CAGED stands for the five open chord shapes: C, A, G, E, D. Every chord (every major chord, anyway) can be played using one of these five shapes, somewhere on the neck. The CAGED system tells you where, and why.
Read the full guide
A longer write-up with every detail, drill, and common pitfall.
The C major chord, in five shapes
That diagram shows you C major played in five different positions, one for each of the CAGED shapes. The first is the open C shape (the one you already know). The other four are barred or partial-barre shapes higher up the neck. All five sound like C major; they have different voicings (which note is on top, which is doubled, etc.) and different timbres.
Why this matters
- You're never trapped in one position. The bass player walks up the neck; your chord can follow.
- You learn the names of the notes under your fingers. (The root note of a CAGED shape is always the lowest fretted note, usually.)
- You start to see the fretboard as a landscape, not a memorized set of shapes.
Five shapes, in order
Starting at the open position, the shapes go: C → A → G → E → D → C (back to a higher octave). For C major:
- Open C (the one you know)
- A-shape barre at the 3rd fret
- G-shape voicing around the 5th fret (hardest of the five)
- E-shape barre at the 8th fret
- D-shape voicing around the 10th fret
A minor in CAGED
Same idea, minor flavor. The shapes shift around the same five positions but use minor voicings.
Drill: walk one chord up the neck
Pick C major. Play it as the open C shape, then the A-shape barre at the 3rd fret, then the E-shape barre at the 8th fret. Loop. Listen to how the same chord sounds different depending on the position: lower positions are bassier, higher positions are tighter and bell-like.Read the full guide
A longer write-up with every detail, drill, and common pitfall.
Next: 7th chords. The most underrated tool for making basic progressions sound interesting.