Guitar Tip # 1 – Master the Fretboard with the CAGED System
- Mar 11
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 17
The CAGED system is one of the most powerful ways to understand the guitar fretboard. In this quick tip, Ewan shows how it connects chord shapes across the neck.
The open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D can be made into bar chords to play the same chord in 5 different positions.
Taking the example of C major, you can take the furthest note of the open C chord, build a bar and then build an A shape (using the bar in place of the open strings). This can be repeated from the A shape to the G shape, to the E shape and to the D shape as the furthest notes in each chord shape are the same notes that begin the next chord shape. The only outlier is moving from the D shape to the C shape as all top 3 strings from the D shape remain in the same place to construct the C shape. This means that the bar is built 1 fret back from the furthest note and then the C shape can be made.
This exact logic that’s been used to play 5 different positions of C major can be applied to any chord. To prove this, follow the word CAGED again but begin from the open A shape. You’ll see that the next position is G, then E, then D, then it goes back to C and so on. Each of these chord shapes can be extracted into single note arpeggios using the 1 3 and 5, adding 2 and 6 gets pentatonic scales and adding 4 and 7 gets full major scales in 5 positions across the neck with open chord shapes to anchor them.
Practice tip: Play these 5 different positions of C major, up and down the fretboard and focus on seeing the front to back connection of each chord shape. Once that’s comfortable, do this for each of the 5 open chord shapes of CAGED.
Advanced practice: Play this same sequence but begin on a non open chord e.g. F# Explore More Guitar Tips
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