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How To Use The CAGED System To Play A Solo

The document provides instructions for using the CAGED system to play guitar solos. It explains that the C, A, G, E, and D chord shapes appear in order when mapping out all the notes in a chord on every string. These chord shapes can also be used as pentatonic scale shapes. The CAGED system allows relating chords to scales up and down the neck. The document includes diagrams showing the CAGED chord/scale shapes and instructions for practicing them by circling root notes and scale shapes.

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5K views7 pages

How To Use The CAGED System To Play A Solo

The document provides instructions for using the CAGED system to play guitar solos. It explains that the C, A, G, E, and D chord shapes appear in order when mapping out all the notes in a chord on every string. These chord shapes can also be used as pentatonic scale shapes. The CAGED system allows relating chords to scales up and down the neck. The document includes diagrams showing the CAGED chord/scale shapes and instructions for practicing them by circling root notes and scale shapes.

Uploaded by

Atto
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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HOW TO USE

THE CAGED SYSTEM


TO PLAY A SOLO
This PDF is a summary of this video: https://youtu.be/0Qp26KcDrGw

www.scottpauljohnson.com
THE BASIC SHAPES
C chord NOTES:
All chords are made
A chord NOTES: of individual notes.
E G E C EA E A On guitar, the open
C E C# chord shapes are the
E G EAC E result of plotting out
GC G where those notes
are.

G chord NOTES: E chord NOTES: D chord NOTES:


DGB G E BE E AD D
B G G# F#
B D BE B F A F A
G DG D
MAPPING OUT CHORDS UP THE NECK
E G E E G E E G E
C, A, G, E, C
C C C
and D s
E h E E
shapes a
p
GC G GC G GC G
appear in e A
order s
h
when you GC E GC E a
p
GC E
G
map out e s
all the E E E
h
a
notes in a C GC E C GC C GC
p
e
chord on s
E E E
every h
string GC a GC GC
p D
e s
h
E G E E G E a E G E
p
C C e C
CAGED Pentatonic Scales
On the left are all the notes in a C Major chord as
shown on the previous page. Note names have been
replaced with dots.

( Roots = C ) ( Thirds= E ) ( Fifths = G )

On the right, two notes have been added, converting


a set of C chords into a set of C Major pentatonic
scales. These are the five notes of a C Major penta-
tonic scale.

(1 = C) (2 = D) (3 = E) (4 = G) (5=A)
Major Pentatonic Root Notes
Major root notes in PURPLE
C shape

A shape

G shape

E shape

D shape
Minor Pentatonic Root Notes
Minor root notes in RED
Major root notes in PURPLE
C shape

A shape

G shape

E shape

D shape
PRACTICE
Print out the included “guitar E A D G B E
(chord shapes)
E A D G B E
(penta shape)
E A D G B E

note name scratch paper.” F C F F C F F C F

frets

frets

frets
B E A B E A B E A
1.Circle all the names of the G C F D G 3 G C F D G 3 G C F D G 3
notes in a particular chord
B B B
and notice the CAGED
shapes up and down the A D G C E A 5 A D G C E A 5 A D G C E A 5
neck. F F F
B E A D B 7 B E A D B 7 B E A D B 7
2. Circle the root notes of a C F G C C F G C C F G C
major or minor key you
would like to practice. Then B E 9 B E 9 B E 9
write in the appropriate D G C F A D D G C F A D D G C F A D
scale shapes. Play the
scales to confirm they sound E A D G B E 12 E A D G B E 12 E A D G B E 12
like you might expect.
F C F F C F F C F

3. Circle just the root notes B E A B E A B E A


of a scale and try to visualize G C F D G 15 G C F D G 15 G C F D G 15
where to play the appropri- B B B
ate scale shape associated
A D G C E A 17 A D G C E A 17 A D G C E A 17
with that root note,

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