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The following is a preview of my book The CAGED System by James Stelling which you can buy for $6.99.

 Introduction:

The CAGED system is a source of much confusion amongst guitarists when it really ought not to be.

CAGED refers to the 5 open chords of the same names: C, A, G, E and D. Confusingly though E is shape 1, D is shape 2, C is shape 3, A is shape 4 and G is shape 5. The reason for this is that when you order the shapes in this way (starting at the bottom of the fretboard) you divide the neck up into 5 shapes from low to high: E D C A G. It should really be called the EDCAG system, although that’s much less snappy.

So the CAGED system is actually just a way of dividing the fretboard up into 5 positions. When initially explaining how these 5 positions are derived, it’s easiest to do so by relating each position to one of the basic open chords that we learned when first starting out on the guitar. This however is where problems first begin to arise. A lot of guitarists (understandably) assume that this is the totality of the CAGED system and that it is only used to move open chords around the neck to become other chords.

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However, CAGED is much more than this. It is a comprehensive system for learning all melodic and harmonic devices across the fretboard. This book will provide diagrams of all key harmonic and melodic devices in each position of the CAGED system and a structure in which to learn them.

In this book we are going to learn the following devices in all 5 positions of the CAGED system in a specific order.

Part 1:

  • Triads

  • Pentatonic Scales

  • Modes of the Major Scale

Part 2:

  • 7th Arpeggios

  • 7th Chord Voicings

After learning all of the aforementioned devices you will have built the foundations of a comprehensive fretboard knowledge.

Before we move on to Part 1 I would like to take a minute to mention the shortcomings of the CAGED system and why I believe it results in a lot of confusion.

The CAGED system is ordered as follows:

  • Position 1: E shape

  • Position 2: D shape

  • Position 3: C shape

  • Position 4: A shape

  • Position 5: G shape

As previously mentioned, the above shapes refer to basic open chords. This is fine when we’re just moving open chords around the neck to become other chords - E major up 5 frets to become A major etc but when we’re looking at a position 5 Locrian scale, it becomes very hard to see how it in any way resembles a G major chord. This is because it doesn’t. The only similarity remaining at this point is that both devices use the same configuration of root notes. This is how I order the CAGED system in my mind - as a series of root notes that break up the fretboard.

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These root notes remain constant irrespective of the harmonic device we’re learning/playing.  So keeping this in mind, let’s move on to Part 1.

The aim of Part 1 of this book is to give you comprehensive knowledge of all the modes of the major scale across the fretboard. This sounds like a giant ask but there is a very logical and thorough system with which to do this. 

This was a preview of my book The CAGED System by James Stelling To read the rest and access all of the diagrams you can follow the link to my store and buy for $6.99.