Why Knowing the Notes on Your Guitar is Better Than Using the Shapes of the CAGED System

As a guitarist, you may have heard of or even used the CAGED system—a method that uses five basic chord shapes (C, A, G, E, and D) to navigate the fretboard. While the CAGED system can be helpful, especially in the early stages of learning, focusing too much on these shapes can actually limit your progress. Instead, learning the individual notes on the fretboard can take your playing to the next level, giving you a deeper understanding of music and more freedom in your playing. Here’s why—and how you can start.

The CAGED System: Helpful, but Limiting

The CAGED system is like a map that shows you how to move around the fretboard using familiar shapes. For example, if you know the open C major chord, you can move that shape up the neck to create a D major chord, an E major chord, and so on. This is useful for quickly finding different chord positions, but here’s the catch: It keeps you locked into shapes without truly understanding what you’re playing.

Let’s say you’re playing a G major chord using the E-shape from the CAGED system. Do you know which notes make up that chord? Could you move beyond the basic shape and add or remove notes to make it more interesting? If the answer is “not really,” you might be missing out on a deeper level of musical understanding.

Why Knowing the Notes Matters

When you know the notes on the guitar, you can approach the instrument with a much greater sense of freedom. Here are a few ways it helps:

1. Improvisation Becomes Easier  

   If you know that the 5th fret on the low E string is an A, and that it’s part of an A minor scale, you can build riffs, melodies, or solos around that. You’re no longer relying on set patterns—you’re able to create your own music in real-time.

 Example: Instead of just memorising the shape of the E minor pentatonic scale, learn the notes within it: E, G, A, B, and D. If you know these notes across the fretboard, you can move between octaves and find new ways to express ideas outside of the familiar box shape.

2. Chords and Scales Become More Dynamic  

 Understanding the notes in a chord means you can modify it to suit the music you’re playing. Want to play a G major chord but make it more colourful? If you know that G major is made up of G, B, and D, you can experiment by adding an extra note, like the F#, to create a Gmaj7 chord.

 Example: When you know the notes of a C major chord—C, E, and G—you can experiment by adding a D note to create a Cadd9, or adding a B note to create a Cmaj7. You don’t need to memorise a whole new shape, just add notes to what you already know.

3. Understanding Music Theory  

   When you know the notes on your guitar, concepts like scales, keys, and chord construction start making sense. You can recognize patterns across the neck that are tied to the music itself, not just shapes. This is invaluable when learning new songs, improvising, or even writing your own music.

   Example: If you're playing in the key of G major, knowing that the notes of the G major scale are G, A, B, C, D, E, and F# lets you move easily between different chords and melodies within that key. You’ll start to see how music fits together, rather than just relying on shapes.

How to Start Learning the Notes on the Fretboard

You don’t need to learn all the notes on the fretboard at once, but here are some steps to get started:

1. Memorise the Notes on the Low E and A Strings 

   These two strings are your guide to finding chord roots and scale positions. Start by memorizing the notes from the open string to the 12th fret on the low E and A strings. The low E string gives you the notes E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, and D#. The A string follows the same pattern, but starting on A.

2. Use Octaves to Find Other Notes  

   Once you know where the notes are on the E and A strings, you can use octave shapes to find the same notes on higher strings. For example, if you’re playing an A on the 5th fret of the low E string, you can find another A on the 7th fret of the D string.

3. Apply What You Know 

   Start by figuring out the notes in simple chords. Take a basic open chord like C major and work out which notes you’re playing (C, E, and G). Do the same for other chords. Over time, you’ll start to see how these notes appear all over the fretboard, and you’ll be able to break out of the CAGED shapes.

4. Practice in Small Sections  

   Don’t try to memorise the entire fretboard at once! Focus on one small section of the neck at a time, and learn the notes there. Then gradually expand to different areas of the fretboard. This will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

If you'd like to explore this concept further and expand your guitar skills, consider taking a lesson with me. I’d love to guide you through the process and help you become a more confident and versatile guitarist!