C major scale has no Sharp or Flat notes so it the easiest scale to remember. C D E F G A B
E Major scale has 4 sharp notes E F# G# A B C# D#
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Iāve been spending some time getting familar with these shapes and swapping between A, E, C and D shape chords (Iām not bothering much with G shape). However apart from the general benefit of teaching my fingers new positions, Iām not sure how beneficial it is to learn the C D and G shapes, rather than sticking with E and A shapes plus open chords. I can see that if I get very slick at the changes it will be quicker to move between chords because I can stay on the same part of the neck rather than having to move up and down it. But is that it? Itās going to take quite a bit of practice time for me to get that fast with the changes.
Late reply time ā¦
At a guess, for playing full chords I would say that 90% of barre chord play is E-shape and A-shape with the C-shape will accounting for about 9% - often as a partial on strings 1-4 only. The D and G shapes are seldom used in full, if used they will also be played as partial shapes on a small group of strings only.
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Thanks @Richard_close2u , thatās very helpful. Iāve got the C shape āunder my fingersā now for the occasional song in which it features (intro to Under the Bridge is the one that Iāve come across) and the D shape with an additional 3rd on the low E string because it sounds nice, but I doubt I will ever use anything but E and A shape barre chords for writing.
Greetings from Montreal - I have a guitar over here and iām practicing diligently. Progress slow but steady! See you in a few weeks.
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Who among us has not struggled to tame the C-A-G-E-D Beast?
What are positions (or is it patterns)? Iām not seeing the shapes. Why is position 1 also pattern E also the Ionian mode? Recognize and feel the chord underneath the scale or arpeggio? Find all the root notes all over the neck and know what shape to play? Itās all too much!
Then, one day or maybe over several, you find yourself moving seamlessly from one position to the next. Your fingers start to know where to land to make play the notes on the page or in your mind. The shapes are becoming hard-wired. Youāre making music!
Justin has solid lessons on CAGED, but I came across this well designed tutorial on a jazz guitar website that really helped me tame the CAGED Beast! Well worth a read.