Meaning

(music) The notes of a chord played individually instead of simultaneously, usually moving from lowest to highest..

Definitions by Sense

1. (music) The notes of a chord played individually instead of simultaneously, usually moving from lowest to highest.
2. (transitive) To play (a chord) as an arpeggio; to play (a piece of music) with arpeggios.
3. (intransitive) To produce arpeggios; to produce sounds resembling arpeggios.
4. (ambitransitive, figurative) To move (the hand or fingers) against a surface as if playing arpeggios on a keyboard; to touch different points in succession along a surface.

Example Sentences

He struck the opening chords of the passage; but this time Irene's voice was silent. Victor stopped in the middle of an arpeggio.

1819, Abraham Rees (ed.), The Cyclopædia, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, Volume 14, entry “Fingering on Keyed Instruments,” In practising quick passages, the fingers should be lifted up with a spring, and not allowed to hang on the keys, till wanted again, unless in arpeggioing chords, or in passages of expression.

[…] I could see a man with his head buried forward towards a key-board, and his body swaying from side to side amid the storm of huge arpeggioed harmonies that came crashing overhead and round.

[…] having finished her piano-forte practice, touched her harp twice, and arpeggioed the Spanish Fandango on her guitar, Miss Betty read two paragraphs of “Gilbert” […]

When his fingers touched the piano, he formed a D7 chord, arpeggioed it up the inversions, then started singing and playing the “Happy Birthday” song.

Herr Schlitz seated himself on the piano chair, pushed it a little back, drew it a little forward to the original place, looked under the piano at the pedals, took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and hands, and after arpeggioing up and down the keyboard, swung into a waltz of Chopin’s […]

The soaring sound [of the whistling] rippled and trilled and arpeggioed as the songs of wild birds do not;

The accordion player arpeggioed through a chord […]

Word Forms

• arpeggios
• arpeggi
• arpeggioing
• arpeggioed

Synonyms for arpeggio

Related Words

When Should You Use Arpeggio?

Use arpeggio when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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