CAGED System - Navigate Guitar fretboard
CAGED system
The CAGED system is a powerful framework for navigating the guitar fretboard, built around five open chord shapes: C, A, G, E, and D. These shapes can be shifted up and down the neck as barre chords, allowing players to explore chords in any key while easily identifying notes, scales, and positions. This method is popular for its simplicity and effectiveness in linking chords and scales on the guitar.
A simple Example for using Chord Shapes
Take the E shape as an example. By turning it into a movable barre chord, you can play a variety of chords along the neck. Based on the open E major shape, your index finger acts as a barre, replacing the nut.
At the 1st fret, it becomes F major.
At the 3rd fret, it becomes G major.
At the 5th fret, it becomes A major, and so on.
The same concept applies to other barre chord shapes, such as Em, A, and Am. These four shapes, highlighted on the side, are among the most commonly used.
Five CAGED shapes Bar chords
By leveraging the bar chords, you can play the same chord in various positions along the neck.
For instance, the C major chord can be played in the following ways:
basic C shape in the open string
A shape Bar chord in 3rd fret
G shape on 5th fret
E shape on 8th fret
D shape on 10th fret
For A Major chord, you can play it using:
basic A shape in the open string
G shape Bar chord in 2nd fret
E shape on 5th fret
D shape on 7th fret
C shape on 9th fret
The same concept applies to other chords, as illustrated in the chart on the side.
Fretboard design and CAGED
The CAGED system depends on the guitar's design, particularly how open chord shapes (C, A, G, E, D) overlap on the fretboard as you move up the neck. Understanding how notes repeat and how chords and scales fit on the fretboard makes it easier to visualize and use the CAGED system in all positions.
A standard guitar has six strings and spans about four octaves (E2 to E6, use standard tuning), while a piano has a much wider range (A0 to C8). Both instruments are unique: the piano covers melody, harmony, and bass across all registers, ideal for solos and ensembles. The guitar, with its smaller range, is portable and versatile, perfect for chords, lead lines, and accompaniment.
In standard guitar, It is tuned mostly perfect 4th apart, with an exception from G (3rd string) to B (2nd string) which is Major third apart. Instruments like violins or mandolins use perfect 5ths, On a guitar, tuning in 5ths would result in a much longer fretboard or require more strings to cover the same range, making chords and harmony impractical.
This Guitar tuning creates interesting effects. For example, Middle C (C4) can be played on different strings, which are mostly tuned in fourths. Because of differences in string weight and tension, the same note sounds slightly different, adding variety to the tone. Same concept applies to chords, for example, instead of playing G chord in the same position repeatly, you can try play it in different positions.
Nov 2024
