CAGED System Basics | 1 | Overview
Added 2021-05-24 16:09:10 +0000 UTCWhere to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • Book a Private Lesson
Hi Everyone,
This lesson kicks off the CAGED System Basics series. In this overview lesson I give you a sense of what we'll be working on over the next handful of lessons in the series. Check out the PDF as well!
The following lessons will have homework sheets to help you visualize the concepts AND play along practice tracks for you to explore and experiment with using CAGED shapes in your own way!
The general idea of this series is to get you really comfortable with:
a) What the CAGED System is at it's core
b) How to get familiar with the 5 shapes
c) Playing rhythm parts up the neck AND knowing their shape names
I highly recommend you watch the Music Theory for Guitar Series before getting into this series, otherwise you might get a little lost.
While there is no homework for this overview lesson, you're welcome to post questions on the community forum and check out the Jam Track (also attached below).
More from this course:
Current Lesson | Next Lesson
Other helpful links:
Scott's Recommended Lesson Plan
Searchable Lesson Archive
How to Join the Community Forum
Scott's Jam Tracks
SPJ Live YouTube Channel
Scott's Main YouTube Channel
Comments
Oh, I got the partial answer! it's TRIPLEPLAY WIRELESS MIDI GUITAR CONTROLLER, it's cool. but what software do you use to generate this amazing circle notes animation. sorry keep asking this, but it's really bother me like an unsolved puzzle.
秋昊 陈
2025-06-24 10:33:35 +0000 UTCHey Milo! A triad is R,3,5 1st Inversion is 3,5,R 2nd Inversion is 5,R,3 On the guitar, we're often playing something like R5R35R, or 5R5R35 On guitar it's a little more useful to think about different voicings in CAGED shapes, and THEN think about wether you want the R, 3 or 5th as the lowest note, which is essentially what inversions are. Guitar just adds some layers of complication.
Scott Paul Johnson
2025-04-09 20:51:43 +0000 UTCThank God for the info at min 16 hallelujah
Erin
2025-04-09 16:30:20 +0000 UTCHey Scott, thanks for this! I'm wondering if we move up the neck in the C-A-G-E-D shape order, playing the same triad, are we always in the same inversion? Does the system have any rules or patterns for inversions?
Milo K
2025-02-03 20:24:42 +0000 UTCQuestion. The fact that these shapes share at least one common root note with their nearest neighbors, other than helping identify which shapes one is looking at, are there other reasons to be aware that these shapes have this characteristic?
Richard Finlay
2023-10-08 20:37:31 +0000 UTCif you click on the where to start button it directs you to all the music theory lessons in order :-)
Ashlynn
2022-08-29 19:55:40 +0000 UTCHi Scott I think that there may be a glitch I clicked on the link above "I highly recommend you watch the Music Theory for Guitar Series before starting this series" ...for the caged system. but it does not appear? am I doing something wrong? I can't seem to find it? Thank You!
Donnie Marhefka
2022-08-20 23:09:26 +0000 UTCFor some reason I had to watch this like...three times until it clicked but? It finally clicked! Neat! Thanks SPJ as usual. Fantastic teacher !
Mr K
2022-04-06 14:18:51 +0000 UTCNaw - the homework will help you figure things out!
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-10-11 13:16:24 +0000 UTCShould I have the all notes on the guitar memorized before diving into the caged system?
Whitney-Jocelyn Kouaho
2021-10-11 02:37:00 +0000 UTCI'm workin on it!
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-06-03 00:19:35 +0000 UTCThanks for this lesson Scott, I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series! Take care
Jeremy Lainé
2021-06-02 06:46:34 +0000 UTCScott, your CAGED video on YouTube is what brought me here. Super excited about this series!
Joaquin
2021-05-28 01:05:52 +0000 UTCThen, if you capo at the 3rd fret and play an “A Chord,” the actual notes you’re grabbing are exclusively C’s, E’s, and G’s which means the chord is actually a C chord, but its in the shape of an A chord. Thus, it is an “A-shaped C chord.” This continues up the neck. If you capo at the 5th fret and play a “G chord” you’ll be playing a C chord. If you capo at the 8th fret and play an “E chord” you’ll be playing a C chord. I recommend the following change to make it clearer: Then, if you capo at the 3rd fret and play an “A Chord,” shape the actual notes you’re grabbing are exclusively C’s, E’s, and G’s which means the chord is actually a C chord, but its in the shape of an A chord. Thus, it is an “A-shaped C chord.” This continues up the neck. If you capo at the 5th fret and play a “G chord” shape you’ll be playing a C chord. If you capo at the 8th fret and play an “E chord” shape you’ll be playing a C chord.
Peter Tran
2021-05-25 16:53:44 +0000 UTCI'll post it shortly! Good catch
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-05-25 16:52:04 +0000 UTCoo good catch! I'll fix and reupload
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-05-25 16:51:50 +0000 UTCScott in your PDF, you wrote "The relationships between each of the notes remained the same, but each note is shift- ed up the neck one fret, or one whole step." When you shift up one fret, is that a half step?
Peter Tran
2021-05-25 16:21:51 +0000 UTCHave a look on SPJ's Youtube channel its probably on there with the rest of them.
Michael
2021-05-25 04:46:09 +0000 UTCI’m not seeing the jam track for this on the SPJ YouTube channel. Is there any way that you could post an audio only link?
Tasha McManus
2021-05-24 19:38:42 +0000 UTC
