arpeggio
noun
-ˈpe-jō\
Definition of arpeggio
1 : production of the tones of a chord in succession and not simultaneously
2 : a chord played in arpeggio
Examples of arpeggio in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the second, the strings mostly took over the arpeggios, holding them to a statelier tempo, and the elements inspired by the chants came more to the fore. — New York Times, "Review: Chiara Quartet Says Farewell on a High Note," 13 May 2018 In the first, Mr. Sciarrino, clearly inspired by Paganini’s dazzling violin caprices, writes an avant-garde equivalent, with whirlwinds of jagged, scratchy-toned arpeggios that flow into slinky, sliding tones, then erupt in staccato madness. — New York Times, "Review: A Tiny Garage Explodes in Pianistic Madness," 25 June 2018 The track is a collaboration with three other producers — mainly Hudson Mohawke, along with John Hill and Peter Wade — that cunningly mutates from a sparse dembow beat through syncopated trance chords to a skein of prog-rock organ arpeggios. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, "The Playlist: The 1975 Talk About Its Generation, and 9 More New Songs," 1 June 2018 On their 2015 album L’Onde Souterraine (Telegraph Harp), extended single-note lines and repeating arpeggios are played quietly. — Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader, "French cellist and sound artist Leila Bordreuil diffuses and distorts bowed lines in her Chicago debut," 8 Mar. 2018 The songs are strictly post-punk with intricate guitar parts that toggle between heavy riffs and arpeggios, high-energy drums, and low-key vocal hooks. — Aaron Carnes, sacbee, "Sacramento rock band explores weighty issues of loss, death and innocence," 1 June 2018 In the first movement, the piano purveyed rippling arpeggios, a Glassian trademark, while the strings worked through melodic figures. — New York Times, "Review: Chiara Quartet Says Farewell on a High Note," 13 May 2018 These pages are full of finger exercises, arpeggios of thought and perception. — Parul Sehgal, New York Times, "‘The Chandelier’ Offers an Early Glimpse of Clarice Lispector’s Power," 27 Mar. 2018 The waves rolling into the shore make cascades of sound, sometimes regular rhythms and sometimes duples and triples and offbeat syncopations—all set against the arpeggios and glissandos of the birds. — Alan Hirshfeld, WSJ, "‘Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine’ Review: A Longing for Truth and Meaning," 6 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arpeggio.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for arpeggio
arpeggio
noun
English Language Learners Definition of arpeggio
music : a chord in which the notes are played separately instead of at the same time
See the full definition for arpeggio in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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