Guitar Chord Shapes and the CAGED System

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Most guitarists learn a handful of open chords early on — C major, A major, G major, E major, and D major. These five shapes are comfortable to play near the nut and they cover a huge amount of popular music. What many players do not realise is that these same five shapes can be moved up the neck to play any major chord in any position. That idea is the foundation of the CAGED system, and once you see it, the entire fretboard starts to make sense.

Barre Chords on Interactive Chord Finder

Guitar Chord Shapes and the CAGED System