Navigating with CAGED is Hard…Until You Do This
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Introduction
So, you know your CAGED chords, arpeggios, and scale shapes, but when it comes to moving around the fretboard, you still feel lost.
If this sounds familiar, there’s really just one small piece you’re missing that’s keeping you from seeing everything up and down the neck.
In this lesson, I’ll take you through a simple exercise that will help shed some light on the problem, and then I’ll give you a few exercises you can use to fix the issue.
Just a note: This lesson assumes you have a working knowledge of the CAGED system, including the chords, arpeggios, and scales. If this is all new to you, check out this CAGED lesson.
Go ahead and grab your guitar, and let’s start with a quick exercise to see if we can pinpoint what’s causing you trouble.
Identifying the Problem
With your guitar in hand, put your middle finger on the sixth fret of the sixth string. This is a B-flat note.
From here, I want you to play the major pentatonic scale. I’ll give you a second to do that.
That should have been straightforward. Hopefully, you didn’t have any issues with it. You’re simply playing the E-form pentatonic scale.
Now, let’s go to the 15th fret of the third string. Starting with your ring finger, play the major pentatonic scale from this position.
From here, you should have played the A-form pentatonic scale.
If you found yourself hesitating and trying to figure out which scale pattern you were looking for, this is where things are breaking down. You know your shapes, but you’re unsure where they belong. Basically, you don’t have them anchored to the fretboard.
You should be able to take any note, treat it as a root note, and see the chord, arpeggio, and scales that are built from that note.
When playing from a sixth-string root, you already have that context. It’s typically where we start when learning the major scale or our first barre chord. Because of this, we become really familiar with working from a sixth-string root. But as soon as you move away from that anchor point, things get a little shaky, and you’re not quite as sure where you are.
We need to take the context we have for the sixth-string root and expand it to the all strings. We do this by anchoring the root notes to the CAGED shapes.
When you see a root note on the fifth string, you should know that you have the C and A shapes around it. When you see a root note on the second string, you should know that you have the C and D shapes around it.
I’m going to take you through a few exercises you can use to tie these things together.
You want to start with the CAGED chord shapes because once you have the chords anchored to the root notes, the chord shapes become a framework for seeing the arpeggios and scales around them.
For reference, I’ve included a free cheat sheet at the end of this lesson that highlights the root notes within the CAGED chords, arpeggios, and scales. You can grab that and reference it as we work through these exercises.
Exercise 1: Connect the Root Notes to the Chords
For the first exercise, we’re going to start with the open C shape and work our way up the fretboard through each of the CAGED shapes.
As we do this, we’re going to play the root notes of each shape, followed by the chord itself. This will start the process of connecting the root notes to the chord shapes.
The following two exercises will build on this and strengthen the anchoring of these notes.
Moving Up the Fretboard
Starting with the C form, we have roots on the second and fifth strings. Play both root notes, followed by the chord.
Moving up to the A shape, we have a root on the fifth string that connects back to the C shape. We also have a root note on the third string.
Moving up to the G shape, we have a root on the third string that connects back to the A shape. We also have root notes on the sixth and first strings. I don’t actually play the root on the first string as part of the chord.
Moving up to the E shape, we have root notes on the sixth and first strings that connect back to the G shape. We also have a root note on the fourth string.
Moving up to the D form, the D form connects back to the E form through the root on the fourth string. We also have a root on the second string.
Finally, moving up to the C form at the octave, we have a root on the second string and a root on the fifth string.
Moving Back Down the Fretboard
Now we’re going to take the exercise back down to the starting point.
Starting with the C-shape octave, we have a root on the fifth string and a root on the second string.
Moving back down to the D form, the D form connects to the C form through the root on the second string. We also have a root on the fourth string.
Moving down to the E form, the E form connects to the D form through the root on the fourth string. We also have roots on the sixth and first strings.
Moving down to the G form, we have roots on the first, sixth, and third strings. The sixth- and first-string roots connect to the E form.
Moving down to the A form, we have root notes on the third and fifth strings.
Finally, we return to the open C form. The A and C forms connect through the root on the fifth string, and we also have a root on the second string.
We’re only going through the C sequence in this lesson, but you should take this exercise and apply it to the A, G, E, and D shapes as well.
Work from the open chord shape up to the octave and then all the way back down.
Exercise 2: Visualize the Chords Around the Roots
For exercise two, we’re going to do something similar.
We’ll start with the open C chord and work our way up the fretboard. This time, however, we’re only going to play the root notes. We’re not going to play the chords.
As you move from position to position, I want you to visualize the chord shapes around those root notes.
This will help reinforce the anchoring and allow you to see the full chord forms from the root notes alone. Don’t skip the visualization part. It’s crucial to making the connection.
Starting with the open C shape, play the roots. You don’t need to play them any particular number of times—just enough to allow yourself to visualize the chord.
Then move through the remaining shapes:
C shape
A shape
G shape
E shape
D shape
C shape at the octave
As you move from position to position, continue visualizing the chord shapes around the root notes.
Now start with the C shape at the octave and work back down to the open C position:
C shape
D shape
E shape
G shape
A shape
Open C shape
Just like with the previous exercise, take this exercise and apply it to the A, G, E, and D shapes as well.
Exercise 3: Random Root-Note Drill
For the last exercise, we’re going to do a random note drill.
Pick any note on the fretboard and treat it as a root note. Around that note, play the chord shapes that are connected to it.
Here’s a quick example of what this looks like.
If I choose a root note on the sixth string, I have the E and G shapes around it.
If I move to the fifth string, I have the A and C shapes.
If I move to the third string, I have the G and A shapes.
If I move to the second string, I have the C and D shapes.
Continue choosing random notes across all six strings so you work through all of the chord shapes. Each time, play the chords that are connected to that root note.
Expanding the Exercises
Once you have the root notes anchored to the chords, take these exercises and apply them to the CAGED arpeggios, pentatonic scales, and diatonic scales as well.
When you do this, your fretboard awareness is going to improve dramatically. You’ll be able to take any note on the fretboard and see the chord, scale, and arpeggio around it.
If you need a guided routine for this, I have a Practice Blueprint on Patreon that walks you through the complete process. It includes additional exercises that we didn’t cover in this lesson and works these concepts into chord progressions so you can apply them in real time.
Once you have this down for the major CAGED system, you’ll also need to apply it to minor. You can learn about that in this lesson.
Lesson Pack: YT-001 - Navigating with CAGED is Hard...Until You Do This
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