Turn Arpeggios Into Beautiful Melodies (Piano)

Melodic arpeggios let one hand play a melody and an arpeggio together: start the pattern on the chord's top note, then move that top note through the scale while the middle and low notes keep the arpeggio, and let the left-hand bass move too.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 12 min

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What this lesson teaches

In this lesson Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music shows a technique he calls melodic arpeggios: playing an arpeggio and bringing out a melody line at the same time, in the same hand. It is two parts for the price of one. The lesson suits pianists who already know a few common arpeggio patterns and want them to sound more original and song-like.

The example progression is E minor, G major, D major and A major (E G B, G B D, D F# A, A C# E), a set of chords with a brave, epic feel. The whole lesson focuses on what you can do with just the first chord, E minor, so you can then apply the same idea to the others.

Step 1: Choose a pattern that starts on the top note

The melody will live in the top note, so your arpeggio pattern should begin there. Two patterns are used:

• High, middle, low, middle
• High, low, middle, low

On E minor, the high note leads each group. Get comfortable with these patterns before changing anything.

Step 2: Know your scale

The melody moves within a scale, not randomly. Here the scale is E Dorian, which is like E natural minor with a raised sixth: E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D, E. That C# fits neatly with the A major chord in the progression.

Step 3: Float the top note

Keep playing your pattern, but let the top note move to different notes of E Dorian each time the pattern starts again. The middle and low notes keep the arpeggio feel, while the changing top notes spell out a tune. Move it as far as your hand can comfortably stretch; you will hit physical limits, and that is fine. A sample melodic line over E minor uses top notes such as B, D, C#, A, B, E, C#, D.

Because the top note is doing so much, you do not even need to change chord to create interest.

Step 4: Float the bass note

In the left hand, start on the chord root, E, which is also the tonic of the piece. Then move the bass to other notes of the scale while the right hand stays on E minor. Even changing only the bass makes the music more interesting. With the top note and the bass both floating, a single chord already starts to sound like a song.

Step 5: Add rhythm and accents

Combine this with techniques from earlier arpeggio lessons, such as accents, clave and Latin rhythms, subtraction arpeggios and pattern arpeggios. For example, use a 3+3+2 accented grouping: high, middle, low, high, middle, low, high, middle, counting 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2. Keep floating the high note at the start of each group and a melodic phrase appears straight away.

How to practise

1. Play E minor with high, middle, low, middle until it is steady.
2. Keep the left hand on E and float only the top note through E Dorian.
3. Then keep the right hand still and float only the bass diatonically.
4. Float both together.
5. Add an accent pattern such as 3+3+2.
6. Repeat the process with G major, D major and A major.

This is an approach rather than a fixed piece. Think about the story you want your composition to tell, and practise with the aim of making music and building a song rather than perfecting one exact version.

Questions about this lesson

What is a melodic arpeggio on piano?

It is an arpeggio pattern where the top note keeps changing through the scale, so one hand plays both the flowing chord and a melody line. The middle and low notes keep the arpeggio texture while the top note sings the tune.

Which arpeggio pattern works best for melodic arpeggios?

Use a pattern that begins on the top note, such as high, middle, low, middle or high, low, middle, low. Starting on the top note puts the melody in the most audible position.

What scale is used over E minor in this lesson?

E Dorian: E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D. It is like E natural minor with a raised sixth, and both the floating top note and the bass stay within it.

Do I need to change chords to make it sound like a song?

No. By floating the top note and moving the bass note diatonically, a single E minor chord can already sound like a complete musical idea.

Practise it

• Bass AlchemyKeep the upper notes in place while changing the bass.
• Melodic CurvesSketch a melodic contour, choose a scale and hear the line take shape.
• 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 Cascading Cluster Exercise: Cinematic Piano ArpeggiosThe Cascading Cluster exercise builds cinematic piano arpeggios by holding three adjacent notes as fixed pivots under the index, middle and ring fingers while the thumb, pinky or both float to new notes, played in groups of four (4/4) or up-and-down groups of six (6/8).
• How to Write a Melody on Piano Using ArpeggiosTo write a melody with piano arpeggios, choose chord inversions so the top note carries the tune, then break each chord into a pattern like high-middle-low-middle, adding accents, diatonic wandering notes and passing tones to make it memorable.
• The Easiest Way to Expand Your Piano Arpeggios: Octave Displaced ArpeggiosAn octave displaced arpeggio takes a simple low-middle-high-middle triad pattern and, every alternate time, plays the bottom note an octave higher (or the top note an octave lower), giving a four-note, guitar-like pattern from only three chord tones.
• Play Chords and Melody in One Hand: Passing Tones on PianoTo play chords and melody in one hand on piano, hold a triad and treat its top note as the melody, then move only that top note a step above or a step or half step below before returning home.