Learning the Fretboard: The ‘CAGED’ System

Learning the names and locations of every note all over the fretboard may seem like a daunting task. On an electric guitar with 6 strings and 22 frets, that’s a total of 132(!) note locations to learn. However, if we think of the frets and strings as creating a grid of sorts, we can discover and leverage patterns and shapes to much more easily learn the fretboard.

The CAGED system is based around 5 particular open chord shapes. If you don’t already know, open chords include plucking strings without pressing down on a fret (“open” strings). The chords that make up the system are: C major, A major, G major, E major, and D major. The below fretboard diagrams exhibit each of the aforementioned chords. The root note of each chord is shown in a greenish square with rounded corners. Pay special attention to those.

Each chord shape is movable up and down the fretboard. If you’re still learning the names of each note on the fretboard, this system can help expedite the process. In the short term, it’s good to focus on just memorizing these 5 shapes. These shapes are also interconnected in a way that allows guitarists to easily flow from one to the next.

Each of the above chords are diagrammed in their open form. When moving a shape out of its open form, you’ll often need to barre across two or more strings (press on one fret across multiple strings with one finger). Let’s see what each chord looks like in a different position.

Shape Shifting

By moving the C major shape up 2 frets, we end up with a D major chord, containing the notes D, F# (said as “F sharp”), and A. This position would be described as a C-form D chord. That may seem a little confusing at first; we’re creating a D major chord, but using the shape (or form) of the C open chord. No matter where we position this chord shape on the fretboard, it would still be described as being “C-form.” Note the barring across the 3 highest strings and the exclusion of the lowest string altogether. For each of the diagrams below, the open chord is shown on the left and the repositioned chord is on the right.

By moving the A major shape up 1 fret, we end up with a Bb (said as “B flat”) major chord, containing the notes Bb, D, and F. This would be called an A-form Bb chord. You’ll need to barre across 5 strings with one finger to execute this shape. Again, we leave out the lowest string.

Moving the G major shape up 2 frets results in an A major chord, with the notes A, C#, and E. This shape is kind of tricky to pull off at first. To make it slightly easier, you can leave out the note on the first string (skinniest string) until you’re a little more comfortable getting your fingers in position. Be mindful of the gap over the 3rd fret. We’d call this a G-form A chord.

Moving the E major shape up 3 frets creates a G major chord, with the notes G, B, and D. This shape requires barring across all 6 strings with your index finger. The resulting chord is an E-form G chord.

By moving the D major shape up 3 frets, we create an F major chord with the notes F, A, and C. This chord is called a D-form F chord. Watch out for the gap over the 4th fret. Both of the lowest strings are excluded from this shape.

Connecting Shapes

Next, we can begin stringing these shapes together to create a sequence that covers the entire fretboard. This sequence is where the whole system comes together and exposes why exactly it’s called the “CAGED” system.

We’ll begin with an open form C chord. From there, switch to the A form of the C chord. Remember, this chord is still a C chord! It’s just in the shape of the open A chord. The diagrams below depict the switch between the two C chords. Note how the lowest root note is in the same position for both chord forms. In this case, this note behaves as a pivot point between the two shapes.

From the A-form C chord, we’ll switch to the G form. Again, this is still a C chord. The 3 notes barred across the 5th fret are shared between the A form and G form. As mentioned earlier, you can leave off the highest note of the G-form chord. The diagrams below show the switch between the two forms. The G-form chord uses all 6 strings (if including the highest note). Also, take note of the fret numbers on the left of the G-form chord. They’ve been adjusted to show the appropriate position of the chord on the fretboard.

So far, we started with a C chord in C form, then moved to the A form, then the G form. At this point, you can probably guess what chord form comes next. Hopefully you guessed the E form, because that’s the upcoming step in the sequence. The lowest and highest notes (8th fret on each E string) are shared between the G form and E form. The below diagrams depict the movement from the G form to the E form. Again, look out for the fret numbers on each diagram.

To complete the sequence, we’ll move from the E form to the D form. The D-form C chord uses only the 4 highest strings. Only one note is shared between the E and D forms: the root note on the 10th fret of the D string. The movement between the forms is shown below.

From there, we can restart the sequence from the middle of the fretboard. The D-form C chord connects to the C-form C chord, but an octave higher than where we initially began.

The sequence can continue until you run out of frets. By learning to play this sequence, you’re encoding many different ways of playing a C chord across the entire fretboard.

Sequence Permutations

To really master the CAGED system, try beginning from a different chord form. For example, you could start from a G-form chord, which links to an E-form chord, which links to a D-form chord, which links to a C-form chord, which links to an A-form chord, and so on. Or you can start from a C-form chord, but from somewhere other than its open position. There are many possibilities to explore, all of which will help you create a much stronger mental map of the fretboard. Below are all of the sequences to practice. The first chord in each sequence should be in its open form.

• C open form -> A-form C chord -> G-form C chord -> E-form C chord -> D-form C chord

• A open form -> G-form A chord -> E-form A chord -> D-form A chord -> C-form A chord

• G open form -> E-form G chord -> D-form G chord -> C-form G chord -> A-form G chord

• E open form -> D-form E chord -> C-form E chord -> A-form E chord -> G-form E chord

• D open form -> C-form D chord -> A-form D chord -> G-form D chord -> E-form D chord

Further Study

Learning the fretboard is no small task and will take lots of practice and time to truly master. If taking the journey alone seems intimidating, consider signing up for our group guitar class, the Guitarist’s Roadmap. This class is designed for people that have zero prior experience with playing an instrument. You’ll learn alongside like-minded individuals that are eager to acquire the fundamentals of the guitar while becoming integrated with a growing community of musicians. Click the button below to learn more.