david moon
Attempting the Blues
If you ever get around to playing Big Band or musical theater you will find lots of charts are in F Bb Eb Ab Db and even some in Cb.
CAGED Unleashed
- Thread starter TwoNotesSolo
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JffKnt
Blues Newbie
True that. My dad used to play trumpet in a jazz band and they often played music in the keys with flats as you described.
But that was what my dad liked to listen to and play. I like playing the blues and blues rock and so on. And that stuff is often played in
*guitar* keys (E, A, G, C).
Just for fun, I tried adding the B and F to my other 5 chords. As I suspected, at first I wasn't able to play them as well as the other 5 keys I have been practicing. However, (as I thought) I was able to pick the 2 new keys up in just a few passes so that I could play them nearly as well as the 1st five keys I was playing. I don't think those fancy jazz keys would be too far out of reach if I ever needed to go there.
As long as you have a little time to practice before you need those "jazz keys" you'll be fine
As you've noticed, there are some mental gymnastics to do to get to those keys, but as I always tell people, if you can do the first half of the keys, the 2nd half are much easier.
It is a steep price of admission, no doubt, but that price of admission is what makes it work so well...
Imagine if someone was going through BGU and I required that they be able to play all 5 boxes in all 12 keys in 1/8th notes at 120bpm before they could start learning the solos...
Obviously they'd have a way better grasp of the fretboard, and their technique would be solid before starting, and that would make the end goal much easier to attain.
The only difference is, CAGED requires that, and without it you'll decide CAGED is stupid and useless - simply because you can't "see it" on the fretboard.
Tangled_up_in_Blue
Blues Newbie
I've recently started the CAGED Unleashed course and go through the exercises daily. I have to say it certainly gets easier and clearer. Next section for me is arpeggios but I'm taking my time with it. I have the connections exercise at 60bpm about half way round circle of 5ths. Not quite there yet but everyday it becomes smother and more natural. I think this will have positive long term benefits and I aim to stick with it. I won't be ready for a few months but I'm thinking Chord by Chord Soloing would be a natural progression?
david moon
Attempting the Blues
My perspective is as primarily a bass player. If a chart in front of me is in Db, I will mostly look for movable positions, but might consider whether any open strings are available.
david moon
Attempting the Blues
If you're using movable chord shapes it really shouldn't be an issue.
ChrisGSP
Blues Journeyman
This has been a really interesting read. Looking back to the beginning, the diagrams that @TwoNotesSolo posted were nicely done. I've got a slightly different way of picturing CAGED, and I found it ironic that Griff posted a diagram of the Circle of Fifths with the CAGED documentation - because I've always pictured CAGED as a circle; start anywhere, go either direction.
My computer graphics skills are negative, so I mocked this up using Kindergarten techniques - scissors and paste-stick.
The Green ROOT in the top center links to the Green root at the Right
The Pink ROOT at the right links to the Pink root at bottom right
The Yellow ROOT(s) at Bottom right link to the Yellow roots at bottom left
The Orange ROOT at Bottom left links to the Orange root at left, and
The Blue ROOT at the left links to the Blue root at the top.
Clockwise goes UP the guitar neck.
Anti-clockwise goes DOWN the guitar neck.
Doesn't matter where you start.
My computer graphics skills are negative, so I mocked this up using Kindergarten techniques - scissors and paste-stick.
The Green ROOT in the top center links to the Green root at the Right
The Pink ROOT at the right links to the Pink root at bottom right
The Yellow ROOT(s) at Bottom right link to the Yellow roots at bottom left
The Orange ROOT at Bottom left links to the Orange root at left, and
The Blue ROOT at the left links to the Blue root at the top.
Clockwise goes UP the guitar neck.
Anti-clockwise goes DOWN the guitar neck.
Doesn't matter where you start.
Paleo
Student Of The Blues
@ChrisGSP
Nice!
Sorry. Can't help myself.
In addition, if you go clockwise from the top you also have:
1) the root and 3, 5 of Major Pentatonic boxes 4, 5, 1, 2 and 3
2) the root and 5 of Minor Pentatonic boxes 3, 4, 5, 1 and 2
3) notes of Mode boxes Phrygian/Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian/Ionian and Dorian
I tend to relate all these patterns, as well as arpeggios, to the CAGED chord shapes.
Actually to the octave shapes.
I have several notebooks filled with similar diagrams, charts, tables and lists I made long before, and even after, I got my first computer.
It's actually quicker for me to do it retro style.
And I learn better in so doing.
Nice!
Sorry. Can't help myself.
In addition, if you go clockwise from the top you also have:
1) the root and 3, 5 of Major Pentatonic boxes 4, 5, 1, 2 and 3
2) the root and 5 of Minor Pentatonic boxes 3, 4, 5, 1 and 2
3) notes of Mode boxes Phrygian/Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian/Ionian and Dorian
I tend to relate all these patterns, as well as arpeggios, to the CAGED chord shapes.
Actually to the octave shapes.
I have several notebooks filled with similar diagrams, charts, tables and lists I made long before, and even after, I got my first computer.
It's actually quicker for me to do it retro style.
And I learn better in so doing.
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david moon
Attempting the Blues
That's a good visualization of how the different chord shapes connect up and down the neck. Once you get that vsualization you don't need to play all 5 or 6 notes in a rhythm part. Griff's "little chords"