The caged system the caged system derives its name from five basic open chord shapes. The caged chord system is the most popular teaching method for learning chords and. The caged system is basically a cycle of 5 forms that would repeat endlessly if the guitar had an infinite octave range. Notice too that i have left one note as a red one its not a mistake it is a note of the chord and does fit the caged system but it is easier to see the chord shapes if you ignore it for now. Lets use the c chord as our base chord for this explanation. To get the most out of this lesson you must know these five chord shapes fig. To form the major scale for a caged position, we take the position with just the root notes then add the other notes of the major scale to that position.
This b7 chord is the 5 v chord of the key of e and completes the basic caged chord system. T he caged system is a way to look at the fretboard that will allow you to learn scales, chords and arpeggios all the way up the neck. Wolf marshall is internationally acclaimed as guitarist, author and educator. Notice the difference between chord shapes and chords. When you know these 5 chords you need to remember where the root of the chord is the first note.
To really learn how to play all over the guitar neck. The caged sequence can be applied to minor chords just like you applied it to major chords. Break free and supercharge your chords by learning how to manipulate the caged system for guitar. The caged system for guitar can end your frustration. How to use the d form to play the caged system on the. The caged system just simply makes use of the movable nature of the guitar fretboard in order to give various frameworks for any type of chord. This standard caged guitar system works very well when the scales, chords and arpeggios being considered are major in nature, however it tends to fall down when the scales etc. Is it cold in here joe diffie guitar lesson complete.
The caged chord navigation system the caged system is a way to navigate the guitar neck. That is useful for understanding the physical structure of guitar harmony, hearing noteto chord relationships, and using chords and licks purposefully in your music. To make use of the caged system it is important that you understand the di. Free caged system a guide for guitarists from ds music. The c a ge d system provides a simple way of grouping melodies with their related chord shapes. It is based on five essential guitar chord forms found in the first position. Not every guitarist thinks in terms of caged, but my opinion is that its extremely effective, and extremely easy to learn.
An introduction to the caged system the practice room. This is where the caged system for guitar comes in. We are going to take what we learned in the lesson about the caged chord sequence and apply it to minor chords instead of major ones. Rather than conceptualize five chord shapes connected across the entire fretboard, you might try to. Remember too that you only have to play one of each note to get the chord any old f, a and c will do you dont have to try and play them all but. By the end of this tutorial you should be able to construct the pattern for any scale or arpeggio yourself all the way up the guitar neck. The joe pass system of always having a scale and arpeggio under your fingers for every chord shape you use is a great way to learn the fretboard, providing you with soloing material at the same time. The caged guitar system is a powerful tool for any guitarist. Introduction to the caged system which breaks the guitar neck into five areas of study. The caged system is a method of organizing the notes on the guitar into 5 scale shapes. Each of these chord shapes are moveable and can be moved around the fret board to create chords in new keys. Its called the caged system for the guitar because similar shapes on the guitar and ukulele have different names. Dominant seventh chords contain four notes and are the same as ordinary major chords but with a flat 7th added.
Its awkward to finger and technically isnt a barre chord. You see, the caged system is just another way to look at arpeggios. Caged system a guide for guitarists ds music author. The d form is unique in that its the only caged form that isnt rooted to either the 6th or 5th string on the guitar. It is used extensively on this site, even though it is rarely actually referred to as the caged system. Using the caged system will give you access to improvising over iivi progressions in a way that is. Youll learn how to connect familiar shapes and play many chord voicings all over.
This figure shows the 5 forms of the caged system in their open positions. The caged system is a useful method for organizing all styles of music on the guitar. The same concepts can be applied to ukulele, with one difference. The diagrams below show the seventh chords based on the caged system. Connecting moveable chord shapes with the caged system. As with some of the other caged forms, you dont usually use. It doesnt matter what style of music you play, or if you play acoustic guitar or electric guitar, this method of fretboard navigation is essential for all guitar players. If someone says to play a c chord, even an advanced player who knows hundreds of c chords is likely to play open c when asked. Simplifying the caged system you might be wondering. Caged is a simple little system for broadly mapping out the fretboard as it relates to any chord. Just because you fingers most likely wont let you play those new barre chords, doesnt mean that you shouldnt practice visualizing them on the fretboard. Its a perfect resource for applying the chord and music principals taught in.
This means you have a shape part 1, and a shape part 2. The caged system divides the guitar neck into manageable chunks based around five different chord shapes the chord shape of c, the chord shape of a, and the chord shapes of g, e and d. The 5 major scale caged shapes positions guitarhabits. Master the caged system for guitar fundamental changes. It is a pattern for telling how chord shapes resulting in the same chord layout across the fretboard. But there is way more to the system that just chords. Understanding and applying the caged method on ukulele. Progression 1 4 c f g c 4 play the chord progression using 1st position c chord, 1st po. Caged chord system tab about fretboard theory free tab this collection of free tab will help you get started learning chord shapes and inversions derived from the guitar caged system.
The caged system is a great system for mapping chord patterns to pentatonic scales. You will also find that your rhythm guitar vocabulary will improve as you continue to use these chords. The major 7th arpeggio and chord imaj7 the minor 7th arpeggio and chord ii7 the dominant 7th arpeggio and chord v7. If you can remember where the root, third and fifth are that is. In this guitar lesson, were going to learn the caged system. It took the help of a good teacher to let go of the caged system and discover that there are other systems out there, more functional and less difficu. Introduction to the caged system for chord tone targeting. So below is the fretboard set out with the chords above and each scale system, diatonic or pentatonic, below it. Progression 1 4 c f g c 4 play the chord progression using 1st position c chord. Did you know that you can create 60 chords from 5 simple chord shapes. It helps map out chord changes, keys and scale runs and ideas for pieces. The article above really shows how the chord shapes work. The caged system is a great way of learning scales and arpeggios in different positions across the fretboard. Its essential to know if you want to become an epic lead guitarist.
Caged chord system tab guitar music theory mafiadoc. The letters in the word caged are the exact order the chord shapes occur on the fretboard the caged system involves two critical pieces of. How to solo using the caged chord system for guitar. Next in the caged system module is the d shape which is a funky little.
We will be using the cagfd method to play the c chord in 5 different positions up the neck. The caged method takes its name from the fact that there are only five basic chord forms. The caged system guitar chords and major chords explained. First, lets lay the foundation by learning the five basic chords in the caged system. You may or may not have heard of this term before, however, the acronym caged essentially stands for the 5 major chords. Thats because its the first c chord most players ever learn, so its easily remembered.
If you are not familiar with the caged system, you can learn more about it here. The caged method is a popular system used by many guitarists. In todays session we will learn about the caged system, and how it can be used to find all the positions of a basic chord across the fretboard. There are only 4 different dominat 7 drop 2 voicings on the top 4 strings. The caged system focuses on these beginner guitar chords and then, once youve mastered them, how to move those shapes around the fretboard as bar chords. The caged system explained music theory guitar lesson. The cage d system provides a simple way of grouping melodies with their related chord shapes. Because this system helps you find the right notes across the fretboard with zero hesitation, so you can solo with total confidence and.
Well, there is an alternate, and perhaps easier, way. The caged system and the importance of five positions. Print or download them to develop your guitar playing. The a shape is referring to the a chord that surrounds the scale, and it is broken into 2 shapes. The standard caged guitar system links together the five basic open major chord shapes c, a, g, e and d in their barre forms to produce a fretboard navigation system. The guitarists guide to the caged system by mike cramer.
The first and most common chord grip of the caged system is the e shape, you probably know it already. Caged is great for memorizing chord progressions and scales, hence why it is an invaluable tool for classical guitarists. I will cover both of these in turn but before that you need to know the a chord. T he next step is to learn the major scale in all 5 caged positions. Next, you need to know where the root of the chord is located in each of the five shapes. The caged system is an incredible method for understanding how to play several variations of any major chord across the guitar neck this is one of the secrets that my guitar teachers never taught me and i wish that they had. The caged system is a very important concept that applies equally to both rhythm guitar and lead guitar. The full chart is included in a pdf in the downloads. Here is a free pdf to help you learn the caged system. The caged system is based on the recognition that although there are many major chords on the neck of the guitar, there are really.
Each pattern covers a chord in the notes on the fret row below and above. To learn the chords in the caged system you must know how to barre chords. To help you get started with this system, here are a few examples of how to learn chords, scales, and arpeggios in one position on the guitar. These are the most common of the dominant seventh chords and like the caged minor chord you should make sure you know these very well. With the guitar caged chord system, you barre each of the five open forms and move around the neck playing different chords in other positions, but thats only the beginning you see, the caged system doesnt end with making barre chords. In a nutshell, the caged system represents a system for learning one scale or arpeggio in five. We will approach the chord progressions by working with the keys of c a g e and d. See if you recognise the open position chords that you probably learned. The caged system is a unique method for visualizing the chords along the guitar neck. Caged system guitar easy guide, 2019 update major scale.