Let's clear up the differences between chords, scales, and arpeggios! :)
View the full lesson at Chords, Scales & Arpeggios | JustinGuitar
Based on the definition of arpeggios in the Learn More section, wouldnât fingerstyle picking of chords introduced in Grade 2 module 11 be an arpeggio?
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An arpeggio is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played or sung in a rising or descending order.
So yes if played in order I guess
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So a finger roll (also module 16) would also be a fast arpeggio? 
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yeah tho dont quote me I am not an expert the whole arpeggio thing has always confused me
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Well, if you roll e.g. an open D major chord in the order of fingering, then youâll play the 3rd (F#) last, so it will be only an arpeggiated chord instead of a legit arpeggio that would have the order of D - F# - A.
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Justin explains in this very video the difference between a âtrueâ arpeggio and an arpeggiated chord (e.g. roll or fingerpicked chord).
Even more info on arpeggioâs here:
These âtrueâ arpeggios are really a rather advanced technique used for lead playing.
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That would be termed âarpeggiatedâ. Fingertyle uses the technique of arpeggiating chords, playing them in an arpeggiated manner, often with embellishment melody notes added too. Doing so means you hear the chord as an arpeggio.
The differences between the two are subtle but important.
I hope that helps.
Cheers 
| Richard | JustinGuitar Approved Teacher, Official Guide & Moderator
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@jjw @Jozsef Thanks. I watched the video again and realized that the explanation of arpeggio had been completely overlooked in the previous viewing. I had seen the explanation when studying piano and thought that I understood the term. Now I think that I understand.
The arpeggio shapes in the grade 8 arpeggio lessons is well beyond my abilities but appears to consist of scales with just the notes of the chord
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@Richard_close2u Richard. Thanks. Iâve been guilty of confusing the terms in the past so this has been educational.
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I took the new test for grade 2 during my review. I still have an issue with the next to last question that expects an answer of arpeggio;
âWhat am I: Notes from a chord played one after the other?â
I would think that it would be more accurately stated as âNotes from a chord played in scale order ascending or descendingâ. It seems to me that playing any other order of notes would just be arpeggiated chord notes. Perhaps one of the answers should be arpeggiated or arpeggiated chord
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The definition of an arpeggio is playing the notes of a chord 1 at a time. It doesnât matter what order they are in. Just like scales arpeggios donât need to be in any order just the notes of the chord.
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@stitch thanks. I notice that the definition of an arpeggio seems to vary based on where I look. Sometimes it says the notes must be in scale sequence and sometimes not. I am not sure why arpeggiating a chord is not an arpeggio, if the order is irrelevant, since you are playing the notes of a chord, but for now I will move on since this is making my head hurt 
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An arpeggio is every note in a chord not just the notes you fret when playing a chord.
Think of it like a scale. But just like a scale when using it to solo or fill you donât need to play the notes in order.
Arpeggiating a chord is when you fret a chord and only pick the fretted and open notes. For example if you play an barre G chord and pick all 6 strings individually this is arpeggiating the chord. If you look at the G major scale and take all the R 3rd and 5 intervals this is an arpeggio. You will notice there are more notes in the arpeggio than there is in the chord.
I should add the terms arpeggio and arpeggiating are often miss used.
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This may help you see the G major arpeggio not just the chord
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@stitch Rick, thanks. Iâll take a lot at this later when my brain is ready to process it. It does seem the definition could be expanded to say play the notes of a chord one at a time that are found in a specific scale.
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The notes of a chord being held do not need to be played in order to be described as an arpeggio. Simply playing a chord one note at a time is described as arpeggiating the chord. Arpeggiating means to give the static chord grip the sound and quality of an arpeggio.
See if this helps.
All the notes of the C major scale from open strings to gret 3 inclusive.
The C major chord shape - using selected notes from the above scale, those notes being C, E and G. Note that not every instance of C, E and G in the scale is used to form the chord.
The âarpeggio shapeâ of a C major arpeggio can also be seen as notes taken from the full C major scale. It is the exhaustive list of all instances of the notes C, E and G.
If you play a group of notes from the first diagram, one at a time, in any order, you would be âplaying the C major scaleâ.
If you play a group of notes from the second diagram, one at a time, in any order, you would be âarpeggiating the C major chordâ.
If you play a group of notes from the third diagram, in any order, you would be âplaying the C major arpeggioâ.
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Thanks for the clarification. I seem to remember Justin emphasizing a difference between the notes played in a scalar order or played ascending/descending by pitch. It might be worth updating the lesson notes to make the difference in terms clearer.
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@Richard_close2u Richard, thanks for the clearly illustrated explanation. I gather from the other references that this example of arpegigio is just the tip of an iceberg of more advanced chords and scales.
Just one clarification. When you play one note at a time for the third diagram to play an arpeggio, my understanding is that you could be playing both the E and the G on strings 1 and 6?
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