For the Church Guitarist: CAGED Chord Sequence

Now that you've wrapped your head around the basic idea of CAGED, let’s look at very useful, practical and kind of amazing  aspect of it:

The CAGED sequence of letters (C-A-G-E-D) is the order that chord shapes move up the neck in the same key.

This is a key idea for helping you visualize and understand the neck of the guitar.  Start by taking a look at this chart:

You may have done this intuitively using a capo, but see how the chords, moving from the lowest on the left to the highest on the right move in the order of C-A-G-E-D looking chord shapes?

To overstate it: in the key of C, as you move out of open position and up the neck, actual C sounding chords progress from the C shape* we know and love, to the A shape (placed at the 3rd fret making it an actual C chord even though it doesn't look like the C shape!), then the G shape at the 5th fret, on to the E shape which is actual a  C chord when placed at the 8th fret and finally, the D shape, which when moved to the 10th fret, actually becomes a C chord. It just repeats from there until you run out of frets.  

And it works that way for every single key.

So, what if you're not in the key of C?? Well, lets use the key of G:

• In the key of G, the lowest open chord shape you can play is a G, right? (yes)
• Well, then the next actual "G chord" up the neck would be - using the C-A-G-E-D sequence and seeing that we're starting on a G shape G chord in open position - the next actual G chord up the neck would be an E shape (3rd fret) . . .  then a D shape (5th fret), then the CAGED word runs out of letters and starts over at C (7th fret), etc.
• To help see it visually, here it is in G:

See how it starts on G, moves to the next letter in the CAGED word, namely E, then D, then starts over on C, then A and so on?

Again, it works this way in every single key. If you're in the key of E, start on the E of the word, CAGED, the next version of an E chord up the neck would be, using the CAGED word, a D, start over on C, then A, G, etc..

Now if you're in a key that's not a C-A-G-E-D key, its a little trickier, but not terribly so. For instance, Bb:

1. Find the lowest shape on the neck (an A shape, capo'd or barred at the first fret) and then. . .  
2. you have your starting point to move through the word CAGED (If your lowest shape is A, then G somewhere would be next, then an E somewhere, etc).
3. For any key, its always in that order. 

This can be hard to communicate outside of private lessons and actually showing you, but you can get  and it is so, so important. Once you do get it, it really makes the neck of the guitar click for you.

• For acoustic players, this can help you really learn how and why to use a capo, not just because you have to, but creatively.
• For electric players, and really any guitarist, its just how the neck works. You can move around with much more confidence.

My university students had to have this sequence memorized for all 12 keys and be able to demonstrate each key, moving from the lowest position to the highest practical position up the neck. You don't have to go that far, but you can absolutely wrap your head around this and find it useful.

If its new for you, just think about and practice seeing it for the main CAGED keys as you have time. In fact, to help, here it is for those keys:

• Key of C
• Key of A
• Key of G
• Key of E
• Key of D

So, think it over, practice and questions are always welcome! Thank you for serving and for pushing yourself to learn! 

PA 

*I call them shapes because, though we’re used to seeing them in open position as a G chord, E chord, etc., every one of them is actually movable and becomes other chords when you moved them around (i.e. G looking chord, cope 3 is no longer a G chord - so, I talk about them as shapes instead). 

For the Church Guitarist: CAGED Intro

In the last post we looked at organizing some thoughts related to our acoustic playing (chords families!) and the plenty of work that can be done there. One of the next steps would be to consider how those basic shapes fit beautifully into an idea known as the CAGED system.

Basically, the idea is that the main chord shapes we use all over the neck of the guitar are:

Seems simple but its not just about open position!

In fact, the basic open C chord shape, A shape, G shape, E and D are so foundational to how chords are made on the guitar, that they are in fact THE shapes, in one form or another, that you'll use all over the neck for almost any chord you play; even scales, arpeggios, etc. 

This might sound a little strange but you're already doing it!. Think about it:

• An F bar chord (1-3-3-2-1-1) is really just an “E” shape barred at the first fret
• A Bm chord, at the 2nd fret (x-2-4-4-3-2) is really just an A (minor) shape barred at the second fret
• The E chord at the 7th fret that we’re so fond of sliding around, is really just an “A” (major) shape using open strings (0-7-9-9-0-0)

Making sense so far?

Again, the basic C, A, G, E, and D chord shapes are the guiding shapes for many chords we play all over the neck. If you use a capo you’re already using this idea as well (i.e. you’re handed a song chart in Ab and you decide to capo 1 and play it as if its in G), and spending time thinking through this will really help you out. Specifically:

• For acoustic strummers, this is key to you really intelligently using a capo to give you 2-3 different sounding options with which to play any song and it will help you visualize the neck. 
• For electric players, this opens up the fretboard for you, helping you to visualize and remember chords up and down the neck. Its also a great starting place for understanding scales and being able to play them in any key (good for you acoustic guys too!)

For any guitarist, the CAGED concept is a foundational, practical idea for understanding how the guitar neck works and how you can move around with confidence. Awareness is the first step! Its kind of nice that it comes together to make a word we can remember too.

In the next post, we’ll look at the CAGED chord sequence how it can really unlock the neck for you. Until then, thanks for serving and keep practicing!

PA

Guitar Candy - Dirt Poor Robins

Always a fan of virtuosity, here is a burning, liquid line from guitarist Neil Degraide off the new album, The Raven Locks -Act 2 by Dirt Poor Robins. Its in the intro to the track, Maximilian Von Spee (more on Dirt Poor Robins below). Check the line out. Listen to it here (right at the beginning). Its a Cm lick that fits well in the standard pentatonic shape (G shape for you CAGED people) and uses a good deal of legato, slurs, hammer-ons and pull-offs, etc. Its great practice and has a cool major/minor pentatonic bluesy sound.

There are a number of approaches you could take in fingering it but I've landed on a hybrid picking with a bit of sweeping thrown in for good measure. Here's a fingering I like:

As you learn it, try breaking it into three sections:

Part 1

This line flows really nicely under your fingers. It mixes picking with your middle finger, a downstroke with your pick, and a backwards sweep. Go slowly and eventually it will sit really nicely and fluidly. In fact, this line works well on its own. Try moving it up and down the neck as it sounds impressive and is worth working out.

Part 2

This is similar to part 1 but a little shorter. Start with the middle finger and move into a backwards sweep. Again, a nice fast, fluid motion. Once you're comfortable with it, try putting parts 1 and 2 together. Just those two parts will sound impressive on their own.

Part 3

Then add the final section. Again, start with the middle finger, go into a backwards sweep and slide down to the final note. This part you could finger differently if you don't like the sweep, but try it out. The difficulty in this section is the move from the 4th string to the 5th string. You have to prep a little bar before you move to the 5th string. Experiment with what works for you.

You could break it up or finger it differently (it could work nicely with just fingers too), but hopefully this helps. Often we try and attack an idea we want to learn but bite off too much at first, get frustrated, and stop. Going slowly and breaking it up into smaller components can really help. And, as with any idea, move it around the neck, take bits and pieces of it and experiment with variations. Make it your own.

Also, if you don't already know of the Dirt Poor Robins, as a music lover you owe it to yourself to check them out. Even if its not your go-to style they are wildly creative, great musicians, and absolutely worth your time. There is plenty more great guitar playing to be heard too. Check them out here.

Have fun with the line and keep practicing!

PA

For the Church guitarist: Using a Capo Live

Capos? Yes, capos.

In the context of church playing, we use them all the time. They often have a bad rap for allowing players to "cheat," but I would argue that for the type of chord voicings most used in this context (open chords, open strings, etc) they can be a great tool.  Of course, it could be kind of cheating if you only know chords in the key of G and just move that around with a capo (but, hey, sometimes we just do what works). However, you can use a capo intelligently, for instance:

• Choose a particular sound you want for a song anywhere on the neck
• Help you get a bigger sound when playing with multiple acoustic players
• Use it for cool voicing tricks, i.e. cut capos
• As an electric player you can give yourself open strings for drones, etc. in keys that wouldn't normally have them
• Also, as an electric player, though you don't really need to use one, you can get unique, ringing sounds from a chord voicing that wouldn't be possible with out a capo

So anyway, they're useful.

I'll link soon to more detailed ideas for capo use in other posts, but for now I want to take a quick look at the capos and tricks I've found particularly helpful in live use.

Using a capo live

That tends to mean quick release style capos and ones that are easy to manage. Sure, in a studio something like a Shubb can be perfect to dial in the ideal tension for in tune playing and if you're a flamenco purist, you'll use one of these but often, we have about .24 seconds to make a capo change and start the next song. So, quick release is key.

In this context I tend to see people using the kyser capos . I tend to use them as well, in a live context, as they are quick and simple to use. The pain about these is that that tension is often so strong that it easily can take your guitar out of tune because its presses down so hard (especially higher up the neck)!

So, here's a tip on always getting a Kyser to not manhandle your guitar out of tune: put in on the fret wire.  OK, not right on the fret wire or else you can get a muted, thuddy sound, but right on the back of the fret wire. Mess around with it. Much of placement depends on how strong the capo actually is (some are ridiculous) so sometimes you may be on the back edge of the fret and sometimes closely behind. Use your ears.

The above is what I do with a kyser capo on an acoustic. For an electric guitar a kyser is almost guaranteed to take the lower string tension and mangle it wildly out of tune. So, here's what I found to help: if I have to use a kyser on electric I put the kyser capo right on top of the fret wire. Right exactly on top of the fret. Seems odd, but it works well with strong kyser capos and the sound stays clear (not muted). Again, play around with placement a bit but putting it right on top of the fret wire can keep an electric perfectly in tune as it doesn't get to press down, or pull, as far (as it would in the middle of the fret). Another benefit of the keyser capo is that you can turn them upside down and use them as a cut, or partial, capo (more on that soon).

So, you can use a kyser for acoustic and electric and still stay in tune. Try messing with your placement. It really helps.

Now for electrics, I much prefer these planet waves capos (again, for live use). They are weird looking, but they are quick release AND you can adjust the tension quickly . . . with a big wonky looking spring on the bottom. Anyway, they work well and I prefer them for electric. Yes, there are other options and others that work well, but for speed, I like these. I can set the tension perfectly for the guitar and its still have the benefit of quick release.

Honorable mention goes to these G7 capos. Though I've never used one they have some lower profile designs that look like they would work really well (and not hang so far below the neck). They apparently are pretty quick to put on and they even make a kyser-esque looking one. They are about twice the price of the kyser capos though.

The above tips prove to be really really important when using cut capos, or a capo AND and cut capo. Things can get annoyingly out of tune otherwise. Granted, on a recording I'll tune with the capo already placed to make sure everything is perfect, but for quick, live use I've found the above to work very, very well. Keep the capo as straight across the strings as possible and experiment with placement to, or on, the fret.

More on creative capo use in other posts soon but try out the ideas and keep practicing!

PA

P.S. Want a capo that will haunt your dreams at night? Try the spider capo. Never used it but it looks really intriguing and supposedly woks well for  altered tuning type tricks.

Nick Johnson Guitarist - Arpeggio Sequence

Nick Johnston Guitar

We're looking at another lick from Canadian guitarist, Nick Johnston. Its a cool sounding arpeggio sequence that you can move up and down the neck and use as a basis for other lines.. It has a clever fingering that flows really well and offers more insight into his approach towards the guitar neck. You’ll see how it connects to the last lick we looked at and how you can take the concept even further.

Let’s start with the line:

Nick Johnston Guitar - Arpeggio Sequence Lick - Main

You can see Nick playing it and walking through it here.

It’s a cool line in C major that flows really nicely and is a good workout for your legato and hybrid picking chops. It even has a little sweep in there for good measure.

Technically, take the first measure. You start with a downstroke (the upside down "u" symbol), hammer to the next note, downstroke again and then pluck the last of that group of 4 notes with your middle finger (marked "m"). The next 4 notes (still 1st measure) you have two consecutive downstrokes which you sweep, then grab the third note with your middle finger followed by a hammer on. That fingering pattern repeats nicely for every new position you move to.

Musically, you could think of it two ways. Each measure has two chords (Cmaj7 and Em7, Dm7 and Fmaj7, etc.) like this:

Nick Johnston Guitar - Arpeggio Sequence Lick - Ex. 2a

Or, every measure is basically a major or minor 9 chord like this:

Nick Johnston Guitar - Arpeggio Sequence Lick - Ex. 2b

If you think of the chords as being C, D, F and Am (like Ex. 2b), you have I7 - ii7 - IV7 - iv7. Can you find those chords in different keys? Try G,  Eb, etc. Also, it sounds cool as is but try moving it out of sequence like this (Ex. 3):

Nick Johnston Guitar - Arpeggio Sequence Lick - Ex. 3

Anyway, you get the idea. Get it into your fingers. Move it around. Change up the sequence. This will help you nail the technique and come up with creative ideas.

Alright, let's take this just a little bit further. Since we've moved up in 4 note groups, how about trying it backwards? Take the shape and play it backwards (just play the first note with your middle finger and hammer-on/pull-off everything else):

Nick Johnston Guitar - Arpeggio Sequence Lick - Ex. 4

Get used to going backwards and try that out on all the chords. Next, try going up (like the original) and then back down like this:

Nick Johnston Guitar - Arpeggio Sequence Lick - Ex. 5a

Or, here's an alternate version where you don't re-strike the string on the way back down. I think it flows a little better:

Nick Johnston Guitar - Arpeggio Sequence Lick - Ex. 5b

Try that for all of the other chords in the sequence too (Dm, F and Am).

One more thing, you can take that concept one step further and get a really cool melodic idea by going up one shape, sliding up into the next and then coming back down. Try this:

Nick Johnston Guitar - Arpeggio Sequence Lick - Ex. 6

I love the sound of the line sliding up and coming back a different chord. Here's that idea applied to the original arpeggio sequence:

Nick Johnston Guitar - Arpeggio Sequence Lick - Ex. 7

Again, like we looked at in Ex. 3, try mixing up the chords. Go from the lowest to the highest. Isolate two chords and loop them. Even try changing string sets.  Its a great little idea that sits really nicely under your fingers.

Until then, practice up, let me know if you have any questions and don't forget to make it musical,

PA

Nick Johnston Guitarist - Hybrid Picking and Legato Arpeggio Lick

I was never really into metal growing up*, though I can appreciate almost any music and there are definitely some great musicians in that scene. These days though, its seems like there are some uniquely creative shredders out there who cross genres, have incredible technique, musicality and are really interesting to listen to. As a guitarist they grab your ears no matter what kind of music you're into and demand you listen! Immediately I think of guys like Guthrie Govan, Ron Thal (Bumblefoot, Guns N' Roses) or Mattias Eklundh who are shredders from another universe, so musical and can seemingly play anything or any style they want that they could hardly be described as to only a hard rock or metal player. Well, recently this Canadian guitarist, Nick Johnston, starts popping up on my facebook feed. Along the same lines, he's a great player with a refreshing approach. Lately, He's been doing some posts teaching some of his go to lines for improv.

I'm always fascinated to see how other players move around the guitar and love picking apart lines to figure how they think. I've picked up a few of his lines and thought I'd post some transcriptions with insights into how you can get them into your own playing if you're interested. Check it out. You can see him teaching the lick here (he might be tuned down a half step).

Its a cool line where he mixes legato playing (hammer-ons and pull-offs) and hybrid picking over a C minor 7 sound with some chord extensions for color. Here is the line (Ex. 1):

On the way up he uses hybrid picking. Think of every three notes as a grouping. The first note is played with the pick, the second is plucked with the middle finger (marked "m" in the music) after which you hammer on the third note. Same for the next group of three notes. After that, the next group of three (last two beats of measure one) has an extra pull off and starts you descending through the line. On the way down it is all legato, meaning you don't pluck any notes with your right hand and its a hammer-ons and pull-offs party all the way down. Even as you cross strings you hammer-on (marked by "h" in the music). Try it out. It flows pretty smoothly.

I mentioned its over a "C minor 7 sound" as there is more going on than straight C minor. It is a C minor 7 chord with an added 9th and 11th (you could call it a number of things, Cm9, Cm11, etc., etc.). Here is the breakdown (Ex. 2):

If I find a sound I like, I'm always interested to see if I can move it around and really get it into my playing. So, here is the lick moved to A minor (Ex. 3):

It sits there beautifully. Well, then why not try to move it though all the diatonic chords in C major to see what else we might find? (Ex. 4):

Some I liked some more than others. You can see that the original pattern (A minor above) fits exactly the same over D minor here. That's kind of nice. Over the E minor chord you catch a flat 2 which is a little dark sounding. Cmaj7 and G7 work pretty well. Fmaj7 had a #11 (or #4) which was kind of cool. Anyway, moving a lick around like this is really useful for a couple of reasons: 

• One, its great practice for getting the general movement of the line into your fingers.
• Two, you explore the neck and have time to absorb the concept, which might lead to other discoveries. For instance, if you hadn't noticed, the entire line is moving in thirds. I broke things up so you could maybe see it more visually here (Ex. 5):

Nick Johnston Guitar - Cm Arp Lick (Breaking up the line)

Notice that you have three little chords embedded in the line: an A minor triad ("R" for root, 3 for the third, and 5 for the fifth), a G major triad and an E minor triad. You could really easily break the line into smaller parts so that you didn't always have to start on the 6th fret and could try mixing it fluidly into other lines you might play. Try this for starters (taken from the A minor line, Ex. 6):

Nick Johnston Guitar - Cm arpeggio Lick (smaller lines)

So, mess around with it. Be creative. It can be really inspiring to see how other players put ideas together. You can get a lot from that. Again, here is Nick playing the line.  

Practice up and don't forget to be musical!

PA  

P.S. In the video he moves through 4 note patterns at the end. I'll try and get to that soon as its a nice way to make the line more flexible.

*Thanks to my friend Lyndon to changed my lack of metal awareness and introduced me to the finer points and sub-genres of the scene (Viking metal??).

**picture via truthinshredding.com