arpeggio

American  

[ahr-pej-ee-oh, -pej-oh] / ɑrˈpɛdʒ iˌoʊ, -ˈpɛdʒ oʊ /

noun

Music.

plural

arpeggios

1. the sounding of the notes of a chord in rapid succession instead of simultaneously.

2. a chord thus sounded.

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arpeggio British  

/ ɑːˈpɛdʒɪəʊ /

noun

1. a chord whose notes are played in rapid succession rather than simultaneously

2. an ascending and descending figuration used in practising the piano, voice, etc

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Other Word Forms

• arpeggiated adjective
• arpeggioed adjective

Etymology

Origin of arpeggio

1735–45; < Italian: literally, a harping, noun derivative of arpeggi ( are ) to play on the harp (< Germanic; compare Old English hearpi ( g ) an to harp)

Example Sentences

Her voice sails over choppy piano chords as she announces her “big feelings,” and when she sings, “Yes, I have problems, problems,” she turns “problems” into a six-syllable arpeggio.

From New York Times • May 10, 2024

She came up with a swirling arpeggio effect, which Britell turned into a motif for the “memory of trauma.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2022

DaBaby and Ricch’s “Rockstar,” Billboard’s official 2020 Song of Summer, was the most bewitching of the bunch, built out of a moody guitar arpeggio gentle enough for a country record.

From Slate • May 1, 2021

On the line, “I love you and you love me and that’s how it will always be and nothing else could ever mean a thing,” Mr. Bennett sings the line using a spiraling, ascending arpeggio.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 27, 2018

It crackles, and a stormy arpeggio from the final movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata bursts forth.

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti