Stop 1 of 6
The CAGED system
Five shapes, one chord: the map that connects the neck.
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Stop 1 of 6
Five shapes, one chord: the map that connects the neck.
So far you know the neck as a set of islands: open chords by the nut, barre chords in the E and A shapes, the five pentatonic boxes. Each island works, but there is fog between them. In this stop we turn the lights on: you will discover that one single chord can be played in five shapes that link along the neck like the links of a chain. That map is called , and it is the compass for this whole stage.
Start with your ears. Listen to these five chords: all of them are C, with the same three notes (C, E and G), but each one lives in a different zone of the neck. Tap them one by one and notice how the colour changes: low down, warm and open; higher up, bright and compact.
The diagrams are labelled with degrees. Look for the 1: every shape holds two or three roots, and those roots are what joins one shape to the next.
Now let's lay the five shapes on the same neck. This diagram shows every C major note between the nut and fret 15, labelled by degree. It looks like a labyrinth of dots… until you notice it is built from five pieces that fit together.
String 6, Open: E2 · 3 · Third
Look at the overlaps. The C shape ends on fret 3 of the fifth string, which is exactly the low root of the A shape. The A shape ends with the root on fret 5 of the third string, which the G shape leans on. And so on: no shape stands alone.
| Shape | Frets (C major) | Roots on strings |
|---|---|---|
| C | 0–3 | 5th and 2nd |
| A | 3–5 | 5th and 3rd |
| G | 5–8 | 6th, 3rd and 1st |
| E | 8–10 | 6th, 4th and 1st |
| D | 10–13 | 4th and 2nd |
Past fret 12 the chain starts again: the C shape reappears an octave higher (x-15-14-12-13-12), because fret 12 is the open string "all over again".
String 5, Fret 3: C3 · C · Root
The best way to burn the chain into memory is to play the chord arpeggiated in every shape, one after the other, climbing the neck. Each bar is one shape; hear how the same chord keeps getting brighter:
Notice one thing: every bar contains only C, E and G. The only things that change are where and in which order. That is the idea of a , which we will work on in depth later in this stage.
Between neighbouring strings there is always a perfect fourth (five frets), except between the 3rd and the 2nd, where there is a major third (four frets). That is why every shape has a "notch" when it crosses onto string 2: the note moves up one fret. If the guitar were tuned only in fourths, the five shapes would be more regular, but the open chords — and therefore CAGED — would be different. Standard tuning is a compromise that favours five- and six-string chords.
Seeing the shape is not enough: you need to know where the root is to place it on the right fret. Each shape carries its root "from the factory" on particular strings, the same ones as the open chord it comes from:
Look at the E shape (fret 8) with its roots marked:
String 6, Fret 8: C3 · 1 · Scale tone
CAGED is not just a memory exercise; it changes the way you play from day one:
Everything else in this stage — scale positions, arpeggios, voicings — rests on this map.
The order never changes, but the shape you start with depends on the key. With G, the open shape is the G shape, so the chain starts on G and continues G → E → D → C → A → G:
Think of it as a circle and it doesn't matter where you step in: C A G E D C A G E D… For any major chord, find one shape you know and the others follow, in order.
String 6, Fret 3: G2 · 1 · Root
The same five shapes exist for minor chords: just lower every 3 by a half step to turn it into ♭3. In practice three minor shapes get most of the use because they sit well under the fingers: the Em, Am and Dm shapes. Listen to three versions of Cm:
The minor C and G shapes exist, but they are so awkward that they are used in fragments, mostly for arpeggios and scales. The essential point: the order of the chain is the same, and the roots sit on the same strings as in major.
String 6, Fret 3: G2 · 5 · Fifth
Goal: Play C major in the five shapes, up and down, one chord per bar at 70 BPM without stopping.
Goal: Find the five shapes of G, A and D in under a minute per key.
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