The CAGED System: Unlocking the Guitar
The CAGED System: Unlocking the Guitar Neck
## 🔑 What Is the CAGED System?
The **CAGED system** is a way of visualizing the guitar fretboard using five basic chord shapes:
**C – A – G – E – D**. These shapes aren’t just open chords—they’re movable frameworks that help you understand **chords**, **scales**, and **arpeggios** across the entire neck.
Each shape corresponds to a **position** on the fretboard and connects to a **major scale pattern**, **pentatonic shape**, and **chord voicing**.
---
## 🧠 Why It Matters
- **Fretboard Navigation**: CAGED gives you a map of the neck. No more getting lost past the 5th fret.
- **Chord Voicings**: You’ll learn how to play the same chord in multiple places with different tonal colours.
- **Improvisation**: Link pentatonic shapes to chord tones for melodic soloing.
- **Composition**: Build progressions and riffs that move across the neck, not just up and down.
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## 🧩 The Five Shapes
Here’s how the five shapes look as **movable chord forms**. These are **major chords**, but the same logic applies to **minor**, **7th**, and extended chords.
### 1. **C Shape**
```
e|---0---
B|---1---
G|---0---
D|---2---
A|---3---
E|-------
```
Movable with barre on the 3rd fret = **Eb major**
### 2. **A Shape**
```
e|---0---
B|---2---
G|---2---
D|---2---
A|---0---
E|-------
```
Movable with barre on 5th fret = **D major**
### 3. **G Shape**
```
e|---3---
B|---0---
G|---0---
D|---0---
A|---2---
E|---3---
```
Movable with barre on 7th fret = **E major**
### 4. **E Shape**
```
e|---0---
B|---0---
G|---1---
D|---2---
A|---2---
E|---0---
```
Movable with barre on 1st fret = **F major**
### 5. **D Shape**
```
e|---2---
B|---3---
G|---2---
D|-------
A|-------
E|-------
```
Movable with barre on 5th fret = **G major**
---
## 🔗 Linking to Pentatonic Shapes
Each CAGED shape overlaps with a **pentatonic box**. Here’s how they connect:
| CAGED Shape | Pentatonic Box | Root Location |
|-------------|----------------|----------------|
| C | Box 5 | A string root |
| A | Box 1 | A string root |
| G | Box 2 | E string root |
| E | Box 3 | E string root |
| D | Box 4 | D string root |
This means you can solo **within the chord shape**, targeting chord tones while staying inside the pentatonic box. It’s melodic, intuitive, and powerful.
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## 🎶 Chord Voicings & Extensions
Once you know the shapes, you can build:
- **Maj7, Min7, Dom7** chords by modifying the shape
- **Triads across strings** for rhythm and comping
- **Chord melody arrangements** by combining voicing and scale
Example:
Take the **E shape** and add a 7th on the D string → you’ve got an **Emaj7**
Slide it up to the 5th fret → **Amaj7**
---
## 🧭 Navigating the Neck
Here’s how to move a chord across the neck using CAGED:
Let’s say you want to play **C major** on the guitar in five positions:
1. **C shape** – open
2. **A shape** – 3rd fret
3. **G shape** – 5th fret
4. **E shape** – 8th fret
5. **D shape** – 10th fret
Each one sounds slightly different—some brighter, some warmer. That’s voicing. That’s expression.
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## 🛠️ Practice Tips
- Pick a chord (e.g. G major) and play it in all five shapes
- Link each shape to its pentatonic box
- Improvise using chord tones inside the box
- Add extensions (7th, 9th) to each shape
- Practice triads on string sets (e.g. D-G-B)
---
## 🔥 Real-World Application
- **Soloing over changes**: Target chord tones using CAGED shapes
- **Writing riffs**: Move shapes around to find new textures
- **Teaching students**: Use CAGED to demystify the neck
---
## 🎯 Final Thoughts
The CAGED system isn’t just theory—it’s a **lens**. Once you see the fretboard through it, everything connects: chords, scales, voicings, melodies. It’s the difference between playing shapes and playing music.
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