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Free Guitar Workshop Series- Understanding And Using The CAGED System For Guitar

By: Frank Macri

Posted in: Music News And Tips

The CAGED system is a method of fretboard organization based on five familiar open chord shapes that can be used in any style of music. It allows one to visualize any chord all over the neck and know its interval structure. It also provides a system of seeing the associated arpeggios and scales overlaid on top of any chord. This provides an integrative approach to viewing and understanding chords and their related arpeggios and scales instead of a fragmented picture. Learning this system will help your rhythm playing by being able to easily play inversions and use better voice leading between chord changes. Soloists use the CAGED system to map out chord tones within scale patterns and then they target these notes while they solo so that their lead lines are guided by notes related closely to the chords in a progression. This allows ones’ solos to make sense harmonically and be more melodic. In short, this is the operating system of the fretboard in standard tuning.

This workshop will cover how to learn, practice and apply step by step:

• Constructing major and minor triads
• Naming the movable chord shapes
• Identifying intervals especially chord tones
• The CAGED template that covers the whole neck
• The associated arpeggios, pentatonic and major/minor scales that lay on top of major and minor chords
• How to practice to learn, visualize and apply
• How to solo over chord changes using chord tones and pentatonic scales
• Hendrix style fills and double stops for rhythm and improvising
• How to use the system to develop your ear so you can make a connection with what you hear in your head and what you play with your hands

This event is coming Wednesday April 5th at 6:00. Call or email us to reserve your spot for this free workshop at modern.guitarist@gmail.com or 860-793-8455.