Guitar Mastery Simplified: How Anyone Can Quickly Become a Strumming, Chords, and Lead Guitar Ninja

by Erich Andreas

  The “CAGED” System

  The CAGED system is a great method for memorizing and visualizing chords on the fret board. Have you ever wanted to play a particular chord at a different place on the fret board? Did you know that you can play the same chord name in several different places on the guitar neck? Notice that the 1st 5 diagrams below are based off of chords C, A, G, E, D (open major chords). Each chord form below is a C major, however you can see that their shapes are based off of the open major chord forms C, A, G, E and D.

  By now you can see why we call this the CAGED system. Notice the last diagram showing all 5 chord forms overlapping on one fret board. This means that if a song called for a C chord, you could play any one of those forms below and it would sound good.

  The “1’s” below represent the tonic, key or root. In this case, the root is C. The “3’s” and “5’s” represent the 3rd and 5th scale notes of the major scale.

  C Chord Form

  A Chord Form

  G Chord Form

  E Chord Form

  D Chord Form

  All Forms Together

  Practicing With The CAGED System

  So now that you understand how the CAGED system works, just how can we practice it to make us better players? Before we go any further, I’d like to dissect this study into 2 parts: Concept and Fingering

  Understanding the CAGED concept without picking up your guitar is Part 1 of this equation. That is to say, you should be able to understand the concept “on paper” before attempting to actually play the chords. Playing these chords fully or partially is yet a whole other story, but is our Part 2. That part will take a bit longer, but don’t get discouraged! Remember, these are “open” chords that we will be attempting to assemble like bar chords. We don’t have to play every note in the chord, but it’s nice to know that we can if we should want or need to.

  Firstly, you MUST know/memorize how to play the open chords of C, A, G, E and D. If you don’t know how to do this already, you REALLY need to brush up on those chords before going any further. If you get any deeper without that knowledge, it will only confuse you. Knowing how the forms fall on the guitar neck is crucial to understanding and mapping the fret board. I use this knowledge dozens of times a day so rest assured that learning this new concept will revolutionize how you view the fret board.

  Complete this and you will understand the fret board better than a lot of other players out there today! Once the concept makes sense (see the previous page and supplemental video in the directory), we can then tackle the fingering. I must emphasize that, although I show the entire chord, we don’t have to play it in it’s entirely; in some cases it may be VERY inconvenient to do so.

  So here is the method that I use myself to master these chords.

  Play the open C chord. With all these chords make sure that each note that should be heard, IS heard. This will, of course, be easier for those that have had more time on the guitar. Now, for the “A” form of the C chord, lay your 1st finger across strings 5-1 (A through high E) at the 3rd fret. Make sure that your 1st finger is totally straight. For most people this means dropping the thumb down behind the neck so that the tip of your thumb is touching the bottom half of the neck. Unless you have Martian fingers, or are Jimi Hendrix, you most likely will not be able to hang your thumb over the top of the neck AND play a bar chord.

  Trust me, learn it the right way and then “cheat” later if you master this technique. Okay, back to that “A” form. The 1st finger should be pressing down those 5 strings that I just mentioned. The rest of the bar can be played a couple of different ways; depending on the application, I use both. The first way you will play the 5th fret of strings 4, 3, and 2 with fingers 2, 3 and 4 (in that order). The other way is to play strings 4, 3 and 2 with finger 3 barred. The only way to get that high E to sound with this method is to hyper-extend the 3rd finger at the last knuckle (meaning bend it backwards a bit).

  The G form is very tricky and difficult at first to play fully. First bar strings 4, 3 and 2 at the 5th fret with the 1st finger. Then, play string 5, fret 7 with the 2nd finger. Then string 6, fret 8 with the 3rd finger and finally the high E, fret 8 with the pinky. Getting cramps in your hand yet? You’ll get it. The other way to play this chord is to play it partially – as I show in this video. Hang in there? Don’t give up! This stuff takes time. NO ONE just gets it right away. Myth and ego say that one person do this and not the other. Don’t buy into it! You will be just as much a player as Hendrix or Stevie Ray IF you practice like they did.

  Okay, so the “E” form is much easier. In fact, if you know how to play a full F chord (at the 1st fret), then you know how to play this chord already. Just scotch it up to the 8th fret! If you don’t know the F, then place your 1st finger at the 8th fret and lay it across all 6 strings (just like on the “A” form, you must drop that thumb and get your hand out in front of the fret board a bit). Then place your 3rd finger on the A string at the 10th fret. Followed by the pinky on the D string at the 10th fret and the middle finger on the G string at the 9th fret. I’m purposely changing from string numbers to names (letters) because it’s important that you know both.

  Lastly, the “D” form is a little tricky. Place your 1st finger on the 10th fret of the D string. Then place the 2nd finger on the 12th fret of the G. Then place the 3rd finger on the 12th fret of the high E. Finally, place the pinky on the 13th fret of the B string. Now you are playing the “D” form of the C chord. Now let’s do one more form because you are going to need it for keys other than C.

  Since the “C” form is C is played open, we need to see what it would look like as a bar chord. So, for this example we are going to play a “C” form of the D chord. Place your pinky at the 5th fret of the A string. Then place the 3rd finger on the 4th fret of the D string. Place the 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the B string. Finally, bar strings 1, 2 and 3 with the 1st finger at the 2nd fret. Now you have a movable C form. Get it?

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  How to Play Guitar Tablature – Part 2

  Previously in this book we learned the basics of tablature. Now that we understand that and have some other skills sets under our fingers and in our minds, let’s further investigate this language of tablature.

  Tablature Symbols

  Remember how I said tablature provides a lot of detail? The following are tablature symbols that represent various techniques. Since new techniques are being discovered all the time, this is not an exhaustive list.

  Hammer On

  A “hammer-on” is a technique performed by sharply bringing a fretting-hand finger down on the fingerboard behind a fret causing a note to sound. For our example here, you would pick the fifth fret and hammer the seventh or eighth fret as indicated. Hammer-ons might feel awkward at first, but they are easily mastered with practice.

  As the name indicates, hammer your finger in a quick snapping motion so that the string does not have time to fade out. A snappy hammer-on will vibrate the string almost as much as a strong picking.

  By the way, this is the A minor pentatonic or C major pentatonic scale that you are about to play.

  Pull-Off

  A “pull-off” is the opposite of a hammer-on. A pull-off is a technique performed by plucking a string by “pulling” the string off the fingerboard with one of the fingers being used to fret the note. For our example here, you would pick the seventh or eighth fret as indicated and pull-off to the fifth fret. Pull-off s can also be a little awkward at first but with practice can be mastered. As its name indicates, pulling your finger off the fingerboard in a snapping motion causes the string to vibrate as if picked.

  Bend

  A bend is represented by the symbol ‘b’ or an arrow bending up or down. A bend occurs when the guitarist physically p
ushes the string across the fret board causing a change in pitch. Since bends vary in duration and style, often times each arrow is illustrated differently. Often times, the word “full”, or “1/2” will be written along with this, indicating that the note should be bent up either one whole-step or one half-step. Bends of larger intervals can occur. Typically the actual pitch change will be denoted.

  Slide-Up/Slide-Down

  A slide-down is represented by the symbol “/”. A slide-up occurs when a note is picked and slid up to another note. The second note is not picked, but instead is still vibrating from the previous pick and the agitation of the string during the slide. Opposite of a slide-up, a slide-down is represented by the symbol ‘’. A slide- down occurs when a note is picked and slid down to another note. Typically, mastering the slide-down takes more time than mastering the slide-up.

  Vibrato

  Vibrato is a pulsating effect by bending the string in a rhythmic fashion. This technique is created by bending the string up and down rhythmically or shaking the string. This effect works best after a string is picked. A vibrato is usually represented by ‘v’ or ‘~’.

  Tapping

  The tapping technique is similar to a hammer-on, except it is done with the picking hand. It is almost always followed by a pull-off. The technique is performed when the picking hand taps the string hard enough to push the string against the fret creating a note to sound at that specific fret.

  Harmonic (Natural)

  A harmonic is a “chimed” string. This technique is produced by plucking the string while lightly touching the string over the indicated fret. The fret is not actually played in the traditional sense. When done correctly, a chime-like sound will be produced.

  Harmonic (Artificial)

  Artificial harmonics are also known as a pseudo-harmonics, pinch-harmonics or “squealies.” This technique requires allowing the string to lightly graze the side of your thumb after picking it. Don't try to over-think the process. When you pick a note, allow your thumb to keep traveling towards the string until it mutes it.

  Once you get the hang of that, try letting the thumb just barely touch the string. If done properly, you will hear a slight chime. Pseudo-harmonics are typically easier to produce on lower pitched strings and lower fretted notes; however, if the proper technique is used, an artificial harmonic can be produced on any picked note.

  Trill

  The term “trill” is typically used when referring to a continuous back-and-forth, hammer-on and pull-off of two notes. Mastering the hammer-on and pull-off techniques will allow for quick and precise trills.

  Tremolo Picking

  Tremolo picking refers to fast, repetitive picking on one note. This technique is achieved by quickly picking a note up and down. Typically tremolo picking refers to single notes (not chords).

  Palm Muting

  Palm muting refers to the muting of strings with the picking hand in order to create a percussive or staccato (sharp attack) effect on notes or chords. This technique is achieved by placing the picking hand palm on the bridge of the guitar just where the strings meet the bridge. Backing the hand further towards the bridge creates a more standard, open sound. Moving the hand slightly closer to the strings will create a tighter, more closed-type sound. This technique can be used for all genres of music but is most prevalent in rock and heavy-metal rhythm guitar parts.

  Tremolo Tricks

  There could be a whole book written on this subject, but since most intricate tremolo work is done in hard rock/heavy metal music we won't be delving into the matter fully. Slash marks used for this notation direct the player to move the note down or up, or both in some fashion. Often times the targeted note will be denoted by the fret number, meaning that the designated fret number should be the desired pitch.

  Volume Swell

  This notation is used in tablature, musical notation and charts. An increase in volume is denoted by a “V” on its side like “<”. A decrease in volume looks like the opposite “>”. Changing the volume can obviously be done in numerous ways.

  Below is an example of numeric vihuela tablature from the book "Orphenica Lyra" by Miguel de Fuenllana (1554). The red numerals (original) mark the vocal part.

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  Playing by Ear

  Before we start learning how to play a song by ear, there are some things we need to define and explain:

  Key: the tonality of a composition (song)

  Chord: a simultaneous (at the same time) combination of at least three different pitches

  Melody: a succession (series) of musical tones

  Diatonic: the tones of a major or minor scale

  Major Scale: a scale built from 2 whole steps, 1 half step, 3 whole steps, and 1 half step (or W W H W W W H)

  99.9% of the time, the melody, chords, bass-lines, accompaniment, etc. will all be centered around one particular note or tonic. Some music is more tonal than others. Pop, blues, rock and country tend to be very stable in this regard. “Atonal” or “12 tone” music is on the extreme opposite end of this spectrum and we won’t be studying it here. Think of the key as one particular note that all the other notes and chords dance around, point to or compliment. Every melody, bass line or chord progression that is played, points to a particular key. The key is like the title or idea of a song. If the title was, “Love Gone Wrong,” your lyrics would probably be about a love that isn’t going so hot. The lyrics would support the title. I know that sounds very elementary, but if you fully understand this concept it will help you TREMENDOUSLY.

  Another example is if you had a report due, you would start with a thesis and all the other words, paragraphs and thoughts SHOULD support the thesis. If not, you would be considered to be “off the subject;” in musical terms you are falling out of the key.

  So humor me for another moment yet…if your friends are sitting at a table talking about guitar and you pull up a chair and start talking about drums, things are going to get a little socially awkward. It’s not to say that you could not reference drums as to how it might compare to guitars, but anything more than that and you are changing the subject. If your friends (the rest of the band or ensemble that you are playing with) decide not to change subjects (keys) with you, then you are going to be the odd man out, and YOU will be playing out of key. If you manage to get all those guitarists to start talking about drums, then you have managed to change the subject (key) for all your friends (band). Get it?

  If you do reference drums and it pertains to the conversation regarding guitars, without intent of changing the subject, then musically we can do the same by suggesting another key temporarily without totally committing to that new key.

  Often times a song will begin or end (or both) on the tonic, or “1” of the scale. This is often called the 1 chord, or 1 scale note.

  Here is the method that I use when creating charts, melody lines, bass lines, or deciphering music by ear in any capacity:

  1. Listen intently to a small part of the song you are trying to decipher.

  Determining what melody or chords are being played will help you find what key the song is in. Finding out the key will make unlocking the rest of the song a breeze compared to NOT determining the key. It’s the 1st thing that I always attempt to do when transcribing. You MUST be able to “hear” the note before trying to play it on your instrument. If I were to murmur something under my breath (that you can’t accurately hear) and I ask you to repeat it, it would be a waste of time for you to guess at the infinite possibilities of what I COULD have said. So, normally you would ask me to repeat it, right? So when you are listening to a passage of music, you might need to listen to it over and over again until you can actually HEAR it accurately. Not being distracted by other noises (a friend trying to hum the melody or a T.V. on in the background, etc.) is also very important. I will even close my eyes so as to heighten my concentrati
on on my aural sense (hearing) awareness. Hearing it right and playing it right are two TOTALLY different things so let’s not rush this process.

  The payoff for this learned skill is HUGE so don’t give up, okay? The only thing that we are trying to do right now is hear, NOT play. Rushing this process WILL slow you down and hinder the “strengthening of your ear”. If you feel you can’t hear it correctly, try a smaller section of music, or use headphones or turn it up. Do something logical to get it “in your ears”. Once you feel sure that you are hearing the passage correctly, proceed to step two. (If you are having difficulties, keep pressing on. It’s in EVERYONE to have this ability. Be patient with yourself and take it from someone who used to have a TERRIBLE ear…YOU CAN DO THIS!!!)

  2. Hum the vocal melody-line, bass-line (or some other part of the song you are trying to decipher). Once I feel I can “hear” the music selection, I attempt to hum it. This is a learned skill! I say this because some say that it is a gift (which is TOTALLY false and assumes a LOT of things). However, you will find that the more you practice, the better you get. Coincidence? Now the fun part! This can be a bit tricky if you are not used to humming or singing. The trick is to commit to the note that you are humming until you can successfully find it on your guitar. Take the first note of the series of notes and hum it – LOUD AND PROUD! That first note is crucial. If you are not convinced that you have the note, slide (sing it up and down in pitch) until you get it. Be aware/focused and limit distractions, especially other noises. NOW that you have hummed the note correctly…