C major arpeggio

Notes of the C major arpeggio

An arpeggio breaks a chord into single notes. The C major arpeggio is the tonic triad plus the octave: C, E, G, C. Every one of those notes is a white key.

C major is the reference shape: C, E and G are all white keys, so nothing in the arpeggio is hidden by a key signature. The difficulty is the opposite of a black-key scale. With no raised key under the hand, the stretch from C to E to G has to be measured, not felt from a black-key group.

C major has no sharps or flats in its key signature, so any accidental you meet in the music is written next to the note.

Fingering for both hands

Right hand, one octave up from C: 1 2 3 5. There is no thumb crossing inside that octave, because the fingers are 1, 2, 3 and 5. The crossing appears when you continue: the two-octave right hand is 1 2 3 1 2 3 5, so the thumb passes under finger 3 as you leave the fifth (G) and play the octave C.

Left hand, one octave up from C3: 5 4 2 1. Coming down, reverse the numbers in each hand. Fingers are numbered 1 (thumb) to 5 (little finger) in both hands.

Clef uses this right-hand pattern in its arpeggio drills: 1 2 3 5 for one octave, and 1 2 3 1 2 3 5 for two octaves, with the thumb crossing under after finger 3. The thumb lands on the root, which is a white key in every arpeggio on this page.

Inversions

The same three notes can start on a different chord tone. Root position is C, E, G. First inversion starts on the third: E, G, C. Second inversion starts on the fifth: G, C, E. The arpeggio above is root position. The inversions use the same keys and the same spelling.

Reading it on the staff

On the treble staff, C4 to C5 needs 1 ledger line below the staff. On the bass staff, C3 to C4 needs 1 ledger line above the staff.

Say the staff positions before you play. C4 sits on ledger line 1 below the staff of the treble staff. E4 sits on the first line from the bottom of the treble staff. G4 sits on the second line from the bottom of the treble staff. C5 sits in the third space from the bottom of the treble staff.

How to practise the C major arpeggio

1. Say the notes, then the fingers: C, E, G, C, right hand 1 2 3 5.
2. Play the right hand alone at 60 beats per minute, one note per beat, and hold the shape so the hand does not collapse between notes.
3. Play the left hand alone with 5 4 2 1. Keep the thumb on C, which is a white key.
4. With no black key to aim at, watch the thumb: it should arrive on the octave without a bump.
5. Add the two-octave right hand (1 2 3 1 2 3 5) only after the one-octave pattern is even. The new move is the thumb under finger 3.
6. Hands together come last, at the slower hand's tempo. Then play the three inversions as block chords so the ear knows the chord the arpeggio came from.

When the pattern is reliable, read it from the staff instead of from the finger numbers. The point of the drill is to see the chord and play it, not to memorise a diagram.

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Practise the C major arpeggio in Clef

Frequently asked questions

What are the notes of the C major arpeggio?

The C major arpeggio is C, E, G, C.

What is the fingering for the C major arpeggio?

Right hand 1 2 3 5 going up one octave. Left hand 5 4 2 1 going up one octave. Two octaves in the right hand are 1 2 3 1 2 3 5.

Which notes of the C major scale are left out of the arpeggio?

The arpeggio keeps the root, third and fifth. In C major that drops the second, fourth, sixth and seventh of the scale.

What are the inversions of the C major triad?

Root position is C, E, G. First inversion is E, G, C. Second inversion is G, C, E.