Music School Owner, Recording Artist, Guitarist, Composer, Performer & Educator. My goal is to make good music, make and keep good friends.
Photo by Chuck Tipton
What's The Big Deal?
Everywhere you look in guitarland on the net, in books and courses you will always run into mention of this wonderous system called CAGED for bar chords.
For most beginners when you start reading it your eyes glaze over as the author tries to explain it using diagrams, charts and graphs and brilliantly written technical instructions... yawn, huh? wha...Oh yes brilliantly written, oh never mind.
YouTube CAGED Demo
- CAGED Guitar & How It Works: An Easy Way to Learn - YouTube
Simplified approach to learning barre or bar chords.
Open C
CAGED = 5 Different Bar Chords
Bar your 1st finger across any fret and with the other fingers you can make the open CAGE or D chords.
You're a freekin' capo now! We will refer to these non-open chords as shapes; as in C shape, A shape, G shape, E shape, D shape.
Do this and don't ask so many questions yet.
I will add this that the most commonly used bar chord shapes are:
E major, E minor, A major and A minor.
CAGED In Less Words
OK listen and don't think too hard about this.
Every bar chord anywhere up and down the guitar neck is either related to the open chords C A G E or D.
On a need to know basis OK! It just is.
Make sure you know them as open chords or stop reading now and go practice.
HubPages Article
Learning Open Chords
Play open C
Start here so you can spell the word CAGED
C Major using the Open A Hand Position
Bar 3rd fret and play A Shape
Usually guitarists bar with first finger on the 3rd fret and 3rd finger covering 3 strings at the 5th fret.
Open A major has moved to the 3rd fret to become C major.
You would refer to this as an A shape chord barred at the 3rd fret.
Where would Rock be without this one? Pick only the low 2 or 3 strings and you get what is known as the power chord sound.
C Major using the Open G Hand Position
Bar 5th fret and play G shape
(I know it's hard but don't be such a whiner, simplify it). Play either the 3 low strings EAD or the 4 high strings DGBE
Open G has move to the 8th fret to become C.
Q. Why is the G shape not thought of as being on the 5th fret?
A. Bar chords should be referenced to the bass note. On a G shape C the 8th fret is a C note. You still think of barring the 5th fret but need to need to see the root note at 8. Think frets 5 & 8
C Major using the Open E Hand Position
Bar 8th fret and play E shape
Where would Rock be without this one as well? Pick only the low 2 or 3 strings and you get what is known as the power chord sound.
Power Chords
C Major using the Open D Hand Position
Bar 10th fret and play D shape
Simplify if the stretch is too much.
C Major using the Open C Hand Position
Bar 12th fret and play C shape
If you've got this then you have played all possible versions of the C major chord. There ain't no mo'
Anything else would be part of the CAGED shapes.
Q. Why is the C shape not thought of as being on the 12th fret?
A. Of course the bar is at 12 however, bar chords should be referenced to the bass note. On a C shape 15th fret is a C note.
Think bar 12 and name it by 15
Another Chord?
You want another chord? Try it withoout the pretty pictures this time.
Ok F major it is.
- Bar 1st play E shape
- Bar 3rd play D shape
- Bar 5th play C shape
- Bar 8th play A shape
- Bar 10th play G shape
- Bar 13th play E shape
Do you see how they can go in the order of CAGED? Or is it AGEDC, GEDCA, EDCAG, DCAGE?
In the case of F we started on the E shape and continued to spell the word CAGED starting on the letter E which became EDCAG.
It's all the same isn't it.
This certainly makes a great case to learn all the notes on your neck or at least the bass strings E, A & D as that is where you are referencing to get the chords's letter name.
Notes on the Neck
- How to Memorize the Notes on the Guitar Neck
This article will show you the best method ever of how to efficiently learn and memorize the notes on a guitar neck in the shortest amount of time.
Do it! It's worth the effort.
All Chord Types Can be CAGED
- Major
- Minor
- Dominant 7th
- Major 7th
- Minor 7th
And so much more
What's It Good For?
You can't handle the truth!
These chords become really solid anchors trhat you can relate too when you start learning scales, licks and tricks. Way too much to go into now but trust me if you don't learn these you will hold your progress back a lot.
So start practicing it will make way more sense a couple of years into it.
CAGED E Major and Pentatonic Scales Video Lesson
CAGED E Minor and Pentatonic Scales Video Lesson
CAGED Dominant 7th and Blues Licks
- CAGED Chord and Blues Licks Lesson - YouTube
A private lesson in how the CAGED system works in the blues and C dominant 7th chords.
CAGED Dominant 7th Chord Funk Blues Rhythm Lesson
- One on One Lesson
A private lesson with Mark Fitchett discussing the CAGED shape dominant 7th chords and how to approach rhythm fills in a funky blues style.
Power Chords Hub
- Beginning Power Chords for Rock Rhythm Guitar
This article covers the basics of learning power chords, one the most used chord in the history of rock music.
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One of the most effective way to learn scales and solo on the guitar is to learn the scale on one string. This article discusses some of the techniques that lend themselves to single string soloing. - The Simplified Basics of Starting to Learn to Play t...
This is the absolute bottom line of how to start playing guitar. The information given here is in small chunks, easy to digest and will give the student a solid foundation to pursue guitar mastery. - Learn The 5 Positions of the E Minor Pentatonic Scal...
The minor pentatonic scale on the guitar, and particularily the E minor pentatonic scale is a blues and rock guitar staple. There have been so many guitar driven songs in this key that one could easily make a case for E being the starting place to le - The Basics of Playing Together in a Band
About how play in a band and not kill each other. Practice and rehearsal tips. - Becoming a Competent Musician
An overview of how to become a good musician. lessons, practice - How to Memorize the Notes on the Guitar Neck
This article will show you the best method ever of how to efficiently learn and memorize the notes on a guitar neck in the shortest amount of time. - Blues Turnarounds For Guitarists
Details on how to play blues turanarounds on the guitar featuring 9 classic blues turnaround examples in tablature - Blues Rhythm Guitar Chord Fills Lesson
One of the most recognizable cool blues rhythm riffage sounds are the alternating minor triads superimposed over a dominant 7th chord.. This article demonstrates how to use these must know patterns. - Learning To Play Jazz Guitar From The Beginning
How to approach learning beginning jazz guitar - Bending the Strings in Blues Guitar
About the nuances of bending strings on the guitar
Comments
Brendan on October 17, 2018:
I'm a lefty.. Do you have stuff for us too please??
