Strung Out? Fret Not!

Lets explore the interval structure of the modes.

In the last modes post I introduced all of the modes of the major scale, and included the fretboard diagrams of each of the CAGED positions of each of the modes. Today we’re going to look closer at how the CAGED system and the modes work together.

This post introduces the modes of the major scale which are the Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian modes. It also introduces important terms such as ‘parent scale’, ‘relatives’ and ‘scale degrees’.

Hopefully by now you understand how the CAGED system helps to navigate, and link up the fretboard. Maybe you’ve even explored the chord & scale diagrams category to learn other patterns from the CAGED system. But now its time to explore its short-comings, and wrap up this series (finally… phew!).

Over the next few months we’ll be exploring the theory and usage of the most common scales guitarists use. Specifically we’ll be exploring the seven modes, which include the simple major and minor scales, and we’ll also be looking at the major and minor pentatonic scales as well as the blues scale. After we’ve covered [...]

Today we’re going to examine a particular set of very common chord shapes, which don’t seem to fit in the CAGED system…. or do they?

So far our look at the CAGED system has been limited to scales and chords, but the CAGED system also works nicely with arpeggios too.

If you’re like many students, you can manage to find the notes within the first three or four frets, but find the upper registers much more daunting. In Part 3 of ‘Finding the Notes on the Fretboard’ we have a look at how the notes are laid out on the neck, and identify patterns to [...]

In Part 2 we begin applying every thing that we have learned so far to the guitar neck.

Like we did in the first CAGED article, today we are going to begin with the basic open shapes of the various seventh chords, and then develop moveable, and barred versions of those open chords.