Video Lesson on the CAGED System 11-3-07

Hey guys!

It seemed like enough people were interested in doing some basic fretboard theory and learning the CAGED system, so that is what this weeks lesson is about...I'll be skipping next week because I'll be out of town (eating myself silly in New York) but when I come back we will explore this a little further!

http://blog.markwein.com (http://blog.markwein.com/)

Thanks for the awesome video lesson! I'm a long time acoustic player who just picked up a tele this week. I never knew what those guys were playing on the electric until now.

Thanks for the awesome video lesson! I'm a long time acoustic player who just picked up a tele this week. I never knew what those guys were playing on the electric until now.


Thank you! What kind of music are you playing?

For the last few years, I've been teaching CAGED as Get Excellent Doing Chords Alot, i.e., GEDCA. Exact same concept, but I start on G instead of C.

The reasons for starting in G are that, 1) requires the student to learn the shift from the D shape to the C shape as they transition up the neck, and 2) the abbreviation "CAGED" sounds like you're stuck in a box, and many CAGED players I've met seem to think in boxes, which is one way to do it, but it's limiting.

For intermediate players, I teach all the diatonic chord flavors in 5 shapes up the neck e.g., Major, Minor, Dom 7, Maj 7, Min7, and Min7b5.

I've never seen anyone else using CAGED/GEDCA to move other diatonic chords up the neck, but it works well. Easy to relate 'em back to pentatonics that way too...

BTW, Hey Joe is the only song I've found that uses all five shapes of major, and no others: CGDAE. Not the right order, but they're all there.

For the last few years, I've been teaching CAGED as Get Excellent Doing Chords Alot, i.e., GEDCA. Exact same concept, but I start on G instead of C.

The reasons for starting in G are that, 1) requires the student to learn the shift from the D shape to the C shape as they transition up the neck, and 2) the abbreviation "CAGED" sounds like you're stuck in a box, and many CAGED players I've met seem to think in boxes, which is one way to do it, but it's limiting.

For intermediate players, I teach all the diatonic chord flavors in 5 shapes up the neck e.g., Major, Minor, Dom 7, Maj 7, Min7, and Min7b5.

I've never seen anyone else using CAGED/GEDCA to move other diatonic chords up the neck, but it works well. Easy to relate 'em back to pentatonics that way too...

BTW, Hey Joe is the only song I've found that uses all five shapes of major, and no others: CGDAE. Not the right order, but they're all there.

I like your GEDCA idea...it really does make sense. I might just end up stealing it from you! :smile:

One of the things I will be leading up to is building major scales from these root patterns as a series of scale degrees, and then learning our chord theory from that.

Next will be learning the chords the way that you were describing them but then breaking all of this down out of the CAGED system. I eventually want the students not thinking of CAGED (or GEDCA) but just seeing their theory as one continuous idea. We take a group of ideas such as the CAGED root patterns and work them from a variety of angles to the point where you stop worrying about where one pattern starts and the other begins. Almost like we are going to dissolve the boxes over time much like simmering chicken, garlic, salt, pepper, carrots and celery together will turn each of those distinct flavors into a completely new taste (Chicken Soup!).....

I used to stay away from teaching any of the "Box" ideas because of what you describe...it just gets too easy for players to be limited by the physical boundaries of these patterns but I am hoping to use them as stepping stones past that problem....

Gm
--3--
--3--
--3--
--0--
-(1)-
--3--

Em
--0--
--0--
--0--
--2--
--2--
--0--

Dm
--1--
--3--
--2--
--0--
-(0)-
-(1)-

Cm
--3--
--1--
--0--
--1--
-(3)-
-(3)-

Am
--0--
--1--
--2--
--2--
--0--
-(0)-

-----

G shape Gm
--3--
--3--
--3--
--0--
-(1)-
--3--

E shape Gm
--3--
--3--
--3--
--5--
--5--
--3--

D shape Gm
--6--
--8--
--7--
--5--
-(5)-
-(6)-

C shape Gm
--10--
--8--
--7--
--8--
-(10)-
-(10)-

A shape Gm
--10--
--11--
--12--
--12--
--10--
-(10)-

-----

Dominant 7

G7
--1--
--0--
--0--
--0--
--2--
--3--

E7
--0--
--3--
--1--
--0--
--2--
--0--

D7
--2--
--1--
--2--
--0--
--0--
-(2)-

C7
--0--
--1--
--3--
--2--
--3--
-(3)-

A7
--0--
--2--
--0--
--2--
--0--
-(0)-

-----

Minor 7

Gm7
--3--
--3--
--3--
--3--
--x--
--3--

Em7
--0--
--3--
--0--
--0--
--2--
--0--

Dm7
--1--
--1--
--2--
--0--
-(0)-
-(1)-

Cm7
-(3)-
--1--
--3--
--1--
--3--
-(3)-

Am7
--0--
--1--
--0--
--2--
--0--
-(0)-

------

Major 7

GMaj7
--2--
--0--
--0--
--0--
--2--
--3--

EMaj7
--0--
--0--
--1--
--1--
--2--
--0--

DMaj7
--2--
--2--
--2--
--0--
-(0)-
-(2)-

CMaj7
--0--
--0--
--3--
--2--
--3--
-(3)-

AMaj7
--0--
--2--
--1--
--2--
--0--
-(0)-


-----

Minor 7(b5) [aka half-diminished 7]

Gm7(b5)
-(3)-
--2--
--3--
--3--
-(1)-
--3--

Em7(b5)
--0--
--3--
--0--
--0--
--1--
--0--

Dm7(b5)
--1--
--1--
--1--
--0--
-(0)-
-(1)-

Cm7(b5)
--2--
--1--
--3--
--1--
--3--
-(2)-

Am7(b5)
-(3)-
--1--
--0--
--1--
--0--
-(3)-