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. Hailed as a musictheory expert by rolling stone magazine, guitarist desi serna is a music instructor and author who has written several books including fretboard theory, guitar theory for dummies, and guitar picking mechanics. The caged system is something my guitar teacher was crazy about, and after learning it for yourself, you can see why. It is, however, a handy way to memorize how the chords go up the guitar neck. How to memorize the notes on the guitar neck why do it. Please fill out your email address to get the free pdf. It can be played on guitar, piano, autoharp or any other chording instrument. Combining and numbering caged chords and scales in my book, fretboard theory, and also the related video program, caged system chords. You may or may not have heard of this term before, however, the acronym caged essentially stands for the 5 major chords. The guitarists guide to the caged system by mike cramer. This is the foundation to becoming a learned musician, rather than merely a recreational player.
Go to any guitar school in the world and this is what youll be taught. If you are not familiar with the caged system, you can learn more about it here. Many players use the c a g e d system without even being aware of it. The caged system explained music theory guitar lesson. Progression 1 4 c f g c 4 play the chord progression using 1st position c chord, 1st po. The parallel lines of the frets and string work in. Free guitar learn all about guitar chords for free. Modes theory of modes play the modes on the guitar modes.
Caged system guitar easy guide, 2019 update major scale. Caged is a simple little system for broadly mapping out the fretboard as it relates to any chord. In this guitar lesson we are going to take a look at how to apply the major scale to the caged sequence. If youve ever studied or been forced to study the caged system, you eventually reach a point where you begin to wonder whether the system is actually useful. A resource for learning guitar theory and applying it to the guitar fretboard. Progression 1 4 c f g c 4 play the chord progression using 1st position c chord, 1st po sition f chord and 1st position g chord. The caged system is an incredible method for understanding how to play several variations of any major chord across the guitar neck. A shape 1, a shape 2 c shape, d shape, e shape 1, e shape 2 and g shape. Free caged system a guide for guitarists from ds music. I explain each type, have graphics for each, cover how to read and use each of them, and have pdf files free for download.
Now that you know about the theory behind the joe pass chord, scale, arpeggio approach and have checked out a few examples, here are a few exercises you can do in order to bring this technique into your practice routine. 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. Caged system guitar chords guitar music theory by desi serna. There are actually some in depth explanations of this system and its uses but i dont recommend you get too deep into it. Here are some free pdfs used to supplement my free video lessons. Do you only use minor pentatonic scales, or rarely use rich sounding modes to enliven your playing. Complete guitar theory including scales, chords, progressions, modes, song. An introduction to the caged system by scott blanchard in this edition of the theory corner, well take a look at an excerpt from raleigh greens new book, the versatile guitarist, available through alfred publishing. Master the caged system for guitar fundamental changes. The caged system is a method of organizing the notes on the guitar into 5 scale shapes. Rock guitar uncaged fundamental changes music book. Thats a small price to pay to start moving around the entire fretboard.
There are a number of different systems of music notation for the guitar. The caged system is based on the recognition that although there are many major chords on the neck of the guitar, there are really only. The g and d shapes are very difficult to actually play as chords. If you dont know what the caged sequence is you should go check out the lesson the caged guitar sequence. 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. The caged system is a fantastic tool for any beginner guitar player. Basic caged chord system independent guitar, drum and. Use my search bar to find exactly what youre looking for. May 24, 2019 what is the best guitar theory book in 2019. Using the caged system will give you access to improvising over iivi progressions in a way that is logical and fully encompasses the neck of the guitar. See if you recognise the open position chords that you probably learned. Guitarists have always sought to understand the instrument in a variety of ways. If you have ever felt intimidated by the fretboard, or confined to only the arrangements you learned, then the caged system is your gateway to fretboard freedom.
A place for beginners to advanced guitarist to learn themselves a little music theory to apply to the guitar. Guitar arpeggios guide for beginners caged charts and theory. We can simply break apart the caged chord shapes into their smaller triad shapes. Nick kellie teaches the caged system and the 3 point root guidelines to finding your chords. Basic guitar chords, keys, and scales december 30th, 2004 4 the basic chords in the key of f chart 7 now let me explain the chord charts in case you dont understand them. There are only 4 different dominat 7 drop 2 voicings on the top 4 strings. From right to left are the six strings of the guitar and the horizontal lines represent the frets. Well, sure, i wish i knew or was taught it 40 years ago when i started playing. Its a perfect resource for applying the chord and music principals taught in fretboard theory. Arpeggio practice down 21 34 g up 3 2 0 0 3 3 0 3 2 0 3 3 0 21 34 c9 3 2 0 3 3 3 0 3 0. Start with each form in its open position, and then move up the neck by using different forms while staying on the same chord. To get the most out of this lesson you must know these five chord shapes fig.
Combine the pentatonic scales with the caged system to play blues guitar lesson ep356. How to use the caged system to play a solo free download as pdf file. The caged method takes its name from the fact that there are only five basic chord forms. Nov, 2018 the caged system is a way to describe the layout of the guitar fretboard in a logical way. Aug 10, 20 the caged system derives its name from five basic open chord shapes. It is how the guitar works and comes directly from the tuning of the instrument combined with western harmony.
Soloing with caged ii v i progressions learn jazz guitar. Guitar theory for everybody online acoustic guitar. This is one of the secrets that my guitar teachers never taught me and i wish that they had. The x means that the string is not played and the o means that the string is played open. C a ge d and diagonal pentatonic scales there is a lot of discussion about the glory of the caged system. Learn theory and improvisation guitar from nick kellie with an intermediate guitar lesson for caged system. The caged system is an excellent visualization tool that helps you break out of the open chords rooted on the first few frets of the guitar. Like most people, my first encounter with music theory was at school and it was complicated, boring, pointless and frustrating not because it is because the teachers back then made it seem that way im hoping these days thats improved. Rock guitar uncaged fundamental changes music book publishing. The caged system is based on the recognition that although there are many major chords on the neck of the guitar, there are really. If youre already familiar with the caged major chord shapes, learning the triad shapes will be a breeze. These are not lessons, but supplements to my lessons. I was wondering if you could do something on that topic. The one piece of knowledge that is missing with many guitarists, often players who want to play rock styles, is the knowledge of where every single note is on the fretboard.
Those systems are standard treble clef, lead sheets, guitar tab, chord charts, chord diagrams, nashville numbers, and roman number analysis. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading fretboard theory. We will approach the chord progressions by working with the keys of c a g e and d. Youve probably heard of guitar tab on the interwebs, but. The full chart is included in a pdf in the downloads. A free pdf summary of how to use the caged system to play a solo printable notename scratch paper to map out caged shapes at home by joining this list, youre signing up. 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. The main reason is because the guitar is so visual that a player can learn everything by patterns and shapes. In this excerpt, raleigh will show you some easy ways to navigate the fretboard. Guitar scales guitar scales regardless what instrument you play, learning to play scales is a rite of passage. 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. Then, i ran into something called the, caged, system and for the life of me, i cannot find a video lesson that explains it thoroughly. If you want to download a pdf of the scales then you can do so by signing up for my mailing list and entering your email here below.
On the guitar, you connect the five caged forms all with the same chord to cover the whole fretboard. Nov 14, 2017 the name stems from the five basic chord shapes that all beginner guitar players learn. How to connect the five caged forms on the guitar dummies. In time, you will find that you can get locked into closed positions just like open chords lock you into the first few frets. Jul 04, 2015 learn how to play one chord up and down the fretboard using the caged system free eguide. The caged chord navigation system the caged system is a way to navigate the guitar neck. This 7 part course will show you all the chords basic and bar chords for all the 12 major keys. In this tutorial im going to give an overview of the caged system and show you a few workouts using the caged chords that are very good for understanding the fretboard how you can run a lot of chord changes with a minimal amount of movement. Critics of the caged system feel that it overly simplifies the guitar. In this guitar lesson, were going to learn the caged system. Though there isnt a difficult learning curve for beginners, reaching an advanced level on guitar can be intimidating. The caged system is simply a way of allowing you to improvise using first position chords c, a, g, e, and d.
Combining and numbering caged chords and scales guitar. The caged system the caged system derives its name from five basic open chord shapes. In this post, i will show you the seven caged system shapes and how you use them. 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 guitarists guide to the caged system premier guitar. The caged chord system is the most popular teaching method for learning chords and scales for guitar. Ive been meaning to add this lesson for some time, so after harassment from certain members of the forum and seeing the question asked a few times i have decided to use some time off. In the last 25 years music theory has become a real. Master the essential scales of rock with the caged system kindle edition by alexander, joseph, pettingale, tim. Many people claim that music theory books are the way to go, but its often difficult to know where to start. This package contains a guitar method available as a pdf with tabs, audio files and theory providing 40 dominant jazz guitar lines for teachers.
The caged system is a useful method for organizing all styles of music on. Using the caged system to master your guitars fretboard. 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. How to use the caged system to play a solo musical scales. Every community guitar arrangement is accompanied by a series of exercises that will help get your head on board with your hands. With one major chord shape you can play every major chord, simply by moving the shape up or down the.
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. Next, you need to know where the root of the chord is located in each of the five shapes. 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. Caged chord system tab guitar music theory mafiadoc. Essential music theory for guitarists chainsawguitartuition. When you solo do you normally go straight to your first pentatonic box shape. Complete guitar theory including scales, chords, progressions, modes, song application and more. Guitar theory for everybody your first 5 steps to learning the fretboard. They represent the guitar neck, as you would look at it sideways. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. If you know and play barre chords, then you are already using the caged system. The caged guitar system bible pdf with audio luthiers. Combine the pentatonic scales with the caged system to.
In each set of triads, the first diagram represents the full chord and the subsequent diagrams are the triads that can be derived from that chord shape. Do you hear a lick in your head but have trouble actually playing it on the guitar. If you already know everything covered within, congratulations. Caged theory one chord up fretboard move forward guitar.
He has a practical, handson approach to teaching, with a focus on the guitar fretboard and emphasis on popular. In this excerpt, raleigh will show you some easy ways to navigate the fretboard by introducing a simple. Oct 06, 2009 then, i ran into something called the, caged, system and for the life of me, i cannot find a video lesson that explains it thoroughly. Youll learn how to easily jump from the major to the minor pentatonic scale in three main neck positions and how to play the 1, 4, 5 chords in those various positions. We will be in the key of g major for this lesson and will be using two different major scale shapes. It is a pattern for telling how chord shapes resulting in the same chord layout across the fretboard. Combine the pentatonic scales with the caged system to play. 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. Th is primer cover the essential theory youll need in order to do the exercises at level 1. I first became suspicious at music college where i was handed an inchthick guitar theory book which included the infamous caged system. The caged system is a very important concept that applies equally to both rhythm guitar and lead guitar. Hailed as a music theory expert by rolling stone magazine, guitarist desi serna is a music instructor and author who has written several books including fretboard theory, guitar theory for dummies, and guitar picking mechanics.
Print or download them to develop your guitar playing. Caged system guitar fretboard visualization every guitar. This figure shows the 5 forms of the caged system in their open positions. Check out my free video lessons on my free lessons page. These chord shapes correspond to the common chords c, a, g, e and d, hence the systems name. You will also find that your rhythm guitar vocabulary will improve as you continue to use these chords.