C.A.G.E.D.  Music System

CAGED major chords

These five chords are fundamental to guitar playing because the each has its root on a different string.

Major chords contain a root note, a note a major third above the root
and a note a perfect fifth above the root. 

In the case of C major, these notes are C, E and G.

The graphical representation above shows how left-hand fingering produces:

• E on the first string
• C on the second string
• G on the third string
• E on the fourth string
• C on the fifth string
• No note is played on the sixth string.

C     A     G      E      D

These five chords are fundamental to guitar playing because the each has its root on a different string.

A major and E major shapes

B      F

A shape     E shape 

The two remaining whole tone major chords (to complete an octave) are those of B major and F major. These are commonly played as barre chords, with the first finger used to press down multiple strings across the guitar fingerboard.

The A major shape on the second fret becomes B major
The E major shape on the first fret becomes F major. On closer examination, it becomes clear that these two chords are logical extensions of the A major and E major chords above.
The B major chord is the same shape as the A major chord but it is located two frets further up the fretboard.
The F major chord is the same shape as E major but it is one fret further from the headstock. In effect, barre chords act as if the whole guitar has been shortened, like a moveable nut or capo.

Barre chords in the shape of A and E major can be played anywhere on the fretboard. Wherever they are played, these chords are major because they have the same shape, and this determines the intervals between the notes. The root of the chord in any position can be worked out from the diagrams above.

C major, G major and D major shapes

The other three shapes in the CAGED system are C major, G major and D major.
These can be transformed into barre chords in a similar way to the A major and E major shapes.

E      A      F

C shape    G shape    D shape  

The C major shape on the fourth fret becomes E major
The G major shape on the second fret becomes A major
The D major shape on the third fret becomes F major.

The CAGED system therefore creates five major barre chords which can be used to play all the major chords in more than one position on the fretboard.

Fretboard Layout