Up the neck.

Hi all,

so I have (just about) mastered the cowboy chords, but I feel trapped down at the far end of the neck. What's the best way to learn about what's happening a bit nearer to the body. I hear things about the CAGED system, but someone hinted to me that it wasn't the best.

I'd be keen to hear how everyone else learns about moving up the neck.

Thanks.

G.

Very much from a beginners point of view. 6 months of learning.

Try working out and starting your scales from a different root position or going in the opposite direction to what we first learn. As in the C scale can go in either direction of the 3rd fret C position. Learning your intervals or notes as you go.

Can you plot round the fretboard finding all the C notes, then another note

I don't think it can be avoided that the learned movable box shapes are a basic in moving around.

I mean you can learn all about triads and stuff but unless you know music or compose I doubt we know when to use them until we see them on a tab sheet but we would maybe be able to recognise them as they show up.. Take your D chord shape, recognise which of the 3 fingers is the root note, keep moving up the fret using your scale intervals and see how they transfer to the next chords. To E,F and onwards

Some simple songs and licks get us to move around but as with triads and inversions unless we go slow and break them down it will be learning by rote. Where to place the fingers instead of knowing which notes we play. Then we can try playing them somewhere else.

Dave

Great tips thanks. I'll give it a try.

Originally Posted by: graemehakin

Hi all,

so I have (just about) mastered the cowboy chords, but I feel trapped down at the far end of the neck. What's the best way to learn about what's happening a bit nearer to the body. I hear things about the CAGED system, but someone hinted to me that it wasn't the best.

I'd be keen to hear how everyone else learns about moving up the neck.

Thanks.

G.

Hey graemehakin,

Two things that can be transposed up and down the neck: Scales and Barre Chords.

You could start with Pentatonic or Blues Scale and just move it up the neck to any position.

Same with a Barre Chord. That's the magic of those chords -- no open strings, so any position works.

Not sure where you are in your learning but those will definitely get you away from the nut and open strings!

-Carl.

Originally Posted by: graemehakin

so I have (just about) mastered the cowboy chords, but I feel trapped down at the far end of the neck. What's the best way to learn about what's happening a bit nearer to the body.[/quote]

As Carl said, barre chords will help you use your current knowledge of chords (especially the E & A shapes) & expand up the fretboard. I cover barre chords here.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=450

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=464

You don't mention scales, but the open scale shapes & pattern can also be applied to higher registers of the fretboard. These tutorials discuss the basic patterns & how to apply them to those up registers.

Major scale patterns 1

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=453

Major scale patterns 2

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2643

[quote=graemehakin]I hear things about the CAGED system, but someone hinted to me that it wasn't the best.

CAGED can be helpful if it suits how you conceptualize, or your "learning style" for lack of a better phrase. It really helps some people, but not others.

I cover CAGED in 2 tutorials.

CAGED for rhythm guitar (focus on chord shapes)

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2614

CAGED for lead guitar (focus on scale shapes)

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2619

I personally prefer to use triads & inversions to approach opening up the fretboard with chord shapes. I cover that approach in this collection of tutorials.

https://www.guitartricks.com/collection/triads-and-inversions

That's a lot of material! But the first 2 are very basic & simply explain the concept. The rest of them are lots of detailed applications & practice play alongs to drill those applications of the basic concepts.

Both CAGED & triads cover the same thing: chord shapes on the guitar fretboard. But they take slightly different approaches to the same task.

Please ask more if necessary. Hope this helps. Best of success!