A Terrific Video about CAGED

viz

sev112 said:

Two things that I only noticed much later which are really quite relevant to the concept but which are hugely coincidental 

1) CAGED is in tonal alphabetical sequence/ order (albeit backwards) 

2) it makes a word 

There aren’t many words in alphabetical order.  and just imagine that if whoever came before Beethoven and came up with music theory and named the notes, had used T U V W X Y Z instead , then the concept of CAGED would not work. 

Aegilopa (an eye ulcer) is even better - an 8-letter word with ascending letters, the 8th one repeating the 1st again. Like a musical scale. And Egilopae (a type of flour) is its 2nd mode. 

Dan_Halen

It’s absolutely better to learn the notes of the fretboard, all scales, all chord shapes etc etc. However, simply knowing all the notes and being able to play a comprehensible solo over any given changes are miles apart. You could memorise a Spanish dictionary but that doesn’t mean you can then speak fluent Spanish. It’s all about context.

The point of CAGED is to focus your learning on something relatively easy to grasp in a way that can then be expanded on in due course. It simplifies some very complicated concepts and allows people with limited theory to get on with just playing the guitar. Surely the whole point. 

Is is it the only way of learning guitar? No. Is it a comprehensive system for mastering it? No. It’s simply just an approach (one of many) that can be used to help along the way.

monquixote

thegummy said:

Not sure if anyone will know what I mean, or be with me on this, but tutorials on "how to solo" seem to be more about how to not sound terrible.

I.e. If they memorize certain shapes and patterns they can jump to places on the fret board that they won't know what will sound like in advance but at least will be in key.

Isn't it better to hear the melody in your head that you actually want that isn't limited by technical ability and doesn't rely on serendipity?

CAGED tends to be a beginner / intermediate technique so at that level just knowing what notes work is a big deal.

As you learn more it's more about imagination and getting outside.

Clecko

Philly_Q said:

From the perspective of a mug who's been playing a very long time but never actually learned very much, I really enjoyed that. 

Same!

Modellista

monquixote said:

thegummy said:

Not sure if anyone will know what I mean, or be with me on this, but tutorials on "how to solo" seem to be more about how to not sound terrible.

I.e. If they memorize certain shapes and patterns they can jump to places on the fret board that they won't know what will sound like in advance but at least will be in key.

Isn't it better to hear the melody in your head that you actually want that isn't limited by technical ability and doesn't rely on serendipity?

CAGED tends to be a beginner / intermediate technique so at that level just knowing what notes work is a big deal.

As you learn more it's more about imagination and getting outside.

If I may subtly expand on your first point - CAGED is indeed a useful way of explaining the way the fretboard works to beginners and intermediates.  A way of explaining how chord tones link together with their roots on the lowest three strings, opening up the fretboard on both X and Y axes.  However even if an advanced player can transcend thinking in terms of CAGED, when they're playing music which fits the CAGED system (straightforward major and minor) they're playing CAGED patterns whether they like it or not.  It's a useful simplification when trying to expand one's playing by thinking in terms of how underlying chord shapes link rather than scales, even though deep down they're pretty much the same thing.

Indeed a mastery of CAGED can get someone to an advanced intermediate level, which is where a lot of players aspire to be.

The next step does indeed require study of modes, advanced chord spellings, outside notes and whatnot.  But CAGED is certainly an important step in the right direction.