CAGED System

The CAGED system is a method for mapping the fretboard which uses five barre chords as landmarks in a given key. These barre chords are based on basic first-position open chords (C, A, G, E and D) and can help us orient ourselves on the neck. Associated scales can be attached to these shapes, allowing us to see the full picture of a given key across the entire instrument.

See it in action!

  1. Choose a key.
  2. Use the Next Voicing and Previous Voicing buttons to cycle through all five landmark barre chords.
  3. Click the Show Scale button to see the associated scale.