CAGED Basics II | 1 | Overview
Added 2022-04-17 19:16:20 +0000 UTCWhere to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • Book a Private Lesson
Hi Everyone,
Before starting on this CAGED Basics II series, please make sure you're comfortable with the concepts in Music Theory for Guitar and CAGED Basics.
CAGED Basics II is all about how to integrate minor chords and scales into the CAGED System. My goal with this series to to help you understand the logic and usefulness of layering this kind of information on top of the basic CAGED shapes you're already familiar with. This first lesson is an overview and introduction, so the concepts are broad. The following lessons will go into much more detail.
The video above has chapter markers labeled "Lesson," "Homework," and "Practice." Below, I've attached a PDF for each section as well.
The Lesson section helps you understand what I'm talking about, the Homework section helps you get to know the concepts for yourself, and the Practice section helps you apply the concepts to guitar with a fun practice track.
Here are the play-along practice tracks. Remember, playing along at 60BPM with the occasional mistake is probably a good indicator that you can move on, but I've included faster BPMs for those of you who would like a faster play-along track.
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CAGED Basics II:
CAGED Basics II | Lesson 11 | Full Circle
CAGED Basics II | Lesson 10 | Pentatonic Pit Stop
CAGED Basics II | Lesson 09 | D Shape
CAGED Basics II | Lesson 08 | Pentatonic Pit Stop
CAGED Basics II | Lesson 07 | E Shape
CAGED Basics II | Lesson 06 | Pentatonic Pit Stop
CAGED Basics II | Lesson 05 | G Shape
CAGED Basics II | Lesson 04 | Pentatonic Pit Stop
CAGED Basics II | Lesson 03 | A Shape
CAGED Basics II | Lesson 02 | C Shape
CAGED Basics II | Lesson 01 | Overview (current lesson)
If you've got questions, eureka moments, or you'd like to share a clip of your progress on the play along tracks, do so on the community forum.
After completing this series, you may want to try my CAGED Soloing Series.
Comments
Awesome can’t wait to get started on these lessons! Go raibh maith agat
Seán Ó Cobhthaigh
2025-07-19 21:00:53 +0000 UTCHi Scott, I noticed a small typo on page 2 of the 1st practice lesson. The Cm shape Dm chord listed is actually an Fm chord (fret 6). I thought I was losing my mind. Page 1 has it correct--it looks like the fret #s are just wrong on page 2.
John H
2025-03-16 21:39:38 +0000 UTCHey Scott, I have a question. I finished the CAGED basics series. Assuming I don't know anything about pentatonic scales, is this CAGED basics II course the place where I'll learn about them? Or is it prerequisit to already know them before going into this section?
Mark van Beekum
2023-09-29 20:59:50 +0000 UTCThis was a great "Ah-ha" lesson for me. And I also realize that I'll be sitting on this lesson/practice a while for the muscle memory to catch up!
Ben Poe
2023-09-28 15:37:01 +0000 UTCA Minor and C Major contain all the same notes, so, yes. It's less that you're allowed to play them, and more about recognizing that they are the same notes. Every major key has a relative minor key that shares all the same notes
Scott Paul Johnson
2023-07-01 20:50:12 +0000 UTCSo is one of the takeaways here that you're "allowed" to play relative minor notes if playing over a melody that's in it's relative major? And vice versa? So if I see a jam track and I'm riffing in a section that that's in C Major, I should realize that I can also use A Minor notes and scales when determining what notes I can play?
Dan McHugh
2023-06-30 14:19:58 +0000 UTCHi Scot and thank you for your lessons very informative and finding your PDF's excellent! , is there a typo for the Dm as you have it on fret 5 & 6 although you play it on fret 3..
Kenneth Knapton
2023-02-19 12:33:19 +0000 UTCNot a dealbreaker at all, but it would have been perfect if in the practice PDF you have also colored the 3rds and 5ths with different colors
Ahmed Elnaggar
2023-02-18 22:20:40 +0000 UTCAmazing Scott, I love how everything is defined. What to practice and how exactly and when you can move to the next lesson. Just perfect 👍
Ahmed Elnaggar
2023-02-18 22:11:27 +0000 UTCHi Timo - this is an overview lesson, but it has a practice track to play along with. Also, the following lessons break things down a bit more. If you're feeling bored, I strongly suggest trying out the Community Challenges - to me, writing music is the single most exciting aspect of musicianship. I wouldn't play guitar anymore if I couldn't write music. Also to your quote " want to have an example as to where something is used, lesson on how to do this and then practice through playing myself" The play along tracks in this series give you exactly that! Is there something about them that isn't doing it for you?
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-10-20 16:43:25 +0000 UTCHi Scott, after practising the CAGED basics I was very happy as it was incredibly easy for me to start playing and "doodling" around over different backing tracks. Now the Music theroy and apparently also the second CAGED program really feels overwhelming and starts to be boring to me as I am struggling take it in a playful manner. How do others feel about this? I want to have an example as to where something is used, lesson on how to do this and then practice through playing myself. Maybe it is just me? Thanks in any case for your thoughts.
Timo
2022-10-20 13:03:14 +0000 UTCHey Jared - I've got a 1971 Musicmaster, but the pickup is a noiseless Tele pickup - can't remember what brand it is! For the past year or so, I've been playing directly into a Milkman The Amp 100, which is a large pedal-sized solid state head unit. It's awesome
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-05-02 16:16:12 +0000 UTCScott, why is your tone so good? That's a music master you play (I'm guessing a vintage), are you playing through a twin?
Jared Thompson
2022-05-02 00:03:01 +0000 UTCHey Kevin! I'll privately message you right now about it!
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-04-26 23:29:37 +0000 UTCI have no access to community forum and got “Oops! That page doesn’t exist or is private.” Can anyone help me how to solve this issue?
Kevin_Z_Seattle
2022-04-26 06:53:04 +0000 UTCYou're killing it on the lesson clarity and PDFs! Hooray! Quality content achieved!
Tasha McManus
2022-04-22 21:45:28 +0000 UTCVery cool, start practicing tomorrow.
Mathias Olson
2022-04-22 02:31:33 +0000 UTCTY
Brenda Thomas
2022-04-18 13:43:32 +0000 UTCoh god I'm so excited!
know idon
2022-04-18 01:03:47 +0000 UTC
