A chord is formed by, anywhere from 3 to 6 notes on a guitar. Three, because, any lesser makes it an interval, ans six, as there are six strings on a standard guitar and six identically tuned pairs on a 12-string guitar.
Now, each string has upto 22 frets (or more). One can probably stretch
his/her fingers and hold frets on different strings that are 4-5 frets
apart, giving us at (4x6=) 24 to (5x6=) 30 individual frets that can be
played at once. The permutations and combinations using 3 to 6 notes and
accounting for all positions produces a huge number of chords that the guitar can play.
Of course, only some of these are played, still, the number is quite daunting. Unless there is a simpler way to remember all these chords - a system to remember these by - a simple Aide-mémoire, it will be rather difficult to play a guitar! Now imagine a chord chard depicting all such chords - it will run into a hundred pages! Enter - the CAGED system.
The CAGED system is a method of learning how and where to play any chord utilizing some standard chord shapes. The shapes, as will be evident, overlap each other and are located such that they conform to the layout of the notes on "a standard 12-TET, six string guitar, tuned to standard tuning."
The basic chord shapes chosen are of those that can be played as open string chords (in root position), viz:
C major, A major, G major, E major and D major. And hence the name: an acronym for these chords taken in the above order – C-A-G-E-D. These are also the most basic chords taught to a beginner. Let us have a look at this post on Middle C on Guitar - F above and G above middle C on a Guitar. Note the positions of the C4 note. Similarly, if we include all the C notes on the guitar (here open string i.e. 0 to 15th fret), we get a picture like this:
The red dots show the position of the C note on the neck of the guitar. As is obvious, the locations of C on the fret board are as follows -
6th string - 8th fret, 5th string - 3rd and 15th fret, 4th string - 10th fret, 3rd string - 5th fret, 2nd string - 1st and 13th fret, 1st string - 8th fret.
Here we see something interesting - straight out of the anatomy of the guitar - The strings where the C note repeats itself, it does so only after 12 frets. This is because, when we traverse 12 frets from any position on the guitar, we arrive at the harmonic of the note that we started off from, making it the same note (same pitch class). The same principle applies to chords - only thing is that we do not have "harmonics" of chords. As we move a chord down 12 frets, we effectively arrive at the harmonic of every note we started from, thus preserving the chord.
The point of this discussion being, that the shape of a chord at a position is basically the same as that within the first 12 frets of the guitar. Only a "bar" is a added using the index finger at the beginning of such a chord. For example, the E major in 1st position chord is 022100. The same chord is also playable using the same shape at the (0+12 = 12) 12th fret as (adding 12 to all the notes) 12-14-14-13-12-12.
Using the example of C major chord, we see that C major in root position is played as x32010. It is also playable at 12 position as x-15-14-12-13-12 (adding 12 to each note). Now have a look at the diagram above, The bar is placed at the 12th fret; the pattern of C notes begins to repeat after the 12 fret (bar shown). Again, verifying the chord, we see that both these chord forms are made of the notes x-C-E-G-C-E (also in the same order, from 5th to 1st string). Thus, both of these are indeed C major chords and each of the notes of the 12th position are harmonics of their same string counterparts in the 1st position.
A similar simple calculation proves the same thing for the E major chord described earlier. The notes played are E-B-E-G#-B-E in both cases.
Thus we have effectively entered into the heart of the matter of the CAGED system and already discussed and equated two positions of the C major and E major chords (to be elaborated later on).
This brings us to the point of the "bar" and bar chords.
The term "bar" in "bar chords" refers to the placement of the index finger (other fingers are not commonly used) on the frets at one position at the head end of a guitar chord requiring one. The chords that require this bar are termed "bar chords" while the ones that do not require a bar at the beginning are termed "open chords" or "root position chords." Thus, the use of a bar effectively classifies chords into these two types.
The open chords that can be played on the guitar are the CAGED major chords. The bar chords are played by extending the shape of the CAGED major chords down a few frets. By extending, we mean, we hold the basic shape of the chord and move the entire hand down by the required number of steps (semitones).
Just like if we play the chromatic scale on a single string, the pitch of the note increases by a semitone for every fret we traverse, the chords also increase in pitch the same way. This is because every note under a finger is going up by a semitone as we move down the neck by a semitone.
For example, if we move the open (root position) E major shape (022100) down by one fret, we replace each note we play by the one a semitone above. The notes being played are thus changed from E-B-E-G#-B-E of E major to F-C-F-A-C-F, forming the F major chord. Moving it down by 2 frets produces F# major, 3 frets - G major, 4 frets G# major, 5frets A major, and so on and so forth.
Thus bar functions as a sort of "movable nut" of the guitar (also called a "capo"). This effectively reduces the length of the fretboard thus increasing the pitch of the constituent notes.
The shape of a chord is the most important thing here, as it is this shape that defines the relationship between the notes being played irrespective of the root note. Thus one may play multiple chords using the same basic shape.
Thus, its obvious, all the caged chords can, similarly, be extended downwards to form chords other than C A G E and D majors. The individual shapes are now left to be discussed.
Let us have a look at the basic five shapes of major chords - those of the five CAGED Chords:
The chords in question are the five major chords played at the root position (open string chords). These are:
C major, A major, G major, E major and D major. It must be noted here that some strings utilize all six strings, while some are played using only the lower few strings so as to keep the root note as the bass note.
In the diagram above, the root notes have been marked out using red dots. The notes marked in red are all the same and the one on the highest string is the root note. All notes of the same pitch class have been marked by red dots for the sake of simplicity of the diagram.
It will be obvious on observation that the bass note for all these shapes in the root note of that chord. For example, D major is chord (triad) of the notes D, F# and A, with the D note as the bass / note. If, now, we play the D major chord using the 5th string open - i.e. as x00232 instead of xx0232, thus incorporating the A note above, it still remains D major, though the bass note now becomes A, making it the 2nd inversion of D major play in open position.
These are the five primary chord shapes are shifted up and down and modified or some notes are added to these shapes producing all other chords. Some notes, at times are removed to produce them.
The basic theory behind movable chord shapes, as discussed briefly earlier, is that a chord is formed of some notes. A shape alters the effective length of the each string in a particular way. This preserves the frequency ratio between the notes played by that shape in any position - thus preserving the nature of the chord - major, minor, added, etc.
If we play a chord using that shape, the root note (and hence the pitch and name) of that chord is determined by the note that occupies the root position of these shapes - i.e. the note played on the bass note playing string of the basic shape. Hence, a D major chord shape is shifted down by two frets from open position and hence played at the 2nd position, will be E major (E major - second position - xx2452) as the root note, which lies at fret zero (open position - D note) is moved down 2 frets to the 2nd position (E note).
Of course, only some of these are played, still, the number is quite daunting. Unless there is a simpler way to remember all these chords - a system to remember these by - a simple Aide-mémoire, it will be rather difficult to play a guitar! Now imagine a chord chard depicting all such chords - it will run into a hundred pages! Enter - the CAGED system.
The CAGED system is a method of learning how and where to play any chord utilizing some standard chord shapes. The shapes, as will be evident, overlap each other and are located such that they conform to the layout of the notes on "a standard 12-TET, six string guitar, tuned to standard tuning."
The basic chord shapes chosen are of those that can be played as open string chords (in root position), viz:
C major, A major, G major, E major and D major. And hence the name: an acronym for these chords taken in the above order – C-A-G-E-D. These are also the most basic chords taught to a beginner. Let us have a look at this post on Middle C on Guitar - F above and G above middle C on a Guitar. Note the positions of the C4 note. Similarly, if we include all the C notes on the guitar (here open string i.e. 0 to 15th fret), we get a picture like this:
The red dots show the position of the C note on the neck of the guitar. As is obvious, the locations of C on the fret board are as follows -
6th string - 8th fret, 5th string - 3rd and 15th fret, 4th string - 10th fret, 3rd string - 5th fret, 2nd string - 1st and 13th fret, 1st string - 8th fret.
Here we see something interesting - straight out of the anatomy of the guitar - The strings where the C note repeats itself, it does so only after 12 frets. This is because, when we traverse 12 frets from any position on the guitar, we arrive at the harmonic of the note that we started off from, making it the same note (same pitch class). The same principle applies to chords - only thing is that we do not have "harmonics" of chords. As we move a chord down 12 frets, we effectively arrive at the harmonic of every note we started from, thus preserving the chord.
The point of this discussion being, that the shape of a chord at a position is basically the same as that within the first 12 frets of the guitar. Only a "bar" is a added using the index finger at the beginning of such a chord. For example, the E major in 1st position chord is 022100. The same chord is also playable using the same shape at the (0+12 = 12) 12th fret as (adding 12 to all the notes) 12-14-14-13-12-12.
Using the example of C major chord, we see that C major in root position is played as x32010. It is also playable at 12 position as x-15-14-12-13-12 (adding 12 to each note). Now have a look at the diagram above, The bar is placed at the 12th fret; the pattern of C notes begins to repeat after the 12 fret (bar shown). Again, verifying the chord, we see that both these chord forms are made of the notes x-C-E-G-C-E (also in the same order, from 5th to 1st string). Thus, both of these are indeed C major chords and each of the notes of the 12th position are harmonics of their same string counterparts in the 1st position.
A similar simple calculation proves the same thing for the E major chord described earlier. The notes played are E-B-E-G#-B-E in both cases.
Thus we have effectively entered into the heart of the matter of the CAGED system and already discussed and equated two positions of the C major and E major chords (to be elaborated later on).
This brings us to the point of the "bar" and bar chords.
The term "bar" in "bar chords" refers to the placement of the index finger (other fingers are not commonly used) on the frets at one position at the head end of a guitar chord requiring one. The chords that require this bar are termed "bar chords" while the ones that do not require a bar at the beginning are termed "open chords" or "root position chords." Thus, the use of a bar effectively classifies chords into these two types.
The open chords that can be played on the guitar are the CAGED major chords. The bar chords are played by extending the shape of the CAGED major chords down a few frets. By extending, we mean, we hold the basic shape of the chord and move the entire hand down by the required number of steps (semitones).
Just like if we play the chromatic scale on a single string, the pitch of the note increases by a semitone for every fret we traverse, the chords also increase in pitch the same way. This is because every note under a finger is going up by a semitone as we move down the neck by a semitone.
For example, if we move the open (root position) E major shape (022100) down by one fret, we replace each note we play by the one a semitone above. The notes being played are thus changed from E-B-E-G#-B-E of E major to F-C-F-A-C-F, forming the F major chord. Moving it down by 2 frets produces F# major, 3 frets - G major, 4 frets G# major, 5frets A major, and so on and so forth.
Thus bar functions as a sort of "movable nut" of the guitar (also called a "capo"). This effectively reduces the length of the fretboard thus increasing the pitch of the constituent notes.
The shape of a chord is the most important thing here, as it is this shape that defines the relationship between the notes being played irrespective of the root note. Thus one may play multiple chords using the same basic shape.
Thus, its obvious, all the caged chords can, similarly, be extended downwards to form chords other than C A G E and D majors. The individual shapes are now left to be discussed.
Let us have a look at the basic five shapes of major chords - those of the five CAGED Chords:
The chords in question are the five major chords played at the root position (open string chords). These are:
C major, A major, G major, E major and D major. It must be noted here that some strings utilize all six strings, while some are played using only the lower few strings so as to keep the root note as the bass note.
It will be obvious on observation that the bass note for all these shapes in the root note of that chord. For example, D major is chord (triad) of the notes D, F# and A, with the D note as the bass / note. If, now, we play the D major chord using the 5th string open - i.e. as x00232 instead of xx0232, thus incorporating the A note above, it still remains D major, though the bass note now becomes A, making it the 2nd inversion of D major play in open position.
These are the five primary chord shapes are shifted up and down and modified or some notes are added to these shapes producing all other chords. Some notes, at times are removed to produce them.
The basic theory behind movable chord shapes, as discussed briefly earlier, is that a chord is formed of some notes. A shape alters the effective length of the each string in a particular way. This preserves the frequency ratio between the notes played by that shape in any position - thus preserving the nature of the chord - major, minor, added, etc.
If we play a chord using that shape, the root note (and hence the pitch and name) of that chord is determined by the note that occupies the root position of these shapes - i.e. the note played on the bass note playing string of the basic shape. Hence, a D major chord shape is shifted down by two frets from open position and hence played at the 2nd position, will be E major (E major - second position - xx2452) as the root note, which lies at fret zero (open position - D note) is moved down 2 frets to the 2nd position (E note).