This is where your arpeggio playing starts to really come alive. I'm introducing a 16th-note cycling pattern over the E minor jam track, a fast, repeating lick that loops the arpeggio shape in a continuous stream of notes. You'll also realise in this lesson that everything you need for arpeggios comes down to just two shapes, minor and major, and once you've got those, you can move them anywhere on the neck. That's when it starts to feel like you've got an endless vocabulary at your fingertips. I even think it reminds you a little bit of Sultans of Swing, which just goes to show how transferable these skills are.

What You'll Learn

•       A 16th-note cycling arpeggio pattern and how to count it

•       How economy picking makes the cycling pattern flow automatically

•       The two shapes, minor and major, that unlock arpeggios anywhere on the neck

•       How to move between minor and major triads by shifting just one finger

•       How the cycling lick translates beyond metal into other styles

In Detail

A 16th-note cycling arpeggio pattern and how to count it

The cycling pattern runs four repetitions of the arpeggio shape per bar in a 16th-note subdivision, one-e-and-a, two-e-and-a, three-e-and-a, four-e-and-a. I count it out clearly and demonstrate it at progressively faster speeds so you can hear how it transforms from a practice exercise into a fluid, exciting lick. Once it's under your fingers you'll be reaching for it constantly.

How economy picking makes the cycling pattern flow automatically

The cycling pattern finishes on an up-pick, which puts the pick in exactly the right position to start the next repetition with a downstroke. This is economy picking working at its most elegant, each cycle sets up the next automatically, so you don't have to reset between repetitions. Once you feel that click into place, the whole thing starts to feel effortless.

The two shapes — minor and major — that unlock arpeggios anywhere on the neck

I show that all the arpeggio shapes you need essentially come down to two: a minor shape (wider gap between the notes on the B and E strings) and a major shape (narrower gap). Once you can see and feel the difference, you can apply either shape at any position on the neck — moving freely between minor and major just by shifting the index finger by one fret.

How to move between minor and major triads by shifting just one finger

Starting from the minor shape, moving the index finger up one fret transforms it into a major triad — a strikingly different sound from almost the same hand position. I then demonstrate moving these shapes freely up and down the neck through A minor, C major, D major, and E major, giving you an instant vocabulary of arpeggios without needing to learn dozens of different shapes.

How the cycling lick translates beyond metal into other styles

I point out the similarity to the cycling lick in the Sultans of Swing solo, and how this technique shows up in Van Halen's playing too. These skills are genuinely transferable — what you're developing here will show up in your rock, blues, and jazz playing, not just your metal solos. That's one of the things I love most about this approach.