Major Scale Positions and CAGED Chord Shapes
Lesson #384 • Sep 12, 2021
Video lesson
Instructional PDF 7 pages
Editor’s notes
Hey friends! Lesson today where I tackle the common positions of the major scale – and explain how each of these positions maps to one of the “CAGED” chord shapes (which I covered in a previous lesson). To me, this was an immensely helpful realization, especially given the numbered scale positions can seem unhelpfully arbitrary and academic, especially when starting out. In this video, I’ll show how you can take any of the CAGED chord shapes (that you’re likely familiar with, even if you don’t know it yet) – and show how to play the major scale based around that shape. This opens the door to improvisation, soloing, adding flourish notes, and all kinds of other good things. So let’s get into it!
Timestamps for this video:
- 0:00 Overview & Lesson Summary
- 6:44 Major Scale Crash Course
- 8:12 Major Scale Positions
- 11:15 Each CAGED Chord Shape’s Major Scale
- 12:58 How Scale Positions are Numbered
- 19:01 Which Position(s) to Learn First?
- 20:59 Which Fingers To Use In Each Shape
- 24:19 Intervals and 7th Chords
- 27:19 A Final Analogy to Explain All This
Need help with CAGED or the 12 Notes?
I made two earlier videos, each of which has a PDF you can download, if you need to get re-familiarized with these concepts.
Learning the 12 notes
Lesson #356 - view lesson notes & get the PDF.
Learning the CAGED Chord Shapes
Lesson #385 - view lesson notes & get the PDF.
Enjoy my lessons? Buy me a beer!
If this and my other lessons have proven helpful to you, please consider making a one-time donation to my tip jar. Contributions of any amount help make this project possible (including the many, many hours I put into it).
Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made
Subscribe to my YouTube channel
Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!
Recent Lessons
-
May 10, 2024
"Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell
-
May 1, 2024
Tour of My New "KeyMaster" Web Tool
-
April 24, 2024
13 Must-Know Riffs with Droning Strings
-
April 18, 2024
"Moonshadow" by Cat Stevens
-
April 12, 2024
Playing Songs "Correctly" vs. When to Cut Corners
-
April 9, 2024
Chords & Music Theory... 9 New Lessons!
-
March 30, 2024
Gordon Lightfoot's "Carefree Highway"
-
March 22, 2024
Lead Guitar & the F1 Theme Song
-
March 15, 2023
Pink Floyd's "Breathe" - with Simpler Chords Included
-
March 6, 2024
Q&A: 8 Tips to Avoid Muting Strings
-
March 1, 2024
Blues Shuffle Riffs - Using Just 2 Strings!