chord shapes, triads and the CAGED system for country&rockabilly

start with the melody notes,timing etc. build from there

 

I haven't tried these DVD's but they look interesting. Could be what you need.

http://countryguitarchops.com/Mastering_The_Fretboard.html

 

I found the CAGED system to be a big eye opener. Chances are you'll already have figured some of it out yourself. CAGED is a good way to see how the whole neck is organised.

Here's a good explanation to get you started:

http://justinguitar.com/en/TB-031-CAGEDsystem1.php

 

Learn the major scale and how to build chords from it.

This is where it all starts... It's boring at first, and might be kinda tough to stick with, but believe me when I say, I wish I had known that stuff 25 years ago!

Once you understand how to build chords, you'll understand why the triad approach works, and how the CAGED system works and you'll know the arpeggios.

A lot of Rockabilly, Jazz and Country are 'jazzing' up the basic Major and Minor Chords by adding extensions, and substituting other chords in their place. Without the basic knowledge of the Major Scale and Diatonic chords, this is extremely difficult to master.

 

Boy, czgibson, that site hits the spot for me. About the third page of his explanation of the chord shapes in each position, I could see the chords flowering up and down the neck. I think maybe I'll be able to find good diads and triads soon, to go with whichever scale positions I'm using. CAGED has saved me from cowboy-chord hell!

Edit: after some more browsing through the justinguitar site, I see there's much more useful stuff as well. Thanks for the link.

 

This is gonna be one of those good threads.....

 

One of the things you can do to start making the changes at a very basic level is add the 3rd of whatever chord you are playing to the pentatonic scale you are using.

So let's say you have a simple blues in G with just the I IV and V. That means that you can play G minor pentatonic over the whole thing (G, Bb, C, D, F) but then try to add a B over the G7, an E over the C7 and an F# over the D7.

Once you get comfortable using just the thirds, try adding in the rest of the notes from the arpeggios and go from there! That is an example for a blues progression, but it is certainly aplicable to Country or Rockabilly as well.

 

+1

Learning the CAGED system isn't going to give you licks. It's more likely to show how those licks and chords can be played in different positions on the neck.

 

I'm working on the same stuff, thanks to D7's recent "Magic Chord Shapes" lessons.

Here's a couple 3-string major and minor chord inversion charts that I found on infosnacks - these show the inversions for C.

C Major 3-string inversion chart

C Minor 3-string inversion chart

Note that on these charts, the "Root Position" is R-3-5, "1st Inversion" is 3-5-R, and "2nd Inversion" is 5-R-3.

Good luck!

 

Folsom Prison Blues, from Live at Folsom Prison

Luther plays the A in the cowboy position (A shape), then at the fifth fret (E shape), then at the (what is that 8th fret? the D shape), then drops down to the E major at the cowboy position (E shape) and runs the lick out back to the next verse.

Rockabilly/Country as you can get right there!

 

While you should know the triad shapes on all string sets, it's the top four strings (D G B E) that are more important for soloing....so I'd concentrate on those shapes first.

Not sure why you'd have trouble mixing the triads and the pentatonic scale since the same notes are in both(!). You need to put in the time and draw things out on graph paper or a neck diagram. Here's an example; C major triads contain the notes C-E-G. The C major pentatonic scale has the notes C-D-E-G-A. So map out the pentatonic scale in one are of the neck at a time and superimpose the triad shape on top. So now you know what notes & shapes you're dealing with, so try to come up with licks/phrases based on the triad inversions over a C chord....and then try to add in the other notes from the scale.

Good luck! Takes time but if you put in the work and analyze your favourite rockabilly solos, it will come together.

 

The more familiar you are with the frettboard, the easier it is going to be to know where your root notes are. The rest of the notes of the scale are going to be right there around it. You can go up a string to find the 4th, down a string for the 5th, ect... The more you practice it, the more you are going to be able to do it without thinking. One of the things I practiced deliberately was trying to play the same riff in as many different places as possible. Then I'd practice it in different keys. Then I'd practice using the riff in a progression. First I'd play out of the same position, changing scales with the chords, then I'd try using a different position for each scale, ect... I just practiced doing it different ways. I might start out with a 2-3 note riff, then expand on it. When expanding on the riff, I would add both diatonic notes and chromatic notes. Basically, I would start with something easy, and then work up to something more complex. It's not magic secret. It's just a lot of practice and repetition. And it can be boring if you let it. But you'll wake up one day and it will be mostly 2nd nature to you. So, I'd just carve out some dedicated practice time to working on some basic stuff like that.

Also, listen to a helluva lot of the genre you are interested in. You'll pick up some rhythmic and stylistic stuff just from listening to it. duh, I know, right.

 

Hey Twang - you're askin where should I start ? Everthing, everyone has said above is all what you're on a journey to discover but, if you're lazy like me, you'll want to start at the begining - learn the notes on the fretboard. That way you learn everything once and you build one brick at a time till you've got a wall. Save yourself time and effort - learn your notes; after that everything is building for you.

 

I guess I have been using the CAGED system for years, but not realizing that's what it's called. It's actually the same thing Charlie Christian did- most of his solos follow chord shapes, with a couple accent notes added, instead of the flowing chromatic scales most "jazz" has become known for.

It's funny how you could be playing something for years, then someone puts it down on paper in a "scholarly" fashion... and at first, you don't even recognize it... it's like missing the forest for the trees. Then it hits you and you say "OH!! THAT is what the CAGED system is??? Huh, I guess I knew it and never knew that I knew it!"

 

CAGED is a good way to organise notes on the fretboard and is useful to create a relationship between chords shapes and melody/solo (and licks) while you are playing. What, in my opinion , many students don't really understand is that this method CAN'T help you to play the right notes while improvising if you don't know enough about MUSIC THEORY. Modes, How chords are formed, How to recognize a key...are all things that make the real different between musicians and lick players