I need to learn CAGED

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Matt300ZXT

Matt300ZXT

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It's time to stop bring a little bitch and only learning other people's solos. I attempt to jam over YouTube backing tracks that display the chords being played. Sometimes I come up with some pretty cool licks, but run out of steam fast. If it's something in G major, I will play a few Em licks/ideas and a few GM licks/ideas but it falls apart quickly. I want to be able to learn CAGED so I can look at the chord progression, build those chord shapes and play notes out of that so there is more fluidity and I can follow the chords more instead of just use the 2 scales mentioned earlier and a couple minor pentatonic licks.

Where should I go with a good explanation and some drills so I can grasp this?
 
You need to just learn the modes . All the CAGED still is inside and more !
 
Some people use a slightly simplified CAGED since the A and G shape are similar/connected and same with the C and D shapes.

Here's a 10 minute explanation of that. This is just how one guy organically came up with his 'AED system'.



And you really have to USE it for it to really become ingrained in your playing. I know CAGED and I know the modes and I still don't think they are in my playing very much.
 
Start by learning all 5 pentatonic boxes and get used to moving up and down the neck with them in every key. Each caged shape fits over a pentatonic box. That gives you a chord you can play in different places around the neck and the surrounding scale to noodle around with.
I totally ignored pentatonic when I started out 40 years ago and dove straight into modes. Your better off starting with pentatonic. There's less notes but those notes are closer to the chord tones so you will sound more in key. Once you master pentatonic you can go to modes by just adding a few notes to the pentatonic scales you already know to spice shit up a little.
Also play over backing tracks a lot. I like Guitar Lessons TV on YouTube they have really good backing tracks and show you the chords and what scales fit over them as the track plays. That has been a game changer for me for learning to improvise and actually solo in key.
Also check out Zombie Guitar on YouTube for easy to comprehend theory and caged lessons.
 
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i'm on that learning path too.. i found out this "tool" is really usefull to visualise and connect the shapes.. (named guitar sliding ruler i think)

you got to be able to visalize the dots if any shape on the spot, and the major and Minor chords underneath.
 

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There are five octave shapes. They interconnect going up the neck. Two shapes off the E string, two off the A and one off the D.
For every key they are in the same order, it is just which one do you start with. Shape 1-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-1 or 3-4-5-1-2 etc. The shapes just keep repeating up the neck.

Learn those first. After that it is just a matter of plugging in whatever chord /scale /arpeggios you want to use around those octave shapes.

It is a very simple method.
 
cobrahead1030 said:
Just came across this on my lazy morning

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Saw him play with Guthrie Trapp and the trio also with his keyboard player on a B3 at The Underdog. Holy shit that dude gets a tone. 335 straight into a Deluxe Reverb cranked up to the sweet spot.

To add to what @Chris6870 said about pentatonics and modes.

The major pentatonic is the foundation of the Ionian/Lydian/Mixolydian modes (the major modes) and the minor pentatonic is the foundation of the Dorian/Phrygian/Aeolian modes. There are only 2 missing notes to make the pentatonic into a full scale. You already know the Ionian (major) and Aeolian (natural minor) modes. You only change 1 note to change from a major scale to either of the other two major modes. Similarly you only change 1 note to change from the minor scale to the other 2 minor modes.

As follows:
Dorian - sharp the 6
Phrygian - flat the 2
Lydian - sharp the 4
Mixolydian - flat the 7

Try the Mixolydian first. It’s a scale/mode used a TON and sounds great. It’s sort of a “I’m crying cuz I'm so happy” mood.

EDIT: I left out Locrian mode because it is fubar. Hard to make sense of it and it sounds VERY ‘out’. Like even more out than Holdsworth.

Then there are a ton of other modes but based on other scales; like the Harmonic minor has its own set of modes. Phrygian Dominant being SUPER awesome. Try playing the A harmonic minor over an Emajor vamp. That’s E Phrygian Dominant.
 
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SpiderWars said:
Saw him play with Guthrie Trapp and the trio also with his keyboard player on a B3 at The Underdog. Holy shit that dude gets a tone. 335 straight into a Deluxe Reverb cranked up to the sweet spot.

To add to what @Chris6870 said about pentatonics and modes.

The major pentatonic is the foundation of the Ionian/Lydian/Mixolydian modes (the major modes) and the minor pentatonic is the foundation of the Dorian/Phrygian/Aeolian modes. There are only 2 missing notes to make the pentatonic into a full scale. You already know the Ionian (major) and Aeolian (natural minor) modes. You only change 1 note to change from a major scale to either of the other two major modes. Similarly you only change 1 note to change from the minor scale to the other 2 minor modes.

As follows:
Dorian - sharp the 6
Phrygian - flat the 2
Lydian - sharp the 4
Mixolydian - flat the 7

Try the Mixolydian first. It’s a scale/mode used a TON and sounds great. It’s sort of a “I’m crying cuz I'm so happy” mood.

EDIT: I left out Locrian mode because it is fubar. Hard to make sense of it and it sounds VERY ‘out’. Like even more out than Holdsworth.

Then there are a ton of other modes but based on other scales; like the Harmonic minor has its own set of modes. Phrygian Dominant being SUPER awesome. Try playing the A harmonic minor over an Emajor vamp. That’s E Phrygian Dominant.
Click to expand...
We’re only a few hours from Nashville, i really need to make the drive up there to check him out live soon.
 
midnightlaundry said:
WTF is caged??
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Cowboy chord shapes. We all slide the E shape and A shape all the time. And same with the D shape on the top three (unwound) strings.

Make a cowboy C. Then using the highest note up the fretboard in that C chord, make an A shape (the second letter in CAGED). You just made another C chord.

Do that all the way up the neck. You’ll go thru all the shapes but it will always be a C chord. When you get to the D in CAGED it wraps around and you start at C again (you’ll be 12 frets up from that first C chord).

* - when I say ‘highest note up the fretboard’ I mean the highest fret not the highest pitch. So for example in that cowboy C chord the highest note up the fretboard is on the 3rd fret. So start your A shape on the third fret.
 
I'll reinforce what folks said about learning the pentatonics/modes and how they connect then adding in the diatonic. This worked really well for me. I basically memorized the patterns for Em/Gmaj across the fretboard then learned to insert the diatonic notes. Then for a different key you just move them up or down.

This is obviously only a start and there are arepeggios, variations, chords, other scales etc., (it is endless) you have to be aware of and learn. But what it enables you do do is improvise once you figure out what key your're in without going out of key.
 
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