Guitar Fretboard Reference

CAGED System

Explore the five moveable chord shapes and their associated scale patterns, pentatonic boxes, and arpeggios. Select a key to see how each shape maps across the fretboard.

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C

C Shape in C Major

Open – fret 4

RootC at fret 3

Based on the open C chord. Root on the 5th (A) string. The shape extends below the root with a wide stretch. As a barre chord, it requires reaching back toward the nut.

Tip: Focus on the upper 4 strings for a practical partial barre version of this shape.

Root (1)
3rd
5th
Scale tone