CAGED system for Ukulele - Play ALL chords with these shapes!

The CAGED system or for Ukulele, the CAGFD system, is a method of learning chords and scales all over the fretboard. It uses five shapes C, A, G, F and D always in that order spread across the fretboard to enable the player to visualise the same chord or scale in every position on the fretboard more easily.

Exercise 1 - C major shape

Using the C shape, when moving this shape up a fret we need to barre with our first finger and this will be the way for any chord using this shape other than C major (which uses open strings). Then it is just a case of moving it to wherever on the fretboard, as long as we know what position we need to be in.

The fretboard diagram below shows the movement of the open C major shape and the barred E major shape. Move this shape down two frets from E major and it will be a D major chord.

The idea is that this can help to simplify the fretboard by revealing the relationship between common open chord shapes and note/interval arrangement on the guitar. This means knowing the names of each note, so we can recognise what chord we are playing and the notes involved.

Exercise 2 - A major shape

In the same way as shown above. The A major shape can be moved across the neck to create chords.

This diagram shows the A major chord and then a C major in a different position (voice) to normal and of course using the A major shape, with the addition of barring the strings that were open before. This barred shape will also be familiar because of the Bb major barred chord we have covered before.

Exercise 3 - G major shape

With this G major shape, the fingering is slightly different as shown in the video. This means we can add that extra note that is usually an open string. The chord created in the second position on the diagram is a B major chord.

Exercise 4 - F major shape

The blue dots here represent the normal F major shape and the chord 3 frets down on the diagram is a G# chord using the same shape! Between these two chords is F# major and G major.

Exercise 5 - D major shape

Lastly, the D major shape (blue dots) is moved up 3 frets to make an F major and so on.

Overview Of All CAGFD shapes

See all 5 CAGFD shapes below, using the normal C major chord as our first example. The shapes are based on the open chord shapes C, A, G, F and D, which we can move on the neck in this order to, in this case, give us the C chord all over the Ukulele neck.