What the Heck is the CAGED System?

My New American Guitar Method is partially based on what is called the CAGED system.

Its full name is the CAGED Fretboard Visualization System for Guitar This system breaks the guitar down into five different hand positions, none of which force us to play a note more than 1 fret above or below the four 'home frets' our fingers center on. So for every 12 frets there are 5 overlapping patterns, none of them spanning more than 5 frets.

This is a physically based system. It allows us to play without really stretching our fingers apart much at all. It's in line with modern sports medicine in regards to safe and efficient muscle movement

The guitars design and irregular tuning system is designed 100% for our hand, with no regard for ease of understanding or memorization.

Why is it called the CAGED system?

Well, it’s not always called the CAGED system. I was originally taught this system as "The Five Boroughs of New York."

For those who didn’t grow up in the New York Metropolitan Area (I’m originally from New Jersey) it’s called the CAGED system because it is based on the shapes of the basic open chords C, A, G, E, D, which repeat themselves 5 times every 12 frets.

Is this the only System?

No. There are several. The only two I can remember offhand are the Three Note Per String System and the Chromatic Zone System I do not teach either. Why? Please read: The Two Ways to Play Guitar.

Is this from that book Fretboard Logic?

Fretboard Logic is about the CAGED system but did not invent it. My views on this very influential book have raised quite a few eyebrows and have been moved to their own article: