CAGED System Basics | 7 | Full Circle
Added 2021-08-16 19:36:57 +0000 UTCWhere to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • Book a Private Lesson
Hi Everyone,
In this final installment of the CAGED Basics Series, we're back to the beginning examining the share zone between the E shape and D shape. We discuss how all these CAGED Shapes are the only available triads on the fingerboard, and explore the vast variety of ways to approach interesting voicings.
The homework helps hammer this fact in, and the practice sections open you up to the whole fingerboard, exploring different ways to actually play with the CAGED System.
While this is the final installment of the series, I'm planning to build on this foundation with future CAGED System lessons that continue to really dig into useful, practical ways to use this cool system to get to know the fingerboard, get to know music theory, and achieve more fingerboard freedom in your own creations.
Here is the Jam Track: A Major I IV V IV Also attached below in mp3 form.
Congratulations! You've completed the CAGED System Basics course.
Post your homework, experiments, questions and whatever else you'd like related to this series on the community forum. I'd especially like to hear the voicings you have grown to love, or the different sets you enjoy jumping between! Share your findings with the community!
More from this course:
Previous Lesson | Next Lesson
Other helpful links:
Scott's Recommended Lesson Plan
Searchable Lesson Archive
How to Join the Community Forum
Scott's Jam Tracks
SPJ Live YouTube Channel
Scott's Main YouTube Channel
Comments
I really appreciate you going over the homework within the lesson
Erin
2025-04-10 13:22:36 +0000 UTCWoah! How did I miss this comment from ten months ago! Thank you so much. How are things going now, ten months later?
Scott Paul Johnson
2023-10-30 18:24:48 +0000 UTCHey Scott, I've studied all your Youtube Videos and after it felt like I cannot improve as much as I would like to. I heard alot of guitar music and suddendly had more motivation. This month I decided to try your patreon and Im glad I did. I am at the beginning but I am learning a lot. You help alot of people. Thank you for your content and your support on my guitar journey! :)
janosch
2023-01-14 20:58:47 +0000 UTCHi Tony. You'll likely never perfectly equally memorize and be comfortable playing every permutation of each shape. I'd use the practice sections of these lessons until they are very comfortable, then I'd try out jam tracks like my SPJ Jam Track Channel on youtube. With those jam tracks, you can practice making up your own rhythm parts using partial CAGED shapes. Mix it up, coming up with new ones every couple minutes. Eventually, you'll be able to improvise this concept.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-11-22 15:37:08 +0000 UTCHello Scott - I have just completed the CAGED Basics series. This is a real eye opener in terms of how to interact with the fretboard! While I have a good theoretical understanding of what is going on, before I move onto CAGED Basics II and CAGED Soloing, I'm thinking that I need to spend some serious practice time getting this into muscle memory. I was wondering if you could recommend any drills and exercises that I can use to get this into muscle memory?
Tony McGrath
2022-11-21 12:35:34 +0000 UTCThat is in CAGED Basics II! Check it out: https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/caged-system
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-01 18:18:09 +0000 UTChey Scott, how I can relate the caged chord lessons with pentatonic scale lessons ?
Abhishek Jain
2022-09-01 12:53:20 +0000 UTCIan - Mastery takes a lifetime. One of the cool things about music is that no one can master everything about. music. But for now, this is the last lesson in the CAGED Basics lesson. I'm working on a follow-up to this lesson that will really help get from this lesson to the CAGED Soloing series. I'd say this is a lesson to keep working on while you move on to the next lesson. Maybe try to come up with some new ways to play along with my rhythm guitar tracks. https://youtu.be/SlYrwwYf6Gc
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-03-25 14:04:59 +0000 UTCHey Scott, What is a tell-tale sign I have mastery over this concept? Do I need to memorize a majority of the chord voicings before I can move on to the next lessons?
Ian Torres
2022-03-23 04:19:01 +0000 UTCIt is falling into shape.
Brenda Thomas
2022-03-10 02:29:51 +0000 UTCHi Scott! First of all I am a huge fan of these lessons, and I try to fit them in besides Med School (not easy). I have a question though. Whenever I google around for the CAGED shapes, I get results where the 2nd and 6th are included, should I be learning these on my own or ar there lessons for those. Also they are talking about 7th positions but we only learned about 5, are there more to come?
Jonas
2022-02-10 23:06:22 +0000 UTCHappy to hear that. There is more to it that I'm working on, but it's a juggling act around with here so many fun things to choose from
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-11-12 03:45:56 +0000 UTCSuper awesome. This series has explained CAGED better than anything else I’ve found.
Mathias Olson
2021-11-12 02:45:33 +0000 UTCThese CAGED lessons are great Scott! Thanks!
Gloria Stout
2021-10-12 22:36:05 +0000 UTCHieu - you found the connection! HAHA! There will be more connections in the future, but isn't it exciting to combine this lesson with the Rubik's Cube lessons?
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-08-22 18:55:36 +0000 UTCThe Rubik's cude lessons really add up alot to this last lesson of CAGED
Hieu Pham
2021-08-22 18:52:14 +0000 UTCThose A voicings remind me of Mary Jane's Last Dance by Tom Petty. Mike Campbell does exactly this in the chorus right after "pain". Starts with the open postition A, then the top three strings of the E shape, then D shape, then A at the 12th fret. Again, so cool that it's the same chord but sounding different each time.
Bill MacDonald
2021-08-17 19:01:51 +0000 UTC
