Now you're learning the CAGED system, you can start to walk up and down the fretboard just like a pianist would on the keyboard. We've still to cover all the keys (more on that later) but you now know how this works within a few major and minor positions. Think about it. Most guitarists only know open chords and a few barre chord like an E shape or an A-shape.

Let's say you want to play the A major shape all over the neck. How would start to process that in your head? Think about two things to begin with. Let's start with two A's

Now you start to fill in the space between. Start from the left hand side and the first shape you encounter is the G shape.

We can then start going through our CAGED alphabet and next up is the E shape

Next is the D shape and we already have the root covered:

Next is the C shape and we have most of that shape already, we're just missing the position on the 4th string:

Last up we finish with the A shape:

Knowing where these chords are and how to map out the CAGED system with any given chord like this is huge. It's not just because it gives you many options to play even just major chords like this, but because you're seeing the fretboard for what it is and how it's actually laid out.

Close your eyes. Take a minute to think how 1, 3 and 5's a placed through all these shapes together... Did you see it like this?

You know a major chord is as a group of 1-3-5s, and you can play these 1-3-5s in different ways on the fretboard. Once you fully internalise CAGED you can see the neck without constantly thinking 1-3-5.

You can still use the trick or luxury of shapes with reference notes on the E and the A string. It's just that now you don't just have these shapes; you can go left and right of the root, and up to the D shape, and then left and right again.

So, you're seeing the fretboard in a totally different way. You should know the voicings of each of these chords because, as we'll see, it's very useful. 1's, 3's, and 5's are used regardless of what you're playing, whether it's chords, arpeggios, scales, pentatonic—it doesn't matter.

You're always going to use these core tones as landmarks - not just visually to navigate - you're actually going to stress these notes, usually playing them more than the others in your solos or in your lines because they're resolving notes; they have a resolving quality.