> What Is the CAGED System?
The CAGED system is a method for visualizing the guitar fretboard using five open chord shapes: C, A, G, E, and D. These shapes interlock and repeat up the neck, creating a complete map of the fretboard.
The insight is simple but powerful: every chord shape contains a scale shape. If you can see where a C chord shape sits on the neck, you can see where the corresponding scale position sits. The chord tones are embedded within the scale.
This is not a new scale system. It is a visualization method that connects what you already know (chord shapes) to what you want to learn (scale positions).
> The Five Shapes
Each letter in CAGED represents an open chord shape. When you barre these shapes and move them up the neck, they become movable chord forms. The scale positions follow the same logic.
The shapes connect in a specific order as you move up the neck: C → A → G → E → D → C. This cycle repeats indefinitely, though the guitar neck limits how far you can go.
> From Chords to Scales
Each chord shape outlines the 1st, 3rd, and 5th scale degrees. To complete the scale, you add the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 7th degrees around these chord tones.
This is why knowing the chord shape helps with scales. The chord tones act as anchor points. You always know where the root, third, and fifth are because they form the chord you can already visualize.
Building the Scale from the Chord:
- Chord tones (1, 3, 5): These form the skeleton
- Scale tones (2, 4, 6, 7): Fill in the gaps
The chord tones are stable landing points. The other degrees add color and movement.
> How the Shapes Connect
The real power of CAGED is not the individual shapes. It is how they connect. Each shape shares notes with the shapes next to it. The end of one pattern overlaps with the beginning of the next.
C Major CAGED Positions (approximate fret ranges):
| Shape | Fret Range | Root Location |
|---|---|---|
| C Shape | Frets 0-3 | 3rd fret, 5th string |
| A Shape | Frets 2-5 | 3rd fret, 5th string |
| G Shape | Frets 4-8 | 8th fret, 6th string |
| E Shape | Frets 7-10 | 8th fret, 6th string |
| D Shape | Frets 9-12 | 10th fret, 4th string |
Notice the overlap. The C shape ends around fret 3-4, and the A shape starts around fret 2-3. This overlap is where you transition between positions. The notes in the overlap zone belong to both shapes.
> Visualizing Scale Continuity
The fretboard is not five separate boxes. It is one continuous field of notes. The CAGED shapes are windows into that field, not walls around it.
A skilled guitarist does not think "I am in the E shape now." They see where the scale notes are across the entire visible neck and choose the ones that serve the music. The shape is a reference point, not a prison.
To develop this continuity:
- Practice sliding from one position to the next within a single phrase
- Find the same note in adjacent positions and connect through it
- Play scales starting from the 2nd, 3rd, or 5th degree instead of always from the root
- Visualize the chord shape underneath while playing the scale
> Common Mistakes
The shapes connect. Practice the transitions, not just the shapes themselves.
Always be able to see the chord shape within the scale shape. This anchors your playing.
Practice in multiple keys. The shapes are the same; only the starting fret changes.
Many guitarists overuse E and A shapes. The G and D shapes offer different phrasing options.
> Using CAGED in Practify
The Scale Learning Machine in Practify uses CAGED naming for positions. When you select "E Shape" or "C Shape," you are selecting the CAGED position associated with that chord form.
Use the position navigator to cycle through all five shapes for any scale. Notice how each shape sits on a different region of the fretboard, but all contain the same seven notes of the scale.
The playback feature lets you hear each position in sequence. Listen for how the scale sounds the same despite different fingerings. This reinforces that positions are physical conveniences, not musical differences.
> PRACTICE THIS
Open the Scale Learning Machine and select A Major. Cycle through all five CAGED positions using the position arrows. For each position, identify where the root notes are located. Then play the scale while visualizing the A chord shape (either A shape at fret 0, E shape barre at fret 5, etc.) underneath the scale.
Open Scale Learning Machine