The 5 Shapes On The Fretboard (that's it... there's no more...)
In case you missed the previous video, or you want to go back and try building other chords from these shapes now, the previous video is here.
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Awesome video once again Griff. I was actually looking at the caged system on utube recently and it didn’t really interest me that much, but you’ve shown how the 5 shapes connect and it makes perfect sense. I’m going to incorporate that little exercise in my daily practice routine. Thank you for making it simple, can’t wait for the next video .
Hi Griff,
Great video and lesson. I’ve been using these voicings for years. You put it together and explained it in the most cogent and succinct way I’ve ever seen. Great one!
Thanks Griff.
About half way through, I was thinking: “Ok, I know this, and I have very little use for it.”
Then you started to talk about linking them and the light went on. I recently started using the C shaped F chord when playing “Let the good time roll” and found that it makes playing the song so much easier and the voicing just sounds sweeter. At first I had to look at my fingers and really work at it, but after a few days, suddenly it just fell into place.
You didn’t specifically say it in the video, but I assume that doing the same exercise for each of the shapes is coming next?
Wonderful Griff.Thanks.
I could not view the video could you resend the video on the 5 shapes thanks
You mentioned using a capo.Could you sometime make a video on using a capo?
Griff, this little series of videos is really knocking down some walls for me . …. and I’m a 35 year veteran of the guitar who’s played onstage with many different bands over the years. I’m also working my way through your theory course and this dovetails very nicely into it. I’ve been exposed to a lot of this information over the years, but I’ve never had it explained in a way that I felt I could apply it to my actual playing .. .. . thanks so much for this, you are doing an outstanding job of teaching these concepts.
Wow! After struggling for over a year to really understand CAGED, you have explained it exceptionally well… thanks!
Griff,
Nice overview of CAGED.
I ran across it in a teaching book, something like Fretboard Roadmap.
It helps to note the higher (or lower) versions of the same chord can sound like a different chord, even though it is an inversion of that same chord.
When doing a vamp (a one-chord song) it keeps it going to go to higher and lower versions. I like “American Woman” in E7.
The 7 chords lend themselves to being accessible via CAGED.
The minor versions of chords don’t work as well. Knowing where the 3rd is helps to picture it, just as knowing where the dominate 7 is.
You’ve seemed reluctant, even adverse, to CAGED. Many find it confusing. I think it helps.
Your linking those shapes together by common notes shared by adjacent shapes helps a lot.
Picturing how far apart they are on the entire neck also helps find inversions more than one step away.
Good lesson!
Well ,it is awesome and I was mesmerised to go through your video . You are a magical teacher .
I will be following your videos to learn more . Thanks Griff . .Salute you .
Great lesson! Thank you!
I’ve looked at CAGED before and the “ah ha” moment was when I realized that the connection from shape to shape was always on the “farthest finger” in the shape. That farthest finger tells you in what fret the next shape starts.
It’s always great when someone tells you this rather than having to stumble on it on your own. Nicely done and easily understood. Thanks Griff.
Griff you are truly an amazing teacher. I have learned more from you than I have from any other guitar teacher. Well done.
Especially useful to a complete novice like me. Althoug I’m not given to epithets,
Good freakin’ lesson Griff!
Yesterday and today’s video has come at the perfect time in my learning experience. I know enough to understand what you are presenting. Thanks So Much.
I missed the previous video. Is there any way I can access it?
I’ve always thought of the 5 Pentatonic “Boxes” in relations to these shapes instead of by number.
The C shape=Box 3, A=4,G=5, E=1 and D=2. Then you can refer to Major or Minor in relation to the CAGED shape and avoid the confusion of different numbering systems. You can also relate the 5 full Major and Minor scales to the CAGED shapes as well as other modes. Each mode has the same 5 patterns, just different tonal centers.
The CAGED system is also useful for playing partial (little) chords and moving them around.
Okay the last video is a good one but You mentioned that there is only two not five . After veiwing this video I think I get it. Waiting for the next video that ties these voicing together. Just the two if I am right this will make more sence to me . I saw a demo of this system awhile back by someone else and he said something that really did not make total sence ,but, You are making alot of sence the way You present these voicings thanks alot !
Hi Griff, I think there are a few of us out here that pick up the guitar every day but don’t really apply ourselves to the art. When I started to learn songs I thought one had to memorize every chord. Only recently, thanks to your course (movable chords) and videos like this one, I’m seeing the connections and will make this part of my practice routine….such as it is! You’re a great teacher.
A few years back I found an Ernie Hawkins DVD series on CAGED published by Homespun. It was at my local library. It made instant sense. He emphasized the chord shapes using the Root – 3rd – 5th. Recently, Griff, it seems you are more frequently mentioning “that is the 3rd” of the scale instead of or in addition to “put your finger on the first fret of the 3rd string.” After (sort of) understanding CAGED, I find it really helpful to visualize a note as being a b3 and knowing where that fits in relationship to the Root.
Anyway, for what it is worth, I am a middle school teacher and education theory tells us that we all learn differently so it is good to experiment with various systems. It is good to see you occasionally move out of the “boxes” system. CAGED, in fact, is more-or-less an expansion of, or different way of looking at, the boxes.
I learned CAGED originally from the Ernie Hawkins DVD’s too. I always am glad he had me call out the names of the notes and the scale degrees. It made learning the fretboard so much easier. Griff makes it easy too. There are a LOT of bad instructions on CAGED in books, DVD’s and youtube. Griff can make hard concepts obtainable.
Brilliant Griff. You are the most comprehensive teacher I have ever worked with either in person or on line. I wish you were in NY
Great video Griff – I tried to post this on BGU forum lesson section but had major difficulties navigating the site so I will post it here: in the above video you refer to a previous video and I have been unable to find that previous video. If this is from a video teaching series that is available for purchase, what is the name of that series. Thanks.
Griff: Another fantastic lesson, well presented and explained excellently. Thanks for continuing to publish these types of lessons.
Well, which is it…you want to put me in a BOX or in a CAGE?!
Just ’cause I don’t play very well doesn’t mean that you have to lock me up!!! Next, I suppose you’ll want to throw away all the KEYS!
These are great lessons! The music theory is really starting to come together! I have always been baffled at how the fretboard shapes are linked. Slowly the light is turning on! Thanks Griff!
Absolutely excellent. Be happy to know that there are people in Scotland, UK, becoming so much better guitar players because of you!!! Thanks a million
Thanks for sharing this information. As simple as you make it easily understandable, others have failed. As if you turned on the beacon light in my foggy brain. Hahaha
Griff – superb! I have two tutorial books and a DVD on CAGED. I could have saved a heap of money (spent it on gear, or strings!!) if I’d known that one day this lesson would come along from you!! I guess now, I can take my learning from this lesson of yours, and revisit those books and DVD and see if I can gain some more from them (before they go on eBay or to the charity shop!!!). Thanks for another great lesson – in addition to Peter Sheridan’s compatriots up there in Scotland, be advised that a whole bunch of people in the other countries of the Union are also becoming better guitar players too!!!
Thanks for a great lesson Griff. I’m studying the caged system taught by Steve Stine and he teaches it similar to you. One thing you brought out was how to practice. That’s a good way to learn how to play the chords all over the neck.
This was a REVELATION to me.
I am quite excited at the prospect of putting all 3 videos into combined action.
This was also great..having Daprofe fretmap notes on my guitar really helps me learn where the different notes are…BUT THIS WAS INTERESTING…..
I have also have a print-out of all the major and minor scales so I will be definitly be studying this lesson…need to figure the metrodome thing out….
One thing Griff didn’t mention that might clear this up is that these 5 shapes are 5 different voicing of the same chord; i.e. if you start on open C you have 5 different ways to play a C chord. If you move the C shape up to D the shapes become 5 voicing of a D chord, etc. The CAGED shapes are 5 different ways to play the SAME CHORD.
I’m struggling with the D shape. Just cant fit the 3rd and 4th fingers .
Wow been working on all this with my teacher. Great to have it down anytime to listen too now. This is like a $$$$$ big money lesson. I differently owe you a Beer if not more thanks very much.
Got a lot out of these last two lessons,tThanks it’s starting to come together at lastw
Learned a lot from these two videos,that opened another door THANKS A LOT
Beautifully put as ever
Been playing for 50 years and never heard of caged till a few months ago had sort of worked it out for myself but sometimes skipped the Cs and Full Gs unless I needed them. the way you put it has made me want to try harder Was CAGED a recent invention or did we just miss the memo?
Thank you so much for this one Griff. I had heard so much mention of the Caged System before and not made too much progress with it as it was mainly negative comments. That said I now appreciate the concept since you have shown it so well.
Excellent video Griff! One of your best! thank you! Only ever remotely knew about CAGED chords – never paid attention to what it actually meant, but know I know, I know by nature (my hand brain) not my brain brain…has always looked for those connections but after 1 change I’ve run out of connections…now I know how to find the 2 nd change and play 3 chords, arpeggios, or solo links (although solo notes are easier anyhow) much much better..thank you so much.. :).
So how do you use the cage system to do minors.. ii, iii, vi in key.. Say for soloing over a simple progression like I, vi, IV, V, I or something like the Wagon Wheel progression where the vi and the ii come into play? Thanks
Being some what of an on line guitar website expert from living overseas for several years it is refreshing that Griff understands educating as much as the guitar. I appreciate that he realizes our brains have limited capacity and that the lessons circle back to a practical application. Trust me there is a lot of info out there with no explanation on how to practically apply it. Good to see someone doing this that knows something about how we learn as well as the guitar itself.
ty so much I was having so much trouble with the caged shape chords. u have restored my faith in the caged system. thank u so much for this lesson Griff. thanks to u i8 am back to practicing the caged chords
How do you use the CAGE system to solo effectively over the chords in any progression. Progressions that might include majors, minors, dominant 7th, 7 flat 5, diminished, augmented chords etc. . Guess you just fool around with it until you find the sweet spots.. thanks for your insights…
Griff,
Thank You for this I will for sure be watching more of these videos. This this just changed the way I completely looked at chord structure! Super excited to play with this exercise!
It is driving me crazy. What kind/brand of guitar are you playing in this Video, the body shape looks like a Strat, but the neck is no fender. Where can a cheap old man find and buy an instrument such as this. I love the old style maple neck.
[…] Source: The 5 Chord Shapes — How To Play Blues Guitar With Blues Guitar Unleashed […]
boy he can talk, get off the meth
you don’t need all the theory these guys talk about that’s why they can only sell courses they can’t make good money at playing, I been around great players learn your notes on the fret and trraids everything else will come. I had a teacher as a kid that braged about all the theory he knew but could not play anything, but he sold a lot of courses. that’s t what average players do. the whole internet is full of them .if not selling there courses they are playing bars for $50 a nite. I’m so bored listening to this almost thru my computer out
best I have seen on the caged system awesome job.
Another awesome lesson Griff. Say how do you manage to get away without having a “string tree” on the G and B strings? Most Strat type guitars have them. Just curious.
Griff,
You show how to develop MUSCLE MEMORY
thanks so much.you’re the only teacher I’ve been able to learn from.
Thanks So Much.
Tj