
Use the CAGED system for more than just chord shapes—use it to navigate your melodic highway on the fretboard.
Intermediate
Intermediate
● Visualize and unlock vertical fretboard moves.
● Learn how to not be bound within a "box" shape when soloing.
● Apply the CAGED system to the pentatonic scale as well as the major scale.
Do you feel confined within the same scale shapes or set of frets every time you go to rip a solo? If so, this lesson is for you. Or, if you're confident in your ability to move both horizontally and vertically around the fretboard, this lesson might help you to see the fretboard even better.
Most people think of the CAGED system as a way to play different shapes of the same chord up and down the fretboard, but it's even more useful when thinking in terms of scales. If you're unfamiliar with the CAGED system, hit up PG's in-depth guide here. Today, we're not focusing on memorizing scale positions, but rather on how to weave shapes together in order to navigate the guitar neck. The examples can be used as licks, but overall, this is meant to be more of a roadmap than an itinerary.
Ex. 1 does nothing more than play a four-note grouping from the G major scale (G–A–B–C–D–E–F#) in different octaves on different strings. Using the 7, root, 3, and 4 of the G major scale in an ascending fashion, I navigate the fretboard vertically using the CAGED system as my shell.
I start in the "G" position, and work my way through the "E," "D," "C," and "A" positions, which lands me 12 frets up from where I started, but on the opposite side of the fretboard. This example is the same idea behind the rudimentary exercise many of you might have learned early on when finding and memorizing all the octaves and fretting positions of a single note across the entire fretboard.
Ex. 1
In Ex. 2 I show you an idea that works well as a triad-based lick, but really is a tool that ties together positions of the CAGED system by putting the 3 of each chord position on the bottom of each triad (also known as first inversion). In this case we're working in the key of E, meaning that there will be a G# on the bottom of each triad. In terms of CAGED positions this example starts with the "E" position and continues until you are back in the "E" position 12 frets higher. To finish the lick, the "E" and "D" positions are repeated 12 frets from where we started. The "G" position isn't forgotten. I like to think of the "A" position with a 3 on the bottom the same as the "G" position with the low root omitted. This line of thinking makes for a bit more efficiency and fluidity.
Ex. 2
Ex. 3 uses the "D," "E," and "G" positions of the CAGED system in the key of A, but this time we're descending the fretboard. This simple lick is focused on the light tension created by highlighting the suspended forms of each of the chord shapes used. There's no right or wrong fingering here and using slides between shapes tends to make things smoother.
Ex. 3
In Ex. 4 we begin to stretch our perception of the CAGED system. We're playing the E minor pentatonic scale (E–G–A–B–D) but using the CAGED system to navigate the fretboard using the relative major shapes of G major. To ease the learning curve of this method, we're only using the 1st and 2nd strings. If you're unclear about the theory behind relative majors and minors, it's relatively simple. (See what I did there?)
Any major scale will share the same notes as a minor scale based on a root a minor third below. For example, if you were to play a G major scale and an E minor scale (E–F#–G–A–B–C–D), the notes would be the same.
In our example here, we're using the CAGED system shapes of a G major chord to outline the E minor pentatonic scale. I'm starting in the "G" position and continuing up the neck through all positions of the CAGED system before returning to the "G" position 12 frets higher.
This might take a moment to wrap your head around, but once it clicks it's like a magic key that unlocks previously hidden areas of the fretboard.
Ex. 4
In Ex. 5, I take what we learned in Ex. 4 and apply it to all 6 strings. It's the same idea of using the CAGED system alongside the G major/E minor scales to create a highway vertically on the fretboard. Again, fingerings don't make a ton of difference here–fluidity and accuracy do.
Ex. 5
The CAGED system is widely understood but also widely underutilized by many guitar players. Combining relative major scales and the CAGED system can be like Bradley Cooper taking the pill in Limitless–except this brain hack exists in the real world and you can have it too. Use this lesson not as a guide to hot licks, but rather as a tool to build your own connections across six strings and 20-something frets.
- The CAGED System Demystified – shop.premierguitar.com ›
- Beyond Blues: Understanding CAGED and the V Chord - Premier ... ›
- The Guitarist's Guide to the CAGED System - Premier Guitar ›
For the first time ever, two guitar greats, John 5 and Richie Kotzen will be heading out on the road this year. The tour will launch October 16 and run through November, hitting markets across the U.S.
Find the full tour itinerary right plus a link for tickets & VIP, including additional dates featuring John 5 only. Reserved seating tickets will go on sale Friday May 16 though a fan presale will begin today at noon local time and fans are strongly encouraged to buy early to get the best seats.
Meet and Greets for both artists will be available. For John 5 please go to: https://john5store.com/collections/vip.
Today, John 5 also announces more details of his anticipated new album. Called The Ghost, it will be released October 10 and is led by the new track “Fiend,” featuring Kenny Aronoff.
John 5 continues running public tours this month for his Knights In Satan’s Service Museum of KISS Memorabilia in Los Angeles, California. Guided tours are open to the public for one month only (with a possible expansion). Current dates available are May 12-16, May 19-23 and May 27-30. Each will be led by John 5 himself who will provide tons of rich detail and answer any questions. Secure your place HERE.
JOHN 5 continues to tour with Mötley Crüe including an upcoming residency in Las Vegas in 2025.RICHIE KOTZEN &
JOHN 5 FALL 2025 TOUR
October 16 El Cajon, CA @ Magnolia
October 17 Riverside, CA @ Fox Performing Arts
October 18 Roseville, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post
October 19 San Jose, CA @ The Ritz
October 21 Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre
October 22 Albuquerque, NM @ KiMo Theatre
October 24 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
October 25 Leander, TX @ The Haute Spot
October 27 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
October 28 Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
October 29 Nashville, TN @ Fogg Street Lawn Club
October 30 Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
October 31 Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
November 1 Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
November 2 Clearwater, FL @ Capitol Theatre
November 4 Richmond, VA @ The National
November 5 Leesburg, VA @ Tally Ho Theater
November 6 Patchogue, NY @ Patchogue Theatre
November 11 Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
November 12 Derry, NH @ Tupelo Music Hall
November 13 Foxborough, MA @ Six String Grill & Stage
November 14 Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theater
November 15 Lorain, OH @ Lorain Palace Theatre
November 16 Columbus, OH @ The King Of Clubs
November 17 Warrendale, PA @ Jergels
November 19 Wyandotte, MI @ District 142
November 20 Flint, MI @ The Machine Shop
November 21 Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s
November 22 St. Charles, IL @ Arcada Theatre
November 23 Belvidere, IL @ Apollo Theatre
November 25 Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater
November 29 Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet's*
*John 5 only
PRS Guitars celebrates 40 years with the limited edition McCarty SC56. Featuring vintage-inspired design and modern innovations, this single-cutaway guitar pays tribute to Ted McCarty and his impact on the industry. With only 400 pieces available, this instrument is a must-have for collectors and performers alike.
PRS Guitars today announced the 40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition. With a classic PRS single-cutaway body shape and carefully chosen specifications, the McCarty SC56 is both a tribute to tradition and a reliable tool for the modern performer. Only 400 pieces will be made.
“The SC56, signifying Singlecut and 1956, model is our most recent tribute to my late mentor Ted McCarty and his impact on the guitar industry. We started with our take on a classic late ‘50s singlecut body. 1956 marks the year that Ted first had guitars made with his newly coined 'humbucker' pickups. It also happens to be the year I was born. Bringing vintage design into the modern era, we loaded this model with our McCarty III pickups, meticulously designed to deliver warm, clear, vintage tone with exceptional note separation and dynamics,” said PRS Guitars Founder & Managing General Partner, Paul Reed Smith.
Anchored by a maple top and mahogany back, the 24.594” scale length and 22-fret Pattern Vintage neck work with Phase III non-locking tuners and PRS two-piece bridge to promote its musical sustain. The PRS McCarty III pickups are controlled by a simple layout — two volume controls, two tone controls, and a three-way toggle on the upper bout.
Single-cutaway guitars are known to be heavier than their double-cutaway counterparts. The McCarty SC56 Limited Edition design incorporates weight-relief, decreasing the weight of the guitar by about 2/3 of a pound, while maintaining several points of attachment between the guitar top and back to eliminate the “hollow” sound of the cavities and promote tone transfer.
With appointments like binding on the fretboard, classic bird inlays, and a vintage-inspired nitrocellulose finish, the 40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition blends heritage and innovation into a timeless instrument.
PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025.
For more information, please visit prsguitars.com.
40th Anniversary McCarty SC56 Limited Edition | Demo | PRS Guitars - YouTube
The Future Impact V4 is an incredibly versatile pedal with an exceptional range of sounds. In addition to producing synthesizer sounds such as basses, leads and pads, it can function as an octaver, chorus, flanger, phaser, distortion, envelope filter, traditional wah-wah, tremolo, reverb, etc., and even has a built-in tuner. It can potentially replace an entire pedalboard of dedicated single-effect pedals.
The very powerful signal processor of the Future Impact V4 is able to replicate the various oscillator, filter, amplifier and envelope generator blocks found in classic synthesizers. In addition, it contains signal processing blocks more traditionally used for processing the sound of an instrument such as a harmonizer block and audio effects such as chorus, distortion and EQ. These architectures complement each other in a very flexible way.
Setting the standard for the bass guitar synth pedals since 2015, together with an enthusiastic community and long line of great artists, the Future Impact V4 is the guitar synth platform for the next decade.
Belltone Guitars has partnered Brickhouse Toneworks to create a one-of-a-kind, truly noiseless Strat/Tele-tone pickup in a standard Filter’Tron size format: the Single-Bell pickup.
The Single-Bell by Brickhouse Toneworks delivers bonafide single-coil Strat and Tele tones with the power of a P-90 and no 60-cycle hum. Unlike typical stacked hum-cancelling designs, Brickhouse Toneworks uses a proprietary ‘sidewind’ approach that cancels the 60-cycle hum without sacrificing any of the dynamics or top-end sparkle of a Fender-style single coil.
Get the best of both worlds with clear bell-like tones on the neck pickup, signature quack when combining the neck and bridge pickups, and pristine twang in the bridge position backed with the fullness and power of a P-90. Push these into overdrive and experience the hallmark blues tone with plenty of grit and harmonic sustain — all with completely noiseless performance.
Key Features of the Single-Bell:
- Cast Alnico 5 Magnet, designed to be used with 500k pots
- Voiced to capture that signature Fender-style single coil tone without the 60-cycle hum
- Lightly potted to minimize squeal
- Made in the USA with premium quality materials
The retail price for a Bridge and Neck matching set is $340.00 and they’re available directly and exclusively through Belltone® Guitars / Brickhouse Toneworks at belltoneguitars.com.