The CAGED System for Guitar: A Fretboard Mastery Method for Lead and Solo Guitarists

James Shipway

Nov 2021 · Headstock Books

About this ebook

Guitar players: want to nail your guitar fretboard, scales, improvisation and soloing skills? This step-by-step guitar method (with over 50 minutes of bonus video content) teaches you how to do exactly that using the CAGED System! 

Armed with the CAGED system, you can learn and master the essential guitar scales all over the guitar neck, organise your fretboard for greater understanding and faster progress, use the exercises shown to practice smarter and more efficiently and become a better guitar player, soloist, improviser and all-round musician.

In this method book (with accompanying demonstration videos and backing tracks) you’ll discover how to use the CAGED method to unlock your guitar fretboard and overcome the fretboard ‘roadblocks’ which prevent most guitar players from ever truly mastering the guitar neck.

After the CAGED system has been clearly explained, you’ll learn how to apply it to the most useful guitar scales all guitar players need to know: the minor pentatonic, major pentatonic, major scale and natural minor scale plus arpeggio shapes for major7, dominant7, minor7 and minor7b5. I’ll also reveal how to use what you’ve learned to master other essential guitar scales like the Dorian mode, Lydian mode, Mixolydian mode, minor6 pentatonic, harmonic minor and the blues scale.

The CAGED System for Guitar gives you 40 sample guitar licks (with video demonstrations) to help you build your guitar solos and soloing vocabulary. You also get step-by-step practice routines and guitar exercises you can use as well as ‘speed learning’ techniques to help you to master your fretboard in a fraction of the time that it takes most other players.

In The CAGED System for Guitar you’ll discover:

- The five CAGED chord shapes to use for organising and finally understanding your guitar fretboard. Learn how to memorise these quickly and easily using ‘speed learning’ techniques, circle of fourths exercises and ‘visualisation’ approaches for a solid fretboard foundation

- How to ‘build’ scale shapes and patterns around CAGED chord shapes for unshakeable fretboard knowledge and confidence. Use this method to find a shape for any scale, in any key, anywhere on the fretboard and play guitar with freedom at last!

- 40 sample CAGED licks (with video demonstrations) show you how to go from playing scale shapes to playing killer licks and solos all over the fretboard. These licks show you the tastiest bends, double stops and scale runs to help you build your soloing vocabulary and start using each of the CAGED scale shapes like a pro (practice required!)

- Connecting patterns to improvise and solo all over the entire guitar neck (no more getting stuck in 'box patterns')

- How to build an endless number of great lick and soloing ideas. Use the techniques and practice methods described in the ‘Vocab Accelerator’ chapter to grow your soloing vocabulary, lick library and soloing skills

- Step-by-step practice routines and I’ll give you the exact fretboard exercises to use in order to thoroughly and efficiently assimilate everything shown into your guitar playing repertoire. Follow these and see the results roll in!

The CAGED System for Guitar comes with over 50 mins of video content demonstrating licks and approaches used in the book plus 13 downloadable backing tracks for you to practice and play to.

Using The CAGED System for Guitar, any player can learn, understand, master and apply everything they need to gain a whole new understanding of the guitar fretboard.

So, if you:

- Find your lack of fretboard knowledge holds you up

- You find yourself losing your way when you try to improvise

- You hit that 'wall' when you play and don't know where to go or which notes will work

- You find yourself playing the same licks and ideas all the time (frustrating...)

- You want a step-by-step, easy to use method for thoroughly improving your fretboard knowledge

- You're sick of being stuck in the same little zone of the guitar neck

- You want to boost your knowledge of the essential scales and modes we use on guitar and learn how to use them...

...then grab a copy of The CAGED System for Guitar and begin transforming your playing and guitar skills!

Ratings and reviews

Magic bullet for learning guitar👌 Very well done

What can I say this book is awesome !!!

About the author

James Shipway, born in Australia and raised in the UK is a professional guitarist and guitar teacher with over 25,000 hours of experience helping students of all ages and abilities reach their guitar-playing goals.

 He's shared his knowledge with millions of guitarists worldwide via his YouTube channel and his online guitar academy, Total Guitar Lab as well as in his acclaimed series of guitar books.

 James first began playing guitar at 16. Self taught and with no prior musical education or experience, he still remembers very well how confusing guitar playing could be for a newbie. He brings this personal experience of struggling with adversity and confusion on guitar to everything he does, and his practical, , easy-to-use, 'BS free' approach to learning, playing and practicing guitar has gained him a legion of followers around the globe.

 His recent book releases include his 3 book series 'Music Theory for Guitarists', 'No Bull Barre Chords for Guitar' ,'Blues Soloing for Guitar' Volumes 1 & 2, 'Circle of Fifths for Guitar', 'The CAGED System for Guitar' - plus more new releases coming soon. All his books aim to boost a guitar players ability and confidence by breaking down and simplifying seemingly complex theory, techniques and styles and giving players a practical, no-nonsense method to use for transforming their guitar playing.