The CAGED system on guitar: the 5 shapes explained

Before you start

This page is intermediate level. You should be able to play a barre chord and know the notes on the low E and A strings.

Five shapes, one chord

You already know five open chords: C, A, G, E and D. Their letters give the system its name: C, A, G, E, D.

The idea behind the CAGED system: each of these shapes can move along the neck. Your index finger, or a barre, takes the place of the nut, and the shape becomes movable—exactly like the E-shape barre chord you already know. The five shapes lock into each other, always in the same order: C, A, G, E, D, then it starts over with C from the 12th fret.

The five shapes of C major

Here’s C major played in five places on the neck. Click a shape to see it on the neck and hear it; “Whole neck” shows every chord tone: C, E and G.

High E at the top, just like in tab.Neck seen from the front, headstock at the top: low E on the left, just like a chord diagram.

C shape, frets 0 to 3: the open C chord you already know.
A shape, frets 3 to 5: the A shape, barred at the 3rd fret. The root is on the A string.
G shape, frets 5 to 8: the open G shape, moved up. It’s the hardest one to play in full, so you’ll often use just part of it.
E shape, frets 8 to 10: the E-shape barre chord at the 8th fret, with the root on the low E string.
D shape, frets 10 to 13: the open D shape, moved up, played on the four highest strings.

After the D shape, the C shape comes back at the 12th fret, an octave higher, and everything starts over.

How the shapes link up

Two neighboring shapes always share at least one root note, on the same fret of the same string. That note is the bridge from one shape to the next:

C → A: the C on the A string, at the 3rd fret. It’s your ring finger in the C shape and the barre in the A shape.
A → G: the C on the G string, at the 5th fret.
G → E: the Cs on both E strings, at the 8th fret.
E → D: the C on the D string, at the 10th fret.
D → C: the C on the B string, at the 13th fret, which is also the root of the C shape at the 12th fret.

Learn where the root sits in each shape: it tells you where to put the shape to play the chord you want.

Changing keys

The system works for every major chord. To play D major, D is two frets above C, so everything moves up two frets.

C shape: frets 2 to 5.
A shape: barre at the 5th fret.
G shape: frets 7 to 10.
E shape: barre at the 10th fret.
D shape: frets 12 to 15, or simply the open D chord, an octave lower.

The order never changes: only the starting point moves. To find the right fret, look for the root on the low E or A string—that’s where knowing the notes on the fretboard pays off.

Why it’s useful

Play any chord anywhere. You pick the shape closest to where your hand already is, instead of jumping from one end of the neck to the other.
Find chord tones for soloing. In a solo, the notes of the current chord always sound right: each shape shows you where they are around your hand.
Connect scales to the neck. The five positions of the minor pentatonic line up with the five CAGED shapes: each scale position wraps around a chord shape.

Practice routine

One shape a day. Play the day’s C major shape, then say the root and its string out loud.
The full sequence. Play all five C shapes in a row, from open position up to the 13th fret, then back down. One shape per bar, slowly.
Partial shapes. Stick to three or four strings of each shape: that’s often how they’re played for real.
Another key. Start over in D, then in G: find the root first, then build the shape around it.

Common mistakes

Learning the shapes as five separate pictures? You’ll forget them fast. Learn them two at a time, spotting the root they share: the links are what hold the system together.

Trying to play every shape in full? The G and D shapes are really awkward barred across six strings. Nobody plays them that way: keep the three or four strings that fall comfortably under your fingers.

Not sure where to put the shape? You’ve lost track of the root. Before you play, always find the note that gives the chord its name, then build the shape around it.