CAGED System Guitar Lessons
The CAGED system takes the five open major chords you already know — C, A, G, E and D — and uses them as a map of the whole neck. Every major chord can be played in five places, one for each shape, and once you can see them the fretboard stops being a set of disconnected positions.
These lessons are for players who know their open chords and some barre chords, and want to play the same chord in different places, understand where scale positions come from, or stop getting lost above the 5th fret. CAGED is often taught as a single diagram to memorise. It works better as a sequence: learn the shapes, learn where the root sits in each, then link them.
That's the order of the path below. It starts with the shapes themselves, borrows the octave shapes from the fretboard lessons to locate each root, and then connects CAGED to triads and the pentatonic scale, which is where it pays off.
By the end you'll be able to play any major chord in five positions, choose the voicing that suits the song, and know which part of the neck holds the scale notes that fit over it.
Start here
CAGED System Guitar: The 5 Chord Shapes ExplainedThe CAGED system splits guitarists into two camps: those for whom it unlocked the fretboard, and those who gave up. The difference is almost never ability — it's how the system gets explained.Read the guide →Learning path
- The five shapes
Learn the C, A, G, E and D shapes as movable chords, and what the name actually describes.
- Find the root in each shape
Use octave shapes to locate the root of every shape on the low E, A or D string.
- Link the shapes in one key
Play one chord in all five positions, in order up the neck, until moving between them is automatic.
- The triad inside each shape
Strip each shape down to its three-string triad, the lighter voicing that makes CAGED useful for rhythm parts.
- Arpeggios in each shape
Play each shape one note at a time, adding sevenths, so the chord tones are under your fingers for soloing.
- CAGED and the pentatonic scale
See how each pentatonic position sits around a CAGED shape, so you know which notes fit over the chord you're on.
- Minor CAGED shapes
Apply the same system to minor chords, using the minor version of each of the five shapes.
All guides in this topic
29 JAN 2026
CAGED System Guitar: The 5 Chord Shapes ExplainedThe CAGED system splits guitarists into two camps: those for whom it unlocked the fretboard, and those who gave up. The difference is almost never ability — it's how the system gets explained.
27 AUG 2026
Guitar Arpeggios Explained: CAGED Arpeggio Shapes and How to Use ThemAn arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time. Learn them in the five CAGED shapes and every chord's notes are under your fingers anywhere on the neck.
9 APR 2026
Minor CAGED Shapes: CAGED Minor Chords Up the NeckEvery CAGED shape has a minor version, made by moving one note. Here are all five for A minor, the versions you'll actually play, and how they map to the pentatonic.
Questions about this topic
Do I need to know barre chords before learning CAGED?
It helps to be able to play E-shape and A-shape barre chords, because those are the two shapes most people already move up the neck. The C, G and D shapes are awkward to barre in full, and you don't need to: playing part of each shape, or its triad, is enough to use the system.
Should I learn CAGED or the pentatonic positions first?
Either order works, but they're most useful together. If you already know a pentatonic box or two, CAGED explains where those boxes come from. If you're starting fresh, learn two or three CAGED shapes first, then add the pentatonic position that surrounds each one.
Does the CAGED system work for minor chords?
Yes. Each of the five shapes has a minor version, made by lowering the third by one fret. The roots stay in the same places, so once you can find the major shapes, the minor ones follow quickly.