CAGED Theory


dvenetian
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dvenetian
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02/05/2007 4:24 am
A lot of players that I converse with don't understand or apply the C-A-G-E-D
method to their playing. It hinders their ability to see underlying chord structures that are right under the position they are playing in that relate to the progression. So they change positions unnecessarily because they don't see the related shapes right under their fingertips. The sad thing is that they don't see the related scales either. Most rely in the memorized open chords and limited barre chord shapes to play from. They also struggle with applying the memorized scale patterns because they can't see the connection on the fretboard by not understanding CAGED theory.
CAGED has many benifits when applyed to your playing because it allows you to see with clarity how these shapes connect and will open the door to your ability in changing the way you play guitar 10 fold.
Starting off slow, let's define what CAGED means and how to apply the theory piece by piece. CAGED stands for the most popular Chord shapes used in most music. The C-shape, A, G, E, and D-shape used to form the chords. Most of us have these shapes down in the open position of guitar, so let's start there. The Open C chord, the Open A chord, the Open G chord. the Open E chord and the Open D chord. The trick to applying the CAGED method is to form these chords using what's called "Back of Hand Fingering" which means form the chords using your middle, ring and pinky fingers on all 5 shapes. Your index finger will be used to mimic the nut in all chord shapes.
If you know how to form a Barre chord and slide it up and down the fretboard, you already have the E-shape covered. Practice moving the other shapes in the same manner using your index to barre the distance equal to the nut from the open position and the chord shape. Take time to adjust some of the shapes with your fret hand and work to strenghen your pinky (pull-offs using your pinky helps a lot).
Next we'll make some connecting relationships that will allow you to form chords all over the fretboard.
Good luck!!!!!!
# 1
Dr_simon
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Dr_simon
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02/05/2007 8:22 pm
I really like the Bill Edwards stuff, he is a nice guy too !!

I think the best thing about the CAGED thing is the new voicing you discover. Very cool !

good interview with the man himself below !


http://www.billedwards.com/billedwards.html
My instructors page and www.studiotrax.net for all things recording.
my toons Brought to you by Dr BadGAS
# 2
strat-man
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strat-man
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02/05/2007 9:37 pm
I got the CAGED theory down :) unfortunately my short fingers find it a little harder and more painful at a practical level! :(
Strat totin
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I met my maker, i made him cry, and on my shoulder he asked me why, his people won't fly thru the storm, i said, listen here man they don't even know your born.

strat-man rocks with vox
# 3
ren
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ren
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02/06/2007 10:05 am
Originally Posted by: strat-manI got the CAGED theory down :) unfortunately my short fingers find it a little harder and more painful at a practical level! :(


yeah... playing a G7 chord shape in a barre I reckon gives the most trouble/pain. Probably most people who have been playing a little while know 2 barre shapes - the 'A' and 'E'... learning another couple means you spend less time jumping across the neck for the next chord... :cool:

Check out my music, video, lessons & backing tracks here![br]https://www.renhimself.com

# 4
da_ardvark
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da_ardvark
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02/06/2007 1:41 pm
Another way to make use of this is to understand and use MOST of the chord shape, but then eliminate fingers and use open strings. These "substitutions" can create an interesting feel. For instance try a C shape only use the A and D string. Move this around up and down the neck and I think You'll see what I mean. Also lets not forget about the other movable shapes. F, Am, Dm7 can also be shifted about.
# 5
Bar Chord Nick
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Bar Chord Nick
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02/06/2007 10:40 pm
This is really interesting. I never heard of this before. Thanks. I will have to bring this up at my lesson this week since we are working on chord structure (constructing major, minor and dominant chords) and arpeggios (Root, 3rd 5th and so on). I think this will fit right in.
# 6
dvenetian
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dvenetian
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02/07/2007 1:05 am
Originally Posted by: da_ardvarkAnother way to make use of this is to understand and use MOST of the chord shape, but then eliminate fingers and use open strings. These "substitutions" can create an interesting feel. For instance try a C shape only use the A and D string. Move this around up and down the neck and I think You'll see what I mean. Also lets not forget about the other movable shapes. F, Am, Dm7 can also be shifted about.

Great topic!!!!
Substitutions, inversions and partial chord shapes can bring interest to a progression, as long as the manditory intervals are present.
An example would be a dominant 7th chord shape. Let's use E7 as an example. E7 = 1-3-5-b7 (E-G#-B-D) The manditory intervals that make this an E7 chord are; 1 (Root = E), 3 (Major 3rd = G#) and the b7 ( Dominant 7th = D). If any of these notes are not Present in the shape, it is not a E7 chord, so in reality the perfect 5th really could be left out and it wouldn't change the chord name. The 3rd makes it Major and the b7th makes it a dominant 7th. The reason this works is because the 3rd and b7 intervals from the root cause tension in the chord and makes it want to resolve to something to sound complete. What does it want to resolve to? A Major. Why? Let's look at the notes of the Major scale: = 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-------. The 7th tone of the Major scale is considered a Lead tone because it only needs to make a measily 1/2 step more to get home (the 8th tone = Octive = back to the root note. In the case of A Major that 7th tone would be a G#, the same tone as the 3rd of E7, so going from E7 to A Major resolves that tension, creating harmony and the dominant 7th tone of E is also the Perfect 4th of A. Notice that A is the perfect 4th of E.
Next post will show an E7 and A Major shape by just changing the fingering pattern some.
# 7
dvenetian
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dvenetian
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02/07/2007 1:59 am
Something to point out in CAGED theory is the order of positions 1-5 (C=1/A=2/G=3/E=4/D=5). When forming the C chord, You start the 1st position using the C shape,
2nd position-A shape, 3rd -G shape, etc..........
When forming the A chord, you start the 1st position using the A shape, 2nd position - G shape, 3rd - E shape, etc.............
So, 1-5 shapes in the C chord = C-A-G-E-D
1-5 shapes in the A chord = A-G-E-D-C
-----------------G chord = G-E-D-C-A
-----------------E chord = E-D-C-A-G
-----------------D chord = D-C-A-G-E
C A G E D
A
G
E
D

When forming the F chord, you would use the E-D-C-A-G sequence starting the E shape on the 1st fret (Barre chord).
When forming the B chord, you would use the A-G-E-D-C sequence starting the A shape on the 2nd fret.
Chord substitution and extensions may always be experimented with, Let's use an E7 (no 5th) in the 3rd position, which would require using the C shape according to the sequence above for the E chord. AN SRV Favorite.
-----------------------------
------------5----------------
------------------7----------
---------------6-------------
------------------7----------
-----------------------------
Now let's use an A Major in the 3rd position, that's an E shape
------------5----------------
------------5----------------
---------------6-------------
-------------------7---------
-------------------7---------
------------5----------------

When looking at these shapes, things start to relate to each other, like how the C shape and the D shape interlock.
# 8
solidwalnut
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solidwalnut
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02/07/2007 8:46 pm
This is a great and important topic. For those of us who've been playing for a while, it's a great way to stay connected to the fretboard; grounded in the melody, which comes from the chords.

Anyway, I wanted to post some graphics and information to help beginning and intermediate players see the connections. Forgive me if I go back to a few basics just to make some points.

The acronym CAGED represents the moveable forms of C, A, G, E and D. These chord forms are connected on the neck in this same order--always, and each form is the same musical chord. Even if we started with the A form, the next form connected to it up the neck would be the G form, then the E form, etc. CAGED, AGEDC, GEDCA, EDCAG, DCAGE. No matter at which fret we start, it's always the same. This is one of those truths about the guitar neck that is as solid as a rock.

The best way to start understanding this is to look at a C chord and follow it up the neck.

.......1.......2.....3......4......5......6......7.......8......9......10.....11....12......13....14

E ||-----|----|--x-|----|-----|----|-----|--x--|-----|-----|----|--x--|----|----|
B ||--x--|----|----|----|--x--|----|-----|--x--|-----|-----|----|-----|--x-|----|
G ||-----|----|----|----|--x--|----|-----|-----|--x--|-----|----|--x--|----|----|
D ||-----|--x-|----|----|--x--|----|-----|-----|-----|--x--|----|-----|----|----|
A ||-----|----|--x-|----|-----|----|--x--|-----|-----|--x--|----|-----|----|----|
E ||-----|----|--x-|----|-----|----|-----|--x--|-----|-----|----|-----|----|----|

Remember that each one of these chord forms is producing the C chord in the next shape up the neck. Notice how they connect from one to the other and that each chord shape shares notes.

.......1.......2.....3......4......5......6......7.......8......9......10.....11....12......13....14

E ||-----|----|--x-|----|-----|----|-----|--x--|-----|-----|----|--x--|----|----|
B ||--x--|----|----|----|--x--|----|-----|--x--|-----|-----|----|-----|--x-|----|
G ||-----|----|----|----|--x--|----|-----|-----|--x--|-----|----|--x--|----|----|
D ||-----|--x-|----|----|--x--|----|-----|-----|-----|--x--|----|-----|----|----|
A ||-----|----|--x-|----|-----|----|--x--|-----|-----|--x--|----|-----|----|----|
E ||-----|----|--x-|----|-----|----|-----|--x--|-----|-----|----|-----|----|----|

The formations start over again at the 12th fret, repeating what started at the beginning, the nut. So if you look at the first C form, picture the nut of the guitar as a capo at the zero fret. When you look at the second form, the A form, picture a capo on the third fret and you're playing a A chord. Well, you're actually playing a C chord, and so on up the neck.

How about when you get to the D form at the twelfe fret? Isn't this just as if there were a capo on the twelfe fret and you could play a C chord? Interesting...

To learn and to play each shape alone is a great challenge. Most of us usually learn the E and A shapes, occasionally the C and the D shape and use them as barre chords up and down the neck. But for our purposes today, just try and play the C chord in the C formation, the C chord in the A formation and so on up the neck. For right now, it's not as important to learn to play the shapes as it is to see and feel the connections between shapes; how they relate to each other.

Let's break it down.

It's all about the 1-3-5. This is where it begins, and this is how you can start to learn to improvise up the neck. The 1-3 and 5 notes of a C chord are a C, G and E notes. Check out how they connect to each other on the fretboard.

.......1.......2.....3......4......5......6......7.......8......9......10.....11....12......13....14

E ||-----|----|--G-|----|-----|----|-----|--C--|-----|-----|----|--E--|----|----|
B ||--C--|----|----|----|--E--|----|-----|--G--|-----|-----|----|-----|--C-|----|
G ||-----|----|----|----|--C--|----|-----|-----|--E--|-----|----|--G--|----|----|
D ||-----|--E-|----|----|--G--|----|-----|-----|-----|--C--|----|-----|----|----|
A ||-----|----|--C-|----|-----|----|--E--|-----|-----|--G--|----|-----|----|----|
E ||-----|----|--G-|----|-----|----|-----|--C--|-----|-----|----|-----|----|----|

By now I hope that there are some lightbulbs going off! As dvenetian is getting at, there's alot more to it. But this is a very good place to start.

Have fun!

Steve
Steve Cass / ASCAP
Life's too short. Play hard!
# 9
dvenetian
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dvenetian
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02/08/2007 3:45 am
Originally Posted by: solidwalnut

By now I hope that there are some lightbulbs going off! As dvenetian is getting at, there's alot more to it. But this is a very good place to start.

Have fun!

Steve

Great Post!!!!!
Welcome to the site. Topics like this can really open the door for someone to visualize how the guitar functions in relationship to music.
Keep up the good work!!!!
# 10
solidwalnut
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solidwalnut
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02/08/2007 3:47 pm
Originally Posted by: dvenetianGreat Post!!!!!
Welcome to the site. Topics like this can really open the door for someone to visualize how the guitar functions in relationship to music.
Keep up the good work!!!!


Thanks man! I really hope it helps. I plan to do some more. We'll see what happens.

Steve
Steve Cass / ASCAP
Life's too short. Play hard!
# 11

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