Guitar: Structure of the CAGED scale shapes: An Open Learning Guide

Hopefully you have read the previous introduction to the major scales, where the upcoming lessons were already outlined.

This course is about improvising melodically over simple songs set in major and natural minor keys.

Here we want to learn the division of the fingerboard according to the CAGED system, which can be learned quickly, especially for beginners in the subject of 'improvisations in major and minor'. First we break down the major scale into manageable units, then we build each of the five CAGED scales from the individual parts

We assign the major scales to a barre chord, which is also the basic chord (tonic) of the scale.

The sequence of the chord, pentatonic or major scale shapes of the same name ('shapes') follows a certain order, which can be easily remembered using the mnemonic "CAGED".

The only important thing for the CAGED system is the position of the fundamental tones in relation to the respective chord or scale.

You already know basic tones from your beginners' lessons. And you should already be familiar with the principle of chord shapes from the bare chords.

The stupid thing about the mnemonic 'CAGED' is that it actually only works problem-free for major chords or major pentatonics. With minor, the mnemonic reaches its limits. And the mnemonic doesn't describe many of the connections that you learned about in the circle of fifths (e.g. when you took the (German) workshop on how to pick out chords ).

So it may not really surprise you that here in the Wikibooks we have alternative names for the obviously missing shapes. If you know barre chords, and if you can do something with the phrase: "grasp the A major like an F barre on the 5th fret!" , you shouldn't have any problems with it.

All chords known from the simple keys mentioned above, bass lines and the like can largely be transferred to the corresponding 5 CAGED scales, almost as if the scale had been moved to a higher position using a capo.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Guitar/Structure of the CAGED scale shapes by Wikibooks contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. This adapted text is shared under the same licence. Contributor history.