Shredaholic - Diatonic Arpeggios

Fact: everything that you play over is going to be in a key or key center. That might be A Major, C Major, G minor, Eb Major, etc., but know this, you are going to be playing over a key.

Understanding the structure of a key is paramount to proper improvising, we can sum up the structure of a key as being the same as the structure of the Major scale, A Major, C Major, etc.

If we harmonize the Major scale into chords, by stacking consecutive thirds above each scale degree to form triads (3 notes), we will in fact come up with a standardized chord formula that is the same for every key. Since every key is built the same way W-W-H-W-W-W-H, then the formula applies for each Major scale- each KEY. That formula of chords will never vary and is as such:
Maj min min Maj Maj min Dim

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[AcresOfAshes]

Wish my picking hand worked like yours.

[theindividual21]

great overview man; really laid out the basics in an easy to understand fashion; keep up the good work.

[rgeberly]

This stuff is true for a lot of western music, but plenty of styles use harmonic minor or melodic minor and don't follow these patterns. You specifically mention death metal, which very frequently uses the diminished scale...again, it won't follow this stuff since it's not diatonic. Most of the information here seems sound, but I wouldn't say things like "this will never vary", because it does in many styles, and that's not even getting into atonal music that has no key.