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Understanding the CAGED system

The CAGED system is a powerful tool for unravelling the complexities of the layout of notes, scales, chords, arpeggios, interval patterns, licks and riffs on the guitar fretboard.

Its name is an acronym for the five basic chord shapes which form the origin of the system:

Start by looking at the patterns formed by the Root Notes of each of these chords. Marked 'R' on the diagram below :

By clearing the rest of the chord notes away we can see these root note patterns more clearly. Note that what we are left with are all the possible ways of fingering movable OCTAVE PATTERNS:

Now here's the clever bit: by laying these five patterns out so that they overlap each other in the order that spells the word 'CAGED' we are able to chart every single occurrence of any given note on the fretboard:

Try it - learn to finger this pattern off by heart then start it anywhere on the fretboard and you will join together every occurrence of whatever note you start it on!

But that's only the first (and relatively trivial) application of the system. For a more detailed explanation of how to use the CAGED system to locate scales, chords and just about every other form that you need to learn to master the guitar, refer to our new ebook: 'Fifty Flexible Lesson Plans for Teaching Guitar'.

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