The CAGED system
Guitar · The neck: notes, scales and positions · Level 4 · 15 min
The five open major chords C, A, G, E, D are also five movable shapes. Replace the nut with your index finger (a barre) and each shape moves along the neck. The five shapes follow each other in this order, C-A-G-E-D, and cover the whole neck for any chord.
Example: C major everywhere
| Shape | Frets (approx.) | Root on |
|---|---|---|
| C (open C) | 0 – 3 | string 5, fret 3 |
| A | 3 – 5 | string 5, fret 3 |
| G | 5 – 8 | string 6, fret 8 |
| E | 8 – 10 | string 6, fret 8 |
| D | 10 – 13 | string 4, fret 10 |
Below, two shapes barred at fret 3: C as an A shape and G as an E shape.
What is it for?
- Chords: play the same chord in several registers (two guitarists no longer double the same shape).
- Solos: each shape contains a major-scale box and a pentatonic box around the chord; you aim for chord tones.
- Arpeggios: playing the notes of a shape one by one gives the chord's arpeggio in that position.
Start by connecting just two shapes: E (barre) and A (barre) — the two most used barre shapes, studied in the next chapter.
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