The CAGED System
Five open chord shapes — C, A, G, E, and D — repeat all the way up the neck in an unbroken cycle, covering every fret in every key. Learn these five shapes and you can play any major chord, find any scale position, and navigate the entire fretboard without getting lost.
The Core Idea
Every open chord you learned first (C, A, G, E, D) is really a moveable template. When you slide the E-shape barre chord up to the 5th fret, you play an A chord — the same physical pattern, same finger relationships, different fret position. The five shapes connect seamlessly: each one starts roughly where the previous one ends. Together they tile the entire neck.
The order is always C → A → G → E → D, then C again — ascending the neck continuously.
Shape Explorer
Root Note (Chord Key)
CAGED Shape
Root on the A string. In open position this is the open C chord (x-3-2-0-1-0). Higher up the neck, the open strings become fretted notes — low E is always muted.
1st position: dense in the lower-middle of the neck
Open C chord is the C-shape with root on 3rd fret of A. Fret 5 = D chord (C-shape).
All 5 Shapes in G
These five voicings together cover the entire neck for G major. Each shape's root fret is shown below it — ascending from left to right.
Connecting the Shapes
No Gaps, No Overlaps
The 5 shapes tile the neck perfectly. Where one shape ends, the next begins — sharing notes at the boundary. This means if you're playing a lick in the E-shape and you want to go higher, you slide into the D-shape without skipping any neck territory.
The Cycle Never Ends
After D comes C again — an octave higher. On a 24-fret neck you can fit the full CAGED cycle almost twice. Most guitar necks give you the cycle from open position to around fret 17, covering the practical playing range.
Shape Order Across the Neck (C major example)
Approximate shape regions for C major. Actual boundaries overlap by 1–2 frets.
From Chords to Scales
Each CAGED chord shape sits inside a corresponding major scale position. The chord tones (root, 3rd, 5th) are a subset of the full scale — so once you know where the chord shape is, you automatically know which nearby notes are in the scale. This is the real power: CAGED connects chords and leads.
Find your CAGED shape for the key you're in. The chord tones — R, 3, 5 — are already on the fretboard in front of you from the diagram.
The major scale adds 2, 4, 6, 7 around those chord tones. Learn the full scale box pattern for each CAGED position and you cover every note in the key.
Connect adjacent CAGED scale boxes to move up the neck. Shift from the E-position box to the D-position box to climb higher, or back to the G-position box to descend.
Shape Quick Reference
| Shape | Root String | Barre? | Muted Strings | Common Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-shape | A (5th) | No | Low E | Open C chord is the C-shape with root on 3rd fret of A |
| A-shape | A (5th) | Yes | Low E | Barre at fret 2 = B chord (A-shape) |
| G-shape | Low E (6th) | No | None | Open G has roots on strings 1, 4, and 6 |
| E-shape | Low E (6th) | Yes | None | Every guitarist learns this first |
| D-shape | D (4th) | No | Low E, A | The D-shape is the "triangle" voicing guitarists use high up |
See every shape on the fretboard
The Chord Visualizer shows fingering diagrams for all chord types. Use the Scale Visualizer to see CAGED scale positions with full notation.