep A, and use the ring finger for C#)

Knowing several ways to play each chord makes shifting much quicker and smoother, whether you play block chords or arpeggios.

Step 2: Feel the pulse and play double

The pulse is how you and your listeners count and move to the song. At a minimum, arpeggios are played at double the pulse: count one and two and three and four and, playing one note on every number and every and.

Step 3: Learn the three patterns

Each pattern is simply an ordering of the chord's three notes: low (L), middle (M) and high (H). Each forms a loop of four notes. Here they are on E minor (E G B):

1. LMHM: low, middle, high, middle, which gives E G B G.
2. HMLM: high, middle, low, middle, which gives B G E G. You start at the top, go down, then come back up.
3. HLML: high, low, middle, low, which gives B E G E. This one is a personal favourite of Jason's.

Once a pattern feels comfortable on E minor, apply the same ordering to G, D and A using the inversions above.

Step 4: Add the left hand

Keep the left hand simple. Play the root of each chord, the note that names it: E for E minor, G for G major, D for D major and A for A major. Octaves of the root work well. Avoid adding a busy rhythm and let the right-hand arpeggio do the work.

Hand posture and touch

• If you can, hold down the first note of each pattern (for example the high note in HMLM) so it sustains. Beginners may lift it, but avoid a short, choppy, staccato sound.
• Keep your fingers rounded and touching the key surface. Don't let them flatten out or hover randomly in the air.
• Don't let your wrist drop, and try to look like the professional pianists you admire.
• There is no compulsory fingering. The best fingers depend on the next chord, so experiment.

How to practise

Start slowly with a steady pulse and repeat until the motion becomes mechanical and automatic, so you could play it any time of day without thinking. Then:

• Hum, sing or compose a melody over the arpeggios, or sing an existing song that fits the progression.
• Play with dynamics and character rather than at one flat volume.
• Work on coordinating both hands and changing inversions cleanly before moving on.

Questions about this lesson

What do LMHM, HMLM and HLML mean in piano arpeggios?

They describe the order you play the three notes of a chord: L is the low note, M the middle and H the high. On E minor (E G B), LMHM is E G B G, HMLM is B G E G, and HLML is B E G E.

How fast should I play arpeggio notes?

At a minimum, play them at double the pulse, one note on each beat and one on each 'and'. Start slowly with a steady pulse and speed up only once the motion is automatic.

What should my left hand play with these arpeggios?

Keep it simple by playing the root of each chord, such as E under E minor or G under G major, often as an octave. Let the right-hand arpeggio carry the rhythm.

Is there a fixed fingering for these arpeggio patterns?

No. Fingering depends on which chord comes next, so try different finger combinations, keep your fingers rounded and on the keys, and hold the first note of the pattern if you can.

Practise it

• Pop LessonsPractice companions for Jason Zac’s pop piano lessons: octave fillers, chord changes and inversions in every key.
• Chord RandomizerGenerate a chord progression, choose how simple or colourful the harmony should be, and practise it at your own tempo.
• Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
• All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.

Related lessons

• The Daily Piano Chord Exercise: Climbing Inversions With Many Rhythm PatternsThis daily piano drill moves three-note chord shapes up and down the keyboard in C major, then plays them as block chords, broken chords, arpeggios and a broken-arpeggio combo, across different speeds, time signatures, syncopated hand patterns and finally in the left hand.
• The Only Left-Hand Piano Arpeggio You Need (Works on Any Song)Play each left-hand chord as low, high, middle, high in steady eighth notes (two cycles per bar), use inversions so the chords move smoothly, and then improvise a right-hand melody using chord tones, the pentatonic scale, singing, or small scale shapes.
• The Chord Progression Behind Hundreds of Songs (Pachelbel's Canon)The Pachelbel's Canon progression in D major is D, A, Bm, F#m, G, D, G (or Em/G), A, which is I–V–vi–iii–IV–I–IV (or ii)–V. On piano you invert each right-hand chord so the violin melody note sits on top, then arpeggiate it with a high–low–middle–low pattern.
• Piano Ballad Accompaniment: Block Chords, Broken Chords and Arpeggios (Creep Progression)To accompany a ballad on piano, play the I–III–IV–iv progression (G–B–C–Cm in G major) with smooth inversions in the right hand as block chords, broken chords or 16th-note arpeggios, while the left hand plays root octaves as whole notes, minims, toggles or soft ghost-note eighths.