# CAGED Method



## Ill-Gotten James (Apr 20, 2011)

I just recently have had a few friends mention a method of learning guitar called the CAGED method, or theory, something like that. Does anybody have any experience with it and is it effective? I did not learn guitar by this method. I had the joy (I should not say that, it was my own choice) of memorizing the modes and scales, in as many positions as I could, in addition to learning placement of the notes on the neck. Could someone tell me if it would still be worth my time to look into and learn the CAGED method? Will it benefit a non-beginner guitarist?

Thanks


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## SirMyghin (Apr 20, 2011)

CAGED method builds up scale shapes, and arpeggios shapes, around the open chord shapes, which are then moved up and down the neck as with a barre behind them. Some of it like playing an open G chord up the neck witha bar 2 frets behind it is not only impractical but damned hard. 

Personally I don't like it, if you know your scales and modes, and you know WHY it is that scale when you play it, as well as your note locations you will gain nothing by learning the CAGED method. It is a very different approach to how you remember the fretboard, which was too foreign for me as I had been playing for years, as well as the book it is generally taught from (Fretboard Logic) is far too wordy. 

Some people really like it, I do not.


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## xtrustisyoursx (Apr 20, 2011)

I never learned it as a method, but it is a handy little way to keep track of what chords tones and shapes are nearby when you're improvising.


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## ShadyDavey (Apr 20, 2011)

The "Fretboard Navigator" DVD's by Jamie Humphries do demonstrate this method very clearly, and as well as "Fretboard Logic" it's worthwhile to read "The Caged Guitarist" by Paul Foad but the methodology remains the same - it's extremely useful although as noted perhaps less so for those who already have an awareness of fretboard knowledge in terms of scale and chord shapes.

When I was at GIT in London it was always presented as an alternative to the 7 scale positions commonly taught, but whilst I do prefer it for navigating chord shapes, it's very much down to personal preferences. 

Here's a handy website which presents the CAGED method in several formats (including a couple of 7 and 8 string tunings):

CAGED octaves guitar method CAGED4BASS and BLOGoZON


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## telecaster90 (Apr 20, 2011)

When I was still in music school, the entire guitar curriculum was based off of CAGED. I had done the same thing as you as far as learning the different positions before I went to school so you pretty much already know most of the CAGED positions. It'll just be a different way to look at what you probably already know. That said, I think it's really handy for chords.


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## sell2792 (Apr 25, 2011)

I;ve herad about this before but I'm still not entirely sure how it works... I don't know shit about theory, is this worth attempting to learn?


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## brutalwizard (Apr 25, 2011)

yes alot of my peers found the caged system effective although i never did it, it seems very straight foward. idk how it would apply in a theory class without guitar, but its a good foundation from what i have seen


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