Caged system

Hello after playing and taking lessons for 2 1/2 years I finally understand how chords generate the scale and not memorizing scales but just knowing what there differences are and then make the adjustment in the steps. The Caged system idea was what did it for me and what a world of understanding that opened up in understanding the guitar. I like to play mostly acoustic, some strumming but more fingerstyle. Many of these positions are difficult to play on an acoustic and then on top of that trying to add embellishments or small riffs to otherwise straight forward chords.

What is the best way to accomplish this?
What modes & postions would be most affective to learn and understand? In modern music is it worth learning all 7 of the major modes in all keys or just some keys along with certain modes that occur often in country, blues and acoustic rock? I guess now I know kind of what is going on how do I apply it to actually playing? What should a person now focus on?


Thanks alot :D

Originally Posted by: todd.tbens@gmaiMany of these positions are difficult to play on an acoustic and then on top of that trying to add embellishments or small riffs to otherwise straight forward chords.

What is the best way to accomplish this?

The CAGED system is fine for what it is. I did a tutorial on it here:
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=383

Personally I find visualizing inversions more useful in many cases. I think it might be a good fit for what you are after:
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=148

CAGED is simply how all those inversions ultimately fit together and are linked to form an integrated pattern covering the fretboard. But using just the inversions to isolate the three notes you need to form any given major or minor chord is invaluable.

Also, the jazz technique of "Drop 2 Voicing" can really help you integrate bass lines and inversion shapes:
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=149
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=268

Finally, in order to make the embellishments and such you need to be able to see all the possible scale degrees all around the chord tones. I did a tutorial with fretboard images that show this here:
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=462

Hope this helps, let us know how it goes for you!

I would highly recommend the book Planetalk. Just google it.
It actually breaks down the fretboard one layer deeper then CAGED and teaches you a mindset to put it into use. I have read many theory articles on the net and some books but nothing breaks it down easier then this book.