arpegiada

Arpegiada is a musical technique in which the notes of a chord are sounded in succession rather than simultaneously. The term derives from the Italian arpeggiare, to play on a harp, and from arpeggio, the noun form used in many languages. In Romance-language contexts, arpegiada (or arpeggiata) describes a chord sounded as a broken sequence, rather than a block chord. The technique is common on keyboards and plucked strings, such as guitar and lute, where an arpeggiated figure can function as an accompaniment or a melodic element.

Notation and practice vary, but arpeggiation is often indicated by a vertical wavy line preceding the chord, or by the instruction arpegg. Performers may execute the notes rapidly or spread over a beat, and the direction can be ascending, descending, or mixed. The exact ordering of notes can be fixed by the composer or left flexible to suit phrasing and voice-leading.

Historically, arpeggiata has been a widespread device in Western music. It appears in Baroque continuo and keyboard textures, gained prominence in Romantic piano writing, and remains a fundamental technique in modern composition and pedagogy. In guitar music, arpeggios and arpegiadas are central to many accompaniment patterns and solos, enabling a harmonic texture to be articulated through a sequence of pitched tones.

See also: arpeggio, arpeggiation.