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,