CAGED

[DonnyK]

anybody ever employ this method for mapping the fretboard?

It is so fiendishly simple and yet so genius as a method for mapping the fretboard and practicing scales. You can find your scale within 2 frets of any chord you're playing. I'm sorry if this is widely known in blues and I'm just repeating what everybody already knows, but I've never come across it outside of jazz, and it is one of those things that just clicks in your brain and you go "ahhhh.... that is so simple now you put it like that!"

Anyway, if you'll indulge me, I'll explain the concept. I might add this will be a lot more useful to those who are, as a rule, generally unaccustomed to scales.

Here we go:

CAGED is named after the 5 scales C, A, G, E, D and is based around their major scales played in an open position (in principle) on the fretboard, and so we'd have:

C
--------------------------------------------------------------------0--1--3----
--------------------------------------------------0--1--3--------------
-------------------------------------------0--2--------------------------------
---------------------------------0--2--3---------------------------------------
---------------0--2--3-------------------------------------------------
-----0--1--3-------------------------------------------------------------------


A

-------------------------------------------------------2--4--5---------
---------------------------------------------2--4--5---------------------------
-----------------------------------1--2--4-----------------------------
-------------------------0--2--4-----------------------------------------------
---------------0--2--4-------------------------------------------------
-----0--2--4-------------------------------------------------------------------


G


---------------------------------------------------------0--2--3-------
-----------------------------------------------0--2--3-------------------------
----------------------------------------0--2---------------------------
---------------------------------0--2------------------------------------------
-----------------------0--2--3-------------------------------------------------
-----0--2--3-----------------------------------------------------------


E


--------------------------------------------------------0-------------------------
----------------------------------------------0--2--4-------------------------------
---------------------------------------1--2----------------------------------------
-----------------------------1--2--4------------------------------------------------
-------------------0--2--4----------------------------------------------------------
-----0--2--4--5----------------------------------------------------------------------


D


-------------------------------------------------------0--2--3----------------------
---------------------------------------------0--2--3------------------------
-----------------------------------0--2---------------------------------------------
-------------------------0--2--4--------------------------------------------
---------------0--2--4--------------------------------------------------------------
-----0--2--3------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ok, so practice and map your fretboard, you find the key you want, for example (and ease) D. We'd play the D scale from the C scale fingering which would be transcribed thus:

--------------------------------------------------------------------2--3--5----
--------------------------------------------------2--3--5--------------
-------------------------------------------2--4--------------------------------
---------------------------------2--4--5---------------------------------------
---------------2--4--5-------------------------------------------------
-----2--3--5-------------------------------------------------------------------

which would run into (I run up and back down the scale before moving on, using the root as the pivot) the A scale fingering, the fretted version differs slightly from the open position:


-------------------------------------------------------5--7--------------------
---------------------------------------------5--7--8---------------------------
-----------------------------------4--6--7-----------------------------
-------------------------4--5--7-----------------------------------------------
-------------4--5--7----------------------------------------------------
-----3--5--7-------------------------------------------------------------------


then onto the G fingering:


---------------------------------------------------------7--9--10-------
-----------------------------------------------7--8--10-------------------------
----------------------------------------7--9---------------------------
---------------------------------7--9------------------------------------------
-----------------------7--9--10-------------------------------------------------
-----7--9--10-----------------------------------------------------------


onto the E:

----------------------------------------------------------9--10-----------------------
--------------------------------------------------10--12-------------------------------
---------------------------------------9--11--12--------------------------------------
-----------------------------9--11--12------------------------------------------------
-------------------9--10--12----------------------------------------------------------
-----10--12------------------------------------------------------------------


and finally, the D fingering, finishing CAGED:


-------------------------------------------------------12--14--15----------------------
---------------------------------------------12--14--15------------------------
-----------------------------------12--14---------------------------------------------
-------------------------12--14--16--------------------------------------------
---------------12--14--16--------------------------------------------------------------
-----12--14--15------------------------------------------------------------------------


And so that's the the run for the Major scales. I'm about to go out, but wanted to show the modified run for the blues scales. Obviously, just play the root, flat third, 4, flat 5th, 5th, and dominant 7th of each scale to give you that.

I'm sorry if this has patronised anybody who knows their scales, but as I said, I've never come across anyone mentioning it outside of jazz and it's such an invaluable tool/concept for the pro and beginner alike.

[DonnyK]

ok, so here's the blues versions of those scales (as I play them - recommendations much appreciated):

Still in D:

-----------------------------------------------------------------3--4--5----
-------------------------------------------------3--6-------------------
-------------------------------------------2--5--------------------------------
------------------------------3--5--6---------------------------------------
---------------3--5-------------------------------------------------
-----3--4--5-------------------------------------------------------------------



-------------------------------------------------------5--8--------------------
---------------------------------------------6--8--9---------------------------
-----------------------------------4--6--7-----------------------------
-------------------------5--6--7-----------------------------------------------
-------------5--8----------------------------------------------------
----5--8-------------------------------------------------------------------



---------------------------------------------------------8--10-------
-----------------------------------------------8--9--10-------------------------
----------------------------------------7--10---------------------------
---------------------------------7--10------------------------------------------
-----------------------8--10--11-------------------------------------------------
-------8--10-----------------------------------------------------------




----------------------------------------------------------13-----------------------
--------------------------------------------------10--13-------------------------------
---------------------------------------10--12--13------------------------------------
-----------------------------10--12------------------------------------------------
-------------------10--11--12----------------------------------------------------------
-----10--13------------------------------------------------------------------




-------------------------------------------------------13--15----------------------
---------------------------------------------13--15------------------------
-----------------------------------12--13--14---------------------------------------------
-------------------------12--15--------------------------------------------
---------------11--12--15--------------------------------------------------------------
-----13--15------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ok, so there you have it. Blues scales all over the neck. Learn the pattern and all you then have to do is transpose the root notes (in red) to whichever key you desire

[rustyslide]

Looks like they formatted OK - but try using the 'code' tag for tab - it will cause a fixed width font to be used. I may just make a tab tag.

As for CAGED, I never used it— I learned the modal scales instead.

[DonnyK]

ah ok, will bear it in mind! Should have gone and put it on Guitar Pro, just started on a different comp.

By modal scales, I take it you mean the dorian, phrygian... etc? You can of course apply that within the CAGED system. Caged just gives you a transposable fingering pattern to easily map the fretboard.

I love it! (if you couldn't tell!!)

[rustyslide]

By modal scales, I take it you mean the dorian, phrygian... etc? You can of course apply that within the CAGED system. Caged just gives you a transposable fingering pattern to easily map the fretboard.

Yeah, but you learn the modes and you've got a transposable fingering, too. I dunno. I just find the sixth string root of a key and I have all the notes on the whole fretboard.

[kiwiblues]

Anyone got the caged version of scales in open D and open G?

[DonnyK]

In open G, you just 'move' the fingering for the E, A & E (now, D, G & D) up 2 frets.

I've been working on this in open G, and it's not as handy as "CAGED" in standard tuning, but still gives you all your fingerings. Blues in Open G (in the G ie Minor Pentatonic position familiar to most) now begins on the 5th fret:


------------------------------------------5--8
-----------------------------------3--6-------
-------------------------3--5--6--------------
------------------3--5------------------------
--------5--6--7-------------------------------
-5--8-----------------------------------------


The rest you'll have to work out, took me ages to write out CAGED in the first place!

[OldWailer]

This is interesting--I have a two DVD set from Homespun tapes by Ernie Hawkins that lays out the CAGED system based on the home position for the chords C A G E and D.

This is a great system for figuring out fingerpick arrangements of whatever tunes you want to play. I just never thought of it as a system that could also relate to scale shapes, since I just think in chord shapes and it seems to work that way too. I'll have to do a little thinking with this material and see if it helps. I've had the Hawkins DVD's for a couple of years and I still work on that material sometimes--it takes a while to hammer that kind of stuff into my head. . .