Understanding the CAGED System for Jazz Guitar

If you’re a guitar player, you’ve probably heard of the CAGED system. You might have heard it in passing, and wonder what the big deal is.

If you’ve been looking for ways to simplify your learning process, it might even seem like the magic bullet that will take your playing to the next level.

There are definitely enough courses and books on the CAGED system for it to seem important.

But what exactly is it, what does it do, and how can this system help your jazz guitar playing?

We’re going to take a deep dive into the CAGED system for guitar, how you can use it to improve your playing, and how you can use it to unlock your fretboard.

If you use it right, the CAGED system has the potential to be a roadmap of your fretboard in any key. It can be a great tool to help you organize your fingers across the fretboard, and keep your solos on the right track.

The system can be used to visualize any scale, chord, or arpeggio you need, right on your fretboard. This can be really helpful when you’re dealing with jazz chord progressions… no more having to look up different chord shapes!

But the CAGED System Isn’t Magic. 

It’s just a logical way of looking at patterns on the fretboard, and connecting the dots for yourself.

There are many systems of scales, chords, and arpeggios that are similar to or exactly the same as the CAGED system… they just have different names and labels. 

If you know a movable system of scales or chords that uses 5 finger patterns… you already know the CAGED system – you just don’t know it yet.

And even if you know this system by a different name, it’s worth taking a look at the CAGED thought process. It might just show you something new.

The Basics of the CAGED System

Having movable scale, chord, and arpeggio shapes is nothing new. The guitar is a complicated instrument, and everyone needs a way to organize their fingers on the fretboard.

In fact, many teachers show their students the exact same system of movable finger patterns… they just use different terminology, and different labeling systems for the patterns.

I’ve personally looked at nearly every system I could find… and found that they’re all more or less the same, with slight variations in what they call the patterns, and how certain areas of the scale are dealt with on the fretboard.

The unique thing about the CAGED system is that it’s based on five simple open chord shapes that most guitarists already know: C, A, G, E, and D.

It’s a great visual system for recognizing shapes on the fretboard, and relating them back to something simple that you already know.

• “This barre chord kind of looks like an E chord”
• “This scale shape kind of looks like it’s built around an open C chord”
• “This arpeggio is kind of like you’re playing an A chord”

CAGED makes it easy to assimilate moving chord, scale, and arpeggio patterns, and move them around the neck.

My one note of caution: The name of the shape (C, A, G, E, or D) has no bearing on the chord you are actually playing. It’s just a visual reference, like a constellation you can see in a bigger pattern.

Using Root Notes to Make Movable Chord Shapes

While the open chord shapes can help you internalize the finger pattern easily, you still need a way to know what chord you’re actually playing as you move along the neck. 

This is where the concept of “root notes” comes in. The root note (1) is the note that gives each chord its letter name.

To play a C chord, the root is C. To play a Bb chord, the root is Bb. Knowing where the root note is in each chord shape lets you play any chord, on any string, anywhere on the guitar neck.

These chord shapes have multiple roots in them, so we need to pick one to focus on. Luckyle, each of the 5 shapes has its “most important” root note on a different string.

The C shape has a 2nd string root, A shape has a 5th string root, G shape has a 3rd string root, E shape has a 6th string root, and D shape has a 4th string root.

This relates directly to the jazz guitar chord system I teach. It helps you navigate the fretboard relatively easily, and keep yourself organized.

Check out the graphic below, where the important root note is highlighted with an extra ring around it.

This is actually how I initially learned this set of chords, and how I still teach it today – at least 80% of the time. But it’s important to note that it’s still the CAGED system – just with a slightly different process for finding your chords.

Knowing what string your root note is on will help you find your next chord as quickly as possible, and learn the notes on ALL of your guitar strings. I always like when you can work on 1 thing, and get multiple benefits from it.

Applying the System to Your Guitar

CAGED Movable Chords:

The easiest way to see the application of the CAGED system is in movable chords. Intermediate guitarists can easily start to see how to make barre chords out of basic guitar chord shapes they already know.

From there, it’s a matter of learning which notes to change in order to create minor chords, major 7th chords, dominant 7th chords, minor 7th chords, or half diminished chords.

It does take learning some basic theory and going deeper into how chords are built, but at the end of the day it’s much easier than learning everything from scratch.

CAGED for Major Scales:

With a little imagination and some music theory knowledge, you can start to fill out your movable major chord shapes and come up with all of your major scale patterns.

Each major scale is built around one of your movable chord shapes, so it’s easy to remember and visualize your finger patterns.

You can see the barre chord shape outlined within the scale pattern in the examples above. This is why the CAGED system works so well… everything is visual so that you don’t have to think too hard, because you can always relate patterns back to something that’s easy and natural for you (like basic guitar chords).

Converting Scales Into Arpeggios:

From your scale patterns, you can easily eliminate a couple of notes and generate your movable arpeggio patterns.

And just like your chords, a little theory knowledge can go a long way in terms of changing your arpeggios to fit different and new sounds. With a little work, you’ll be able to generate major 7, minor 7, dominant 7, and half diminished arpeggios on the fly.

Arpeggios are an essential part of jazz guitar playing, and the CAGED system makes it easy to keep yourself organized as you go.

Putting It All Together

From one simple shape, you can generate your chords, scales, and arpeggios – all under your fingers at the same point on the guitar. This is one of the things that is the most helpful about the CAGED system when it comes to jazz guitar.

If you can play a chord at a certain fret, you’ve also got a scale there. And if you’ve got a scale at a certain fret, you’ve also got an arpeggio there.

CAGED as Your Fretboard GPS System

CAGED can help you develop a lot of skills. But moving around the guitar fretboard might just be the most valuable thing CAGED can help you do.

Whether you are playing chords, scales, or arpeggios, CAGED makes it easy to move around the neck.

With a little work, of course.

The order of shapes as you move up the guitar neck is always CAGED. It doesn’t matter which shape you actually start on.

Imagine for just a moment that your fretboard is a mile long. The shapes moving up the neck would be able to repeat over and over again, and it would read CAGEDCAGEDCAGEDCAGEDCAGED…

Since we have a normal length guitar, we have to move along the guitar neck. Here are the 5 options for moving a shape from one end of the neck to the other:

• CAGED
• AGEDC
• GEDCA
• EDCAG
• DCAGE

This makes it easier to shift up or down the neck, using the “open chord shapes” as your visual guide.

Criticisms of the CAGED System

No one system or approach to playing is going to be the perfect fit for every guitar player. But if we’re really honest about it, there are things that work really well for most of us, on average. 

And CAGED is one of those things.

The CAGED system is a great, structured approach that many players feel is helpful. It’s a simple way to “see” shapes and finger patterns on the fretboard quickly.

Now, some people worry about the system limiting their ability to see the whole fretboard. They feel like a system will essentially “lock them in” to the 5 shapes you see on this page. 

They worry that if they practice positions, they won’t be able to move on the guitar neck.

Honestly, I feel that most of these criticisms are unfounded.

You’re going to get better at whatever it is that you practice regularly. Like maybe you want to be able to play all over the neck while you solo.

Lots of people want to be able to do that.

Moving Around the Guitar Neck

These 5 CAGED System shapes are a great way to start working on your transitions up and down the neck…

… while having some good visual landmarks on the neck to keep you from getting lost.

After years of trying to avoid using these shapes and “just see the fretboard as one big piece”…

… I actually found that doubling down on the 5 shapes was the answer. The thing that really set my playing free.

When you practice shifting from one shape to the next, you get better at moving up and down the neck. And having the visualization of the CAGED shapes helps you avoid getting lost. It’s kind of a win-win.

My one concern that I talk about with my students is this:

You need to make sure you don’t take the system too literally.

Some people get too focused on the “A shape, C shape. Etc.” labels, and confuse themselves about what scale, chord, or arpeggio they are actually playing.

Taking these labels too seriously can create extra loops you have to jump through mentally. CAGED helps you access that scale, arpeggio, or chord that you need quickly – without thinking that hard.

Conclusion

The CAGED system is a great guide to the guitar fretboard, if you know how to use it. And it’s an excellent system for keeping your scales, chords, and arpeggios organized and accessible.

Is it the only way to go? No.

But it is a great, visual approach that can simplify your learning process. It does this by relating visual patterns on your fretboard back to basic chords you’ve probably known for years.

And by the way, if you already use movable scales of some kind, you’re probably already using this.

You just learned it by a different name. There just aren’t really that many different ways of looking at the guitar.

Like any tool you use, how helpful it is gets determined by how well you use it. Find a way of thinking about this system that works for you, and get playing!

Try looking at your skills from the CAGED perspective in your next practice session. See if it helps you “get the picture” of your chords, scales, and arpeggios across the guitar fretboard.

Do you use the CAGED system when you play guitar? Let me know in the comments.