Caged or Chord by Chord?

snarf

making guitars wish they were still trees
Decided it's time to break out a new course and start going through it on a systematic basis so I actually finish it (or get closer than I usually do). Thinking about one of these two because I bought them when they came out, and then never got beyond the Intro page. Anybody been through either (or both) of these to have a recommendation?

I understand the CAGED concept, but have never had any real instruction on it. I'm guessing Chord by Chord is an expansion of Griff's every chord is the I chord concept. So my assumption is that they're both just a different way of viewing the fret board.

Thoughts? What have y'all's experiences been with these two?
 

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
I've never seen much use for CAGED and Griff says that he doesn't really think about things that way, so...
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
The CAGED course will take you through the chord shapes, but then also the arpeggio, pentatonic scale and major scale patterns associated with each shape.

Chord By Chord is a more thorough exploration of the arpeggio shapes and using them over the 12 bar blues progression.

I'd break out CAGED first.

Since you already know the 5 pentatonic "Boxes", relating them to the 5 CAGED chord shapes (or vice versa) isn't really going to be anything "new".;)
 

Griff

Vice Assistant General Manager
Staff member
Think of CAGED as the foundational course, where "Chord By Chord" is more application to blues, specifically.

Due to the length of time that it takes to explain CAGED, and the length of time that it takes to actually get it in your fingers (and most people just don't take the time for that step) it's a hard one to "finish."

What's going to happen is you're going to get through the first few chapters and you'll get to the point where you have to practice for a while to get the shapes and connections in your fingers. There's a very specific exercise to do it, and then it's sort of a "come back when you're done with that."

For some students, that process takes a few weeks. Many (I'm talking to you, Diego) still don't have it down because they don't actually do it every day, and it's been a couple of years.

And the circle of 5ths drill that I'm talking about is something I still do, even. Even once you get it down, it makes a great warmup, and just continues to cement the layout of the fretboard in your mind.

Now, if you really do the CAGED course, you'll feel like the CBCBS course is too easy, at first, because you will have done the same thing (from a slightly different angle) in CAGED. But then, CBCBS takes over and gives you more specific soloing stuff.

Either can be done without the other, but in conjunction they really open up a whole new way to approach your guitar and soloing in general.
 
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