CAGED System Chart — All 5 Shapes in Every Key
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Pick a key and watch the five CAGED shapes — C, A, G, E, D — tile the entire fretboard. Every root is marked, and each shape gets its own diagram with real note names. Generated from the same engine that powers our trainer, so every position is verified.
C major — the five shapes across the neck
Larger labeled dots mark the roots. Colors identify the shapes.
Each shape up close — with note names
C C shape — C major
A A shape — C major
G G shape — C major
E E shape — C major
D D shape — C major
How to Read This Chart
The five CAGED shapes are the five open chord forms you already know — C, A, G, E, and D — turned into moveable grips. For any key, they appear along the neck in the same cycling order and connect seamlessly: the top notes of one shape are the bottom notes of the next. The full-neck map shows that tiling for your chosen key; the marked R dots are the roots, your anchors for finding each position instantly.
The per-shape diagrams below the map zoom into each position with concrete note names. Notice that every shape contains nothing but the same three notes — root, third, fifth — repeated across strings. That is why CAGED and triads are two views of the same system: every CAGED shape is a stack of triads. See the CAGED triads chart for exactly which triads live inside each shape, or the guitar triads chart for all triad shapes by string set.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the CAGED chart show?
For any key, the full-neck map shows where each of the five CAGED shapes lives on the fretboard — they always appear in the same cycling order and together cover the whole neck. Below the map, each shape gets its own diagram with exact note names and roots highlighted.
Why do the shapes overlap?
Adjacent CAGED shapes always share notes — the top of one shape is the bottom of the next. That overlap is the point of the system: it is how you connect positions and move around the neck without jumping blindly.
Does the CAGED chart work for minor chords?
The five shapes are built from the five open major chords, so this chart maps major shapes. Each shape region also contains the minor, diminished, and augmented triads — see the CAGED triads chart for which triads live inside each shape.
Is the PDF free, and what tuning does the chart use?
Yes — every per-key PDF and the all-keys bundle are free to download and print, no sign-up. Everything assumes standard tuning (E A D G B e).