More guitar players’ shortcuts

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After covering some ways we could achieve the status of “guitar player” without putting in too much effort, I thought we should get to know some chord fingerings we could repeat in a number of positions on the fret board. It’s called the CAGED chord system. Here’s a selection of approaches to this way of viewing the guitar, including a YouTube video.

“What is C-A-G-E-D?
Most of the chords that you will learn in the future can be derived from 5 basic chord patterns: C, A, G, E, and D. Together they spell the word CAGED which should help you remember them. They are also called major chords.
What To Do
Learn and memorize each chord pattern . Take your time to insure that you are playing them correctly. Each pattern is accompanied a picture of the chord being played and an audio sample of what the chord sounds like when played properly.”
http://justacoustic.com/chords/caged.htm

“These chords are considered the basic beginner guitar chords, but everyone uses them all the time. They are great chords and give a great sound because of the open strings.
This ‘open-string’ sound is unique to guitar and is one of it’s best features.
These basic guitar chords are suitable for beginners because they train your fretting fingers to work independently. They also help strengthen the fingers and prepare them for the more difficult bar chords.”
http://www.free-guitar-chords.com/basic-beginner-caged-guitar-chords.htm

“These five chords are fundamental to guitar for a variety of reasons including:
they are all major triads, and as such they are all primary reference chords
they all occur and are available in open position: the first three frets plus open strings
each has its root on a different string
their overall gross large shapes become the basis of the CAGED system
they can be connected and linked together to create one large long contiguous 12-fret or one-octave greater resource pattern of major triad tones encompassing the entire fretboard.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_chord#Six-string_guitars_with_standard_tuning

Here’s a Free Beginning Guitar Lesson covering the 8 essential open chords. The 5 Major Chords C A G E and D (which spell CAGED) and the 3 minor chords Em Am and Dm. Plus a trick for remembering the minor chord shapes. First concentrate on memorizing the Major chords. Next up Barre Chords. Where we take these chords you just learned and simply move them up the neck of the guitar.

Here’s a diagramatic approach to the CAGED chords.
http://www.ronsplace.net/Chords.htm

The CAGED system is inherent to how the guitar works- in standard tuning of course- whether we recognize it or not!. The “CAGED” system is just an other way of seeing the fretboard, and the connections between the basic scale/chord forms. REMEMBER: “CAGED” is based on the OPEN forms that we all use when playing any chord. For example; when you play an “F” chord, down near the nut, it looks (is shaped) like an “E” chord, but one fret higher. There is no “F” type chord. That same principle works for all the chords up and down the neck. If you start with an open “C” chord, what would the next “C” chord up the neck look like? That would be an “A” form barred at the 3rd fret. Next would be the “G” form barred at the 5th fret (yes, a bit of a stretch, I know…), followed by the “E” form ( most guitarists favourite form!) at the 8th fret, then the “D” form at the 10th fret (another stretch!), and finally, the “C” form again, barring at the 12th fret. Please note: there is no rule that says you can’t mix the forms – for example; suppose you wanted to play a really sweet jazz chord named “CMaj7(add6)”, voiced from the low strings to the high strings as 5,1,3,7,3,6(G,C,E,B,E,A). You could use a combination of “C” and “A” forms from the 2nd through the 5th frets.
http://www.tonydesmarteau.com/caged.htm

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