Welcome to CAGED for Songwriters & Rhythm Guitarists
If this is your first time through the course, begin with Lesson 00 below. If you’ve already started, pick up where you left off with the next incomplete lesson.
How to Use This Course
Work through the lessons in order. This course is built to help you understand the guitar neck through CAGED chord shapes, keys, capos, 1-4-5 progressions, time signatures, strum patterns, and the Nashville Number System.
Take your time with each shape family and key. The goal is not to memorize diagrams as quickly as possible. The goal is to understand where the chords live, how they relate to the key, and how to use that information in songs, rehearsals, writing sessions, and playing with other musicians.
Use the PDFs as you go. Name the key, the shape, the chord number, and the actual chord whenever you practice. That will help the information become part of your working guitar vocabulary.
Practice Tips
Start slowly and stay organized. When you use a capo, make sure you know both the chord shape you are playing and the actual sounding key.
As you move through the course, try applying each 1-4-5 example to a song you already know. You can also practice writing simple number charts for familiar progressions. That is where the CAGED shapes, capo knowledge, and Nashville Number System start working together.
Let’s get into it!
Shane
