How to Practice Scarpeggios: The #1 Guitar Exercise I Shared With Jens Larsen
Nov 09, 2026Short answer: When Jens Larsen asked me for my number one guitar exercise, I gave him what I call scarpeggios: scales plus arpeggios. Over CMaj.7, you go up the arpeggio (C, E, G, B) and come back down with two notes per string from the C major scale, skipping the 4th (F). Do it in all five positions (the "A", "G", "E", "D" and "C" shapes), picture the CMaj.7 chord shape each one comes from, and keep the picking even. Then use the same pathways in real solos, for example over So What.
Jens Larsen recently asked me what my number one exercise is. I shared it on his channel, but it was only 60 seconds, so this is the full breakdown: the concept, all five positions, how it helps your playing, and a live improvising demo using these exact ideas. I don't like playing exercises that don't apply to actual music. ā¶ 0:00 ā¶ 0:32
| Step | What you do | Where it's shown |
|---|---|---|
| Up | Play the CMaj.7 arpeggio: C, E, G, B | ā¶ 0:52 |
| Down | Two notes per string from the C major scale, leaving out the 4th (F) | ā¶ 1:06 |
| See it | Picture the CMaj.7 chord voicing the position comes from | ā¶ 1:40 |
| Move it | Repeat in all five positions | ā¶ 2:12 |
| Pick it | Even down-up picking on the way down | ā¶ 3:46 |
| Use it | Improvise with the same pathways over So What | ā¶ 4:12 |
What is a scarpeggio?
A scarpeggio is a scale plus an arpeggio. Everything in this lesson is on CMaj.7. You ascend the arpeggio, C, E, G, B, and when you descend you play two notes per string from the C major scale. ā¶ 0:52
It can be really any two notes you want. For this one we avoid the 4th, F, on the way down. That makes it a little more usable in any situation where we might use C major. ā¶ 1:15 ā¶ 1:32
In the first position, as written out on screen, that's:
| Direction | Notes |
|---|---|
| Up (arpeggio, two octaves) | C E G B C E G B |
| Down (two notes per string) | A G, E D, C B, G E, then end on C |
| Then play the chord | CMaj.7 drop 2: C G B E (A string 3rd fret, D 5th, G 4th, B 5th) |
Picture the chord shape
After you can play it up and down, the main thing I want you to do is visualize the CMaj.7 chord it comes from. In the first position, that's just the standard drop 2 voicing you're probably familiar with. ā¶ 1:40
This matters because when you move to another chord, say FMaj.7, you can play the same pattern and your hand is already used to it. I'm not really thinking of the notes there; I'm just letting my hand do what it just did for C major. ā¶ 2:04
The five positions
I think about this as five positions, each built around a different CMaj.7 chord voicing on the neck. Learn the chord shape first, then play the scarpeggio around it. ā¶ 2:12
On screen, each position is named after the chord shape it uses: "A", "G", "E", "D" and "C", moving up the neck.
| Position | Shape | Where it sits on the neck | Where it's shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A" position | Starts on C, 3rd fret of the A string (frets 2ā7) | ā¶ 0:59 |
| 2 | "G" position | Starts on C, 8th fret of the low E string (frets 4ā8) | ā¶ 2:23 |
| 3 | "E" position | Starts on C, 8th fret of the low E string (frets 7ā12) | ā¶ 2:56 |
| 4 | "D" position | Starts on E, 12th fret of the low E string (frets 9ā13) | ā¶ 3:10 |
| 5 | "C" position | Starts on B, 14th fret of the A string (frets 12ā15) | ā¶ 3:28 |
This connects your ear to the fretboard in a single key, in this case C major. ā¶ 3:46
Watch your picking
Pay attention to your right hand. Make sure the picking is nice and even, especially on the way down, where you alternate down, up, down, up, ending with a down on each one. I like playing the chord afterward. ā¶ 3:52
When you do this you'll start to see these as pathways through the harmony of CMaj.7. ā¶ 4:12
Using scarpeggios in a solo: So What
To show how this works in real music, I improvise over So What, which is mainly D-11. D Dorian has the same notes as C major, so I can use a lot of these ideas directly, moving through the whole fretboard with different positions. Listen for the two-notes-per-string pattern. When it shifts up to Eā-11, I apply the same concept there too. ā¶ 4:25 ā¶ 4:54
Hopefully that shows the versatility of this. It's an exercise that is also musical, and that's why it's the one I recommend. ā¶ 6:24
Frequently asked questions
What is the #1 guitar exercise Chase Maddox shared with Jens Larsen?
Scarpeggios: play a CMaj.7 arpeggio up, then come back down with two notes per string from the C major scale (leaving out F), in all five positions, while picturing the chord shape.
What is a scarpeggio?
A scale plus an arpeggio. You go up the chord tones and come down through the scale, which gives you pathways through the harmony instead of a plain scale run.
Why visualize the chord voicing while you practice?
So you can move the same pattern to other chords. If you see the CMaj.7 shape the position comes from, you can play the same thing over FMaj.7 and your hand is already used to it.
How do you use this exercise in a solo?
Over a chord whose sound comes from C major. Over So What's D-11, D Dorian has the same notes as C major, so the same scarpeggios work, and they move up with the tune to Eā-11.
What picking should I use for scarpeggios?
Keep it even. On the way down, alternate down, up, down, up, ending with a down.
Keep learning
- How Joe Pass creates jazz lines with scarpeggios: how Joe Pass repeats small melodic cells in different octaves
- Arpeggios over a major 7 chord: more arpeggio ideas for the same chord type
- Two shapes for jazz guitar scales and arpeggios: Corey Christiansen's way of organizing the neck
Go deeper
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