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Arpeggio

arpeggio

noun ar-PEH-dshi-o Rare
Arts & Culture Music

Origin: from Italian arpeggiare, to play the harp

Also means

a chord played note by note rather than simultaneously

Usage Note

Arpeggio is notated with a wavy vertical line before the chord. Pianists use it decoratively; harpists use it idiomatically. In broken-chord accompaniment patterns it is called Alberti-Bass.

Examples

"Die Arpeggios in der linken Hand der Klavierbegleitung waren sehr flüssig."

Natural Translation

The arpeggios in the left hand of the piano accompaniment were very fluid.

Literal Translation

The arpeggios in the left hand of the piano-accompaniment were very fluid.

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