Welcome to Intro to the CAGED System
If this is your first time through the course, begin with the introductory materials and Lesson 1 below. If you’ve been here before, pick up where you left off with the next incomplete lesson.
How to Use This Course
Work through the lessons in order. The course begins with an overview of the CAGED chord shapes, root notes, barre chords, and capo use before moving through the C, A, G, E, and D shapes one at a time.
Use the guitar neck diagram as you go, and pay attention to where the root notes fall within each shape. The goal is not just to memorize five fingerings, but to understand how familiar major chord forms move, overlap, and connect across the fretboard.
Complete the quiz for each chord shape before moving on. Once you’ve worked through all five shapes, finish with the final lesson on using the system to find your way around the guitar neck.
Practice Tips
Start with one chord shape at a time. Play it slowly, locate its root notes, and move the shape to several positions on the neck. Say the chord name and shape aloud so you connect what your hands are doing with what you’re seeing.
As the shapes become more familiar, practice finding the same major chord in several locations. Look for where one CAGED shape ends and the next begins. You can also place a capo on different frets and identify how the open chord forms relate to the sounding chords.
The goal is not speed. Take enough time with each shape to recognize it as part of one connected fretboard map.
Let’s get into it!
Shane
