About CAGED system or method

[marionavagu]

First of all hi to everybody and sorry because my english is poor.
I have read somtehing about a method that is called CAGED method or american method.
Can someone tell me something about it or explain me how it works for bass?
Thanks for all guys

[iriegnome]

My guitar teacher teaches this method. Does not work on bass. We only have 3 of the 5. The A & E are the same pattern, the C & G are the same patter (Trying to remember that. I have not looked at it in a long time) and the D is different! So, on bass there are only 3 patterns (via the CAGED method) unlike on guitar where the 5 are different.

[MalcolmAmos]

CAGED for bass, I do not really see that CAGED fits into what I do on the bass.
CAGED is another fingering pattern for barre chords. The C pattern (C fingering) is based upon the finger pattern used to produce a C chord, Likewise the A fingering, G fingering, the E fingering and then the D fingering is based upon the normal fingering for those chords --- AND -- it is another way of producing the chord. With rhythm guitar I do use the E, D and A pattern. It is just another way of making and using barre chords.

Some will say that once you have the CAGED pattern in place you not only have the Chord notes waiting on you, but, you also have the scale and mode notes waiting there as well. That is true, however, as I will not be strumming the chord - using chord tones instead (R-3-5-b7) I see little value in CAGED for the bass.

http://www.cagedguitarsystem.net/

[Minotauros]

Originally Posted by marionavagu

Can someone tell me something about it or explain me how it works for bass?
Thanks for all guys

As the other guys said, I don't think it would work for bass, or see how it could. It's a system for forming movable chords on guitar anywhere on the fretboard, based on the shapes of C A G E D chords.

I can't get my head wrapped around any of it except the E and A shape chords. That's a piece of cake. Those are the first movable barre chords one usually learns on guitar.

About the only part I can think of that would be useful from CAGED for bass would be the E and A shapes, and even then they would be the equivalent of partial barre chords or guitar power chords (R 5 8).

[iriegnome]

It does work for bass. Really. I practiced it quite a bit and it does help develop a traveling method for playing up and down the neck. While it focuses on chords, it does lend itself to notes and runs for vamps and jams... When applied, it is pretty fun to work into the CAGED method during a 1 chord vamp and you can just walk up and down the neck as free as can be... It is pretyt fun

[JimmyM]

kind of a gimmick, isn't it? not one for gimmicks myself.

[marionavagu]

So if it works for bass, can someone explain me how does it works?
Can someone put an example?
Thanks again guys, and greetings from Spain

[heavyfunkmachin]

im suddenly curious.... any info about it?

(p.d. aquí hay mas españoles de lo que crees...)

[marionavagu]

Me alegro que haya mas españoles por aqui, solo me falta encontrar tambien algun asturiano jeje

[queevil]

About a dozen years ago when I was still a guitard I had a book that was based on this method of teaching. Whether it works for bass I can't say but I know it was meant as a guitar method and for that it works well. The premise is that the CAGE and D chords are all chords that can be moved up and down the neck of the guitar. In other words, taking the basic chord positions and turning them into barre chords. The two most commonly used barre chords for guitar are those that are derived from the E and A chords. The barre chords that are derived from the C,G and D chords are a bit more difficult to play and as such it goes on in the book to say that most guitards rarely ever strum every single note in those chords but play partial versions of those chords instead. Later in the book it goes into some theory(not much) about scales that correspond to the chords and for some reason it focuses a lot on pentatonic scales and not much else. What I never liked about the book is that it never really delved into the structure of the chords themselves and the intervals between the notes in the chords and scales. The author may as well have said, "this is the chord and here is the scale that you can play over it and that's all you need to know," which I believe is the major downfall that learning method. It really didn't explain how and why it worked. Their were, by the way, several different method books by various authors putting their own twist on this learning method.

Is it a good learning method for a guitar player. I think so to a certain degree but as Jimmy said it is kind of gimmicky.

Is it a good learning method for a bassist. I don't think so because it relies on the assumption that the learner is playing a 6 stringed instrument that is tuned the way that a guitar is tuned. Even if you play a 6 string bass tuned like a guitar only an octave lower playing barre chords up and down the neck would a. be really hard at least for my hands and b. not be very practical in most situations.

What I do believe to be wothwhile learning for the bassist is the theory behind the method which as I stated earlier leaves much to be desired in the method book that I used. However, you really don't need to study the theory behind the CAGED method you just need to study theory period. Any theory that there is to be learned behind that method will be learned by simply studying theory in general and you'll probably learn it a lot better and in a way that's more useful to a bassist from someone who's qualified to teach, in other words knows what they're talking about.

If you want to delve into it and try to bring something from it to your bass playing then go for it. You may prove everything that I've just typed wrong. But, from my own experience I think it's not really worth the time that could be spent learning theory in a more productive way for a bassist.

[marionavagu]

Amen.Thanks man

[BassGuyNL]

Check out this link:
Modes and the CAGED system
I participated myself in that thread, so you'll find my two cents worth.

[JTE]

I will also refer you to the previous TB thread Anton Visser linked in post #12. Note however that if you think of CAGED as merely a way to find barre chords, you've missed the entire point of CAGED for guitarists. It's a framework for the scale, the arpeggio and a chord shape. Whether the actual six-string chord shape is practical very often is utterly NOT the point. It's a frame of reference for where the notes of the scale and the chord tones are. In that sense it, or something similar is very useful for bassists.

John

[BassGuyNL]

Right on! My thoughts exactly.

[pluckaduck]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone can recommend a scales book for bass guitar? English not my fist language so trying to find the right one not easy. I just bought an ok one from www.bassguitar-scales.com it is ok, but doesn't have chord TAB or any explination. Lots of scales though. I'm looking for one that has bass clef notation, chord tabs, and maybe some pictures too. any ideas appreciated...

thanks,
drazic

[JTE]

Sorry, but I find things like a bunch of scales, tabs for arpeggios, etc. to hinder learning. That's because they reinforce the idea that playing an instrument is primarily a physical endeavor when it's much more a mental job. Instead of a book that shows you where the notes for an Amin7 arpeggio are, I think it's much more useful to learn music in an organized fashion so you can determine for yourself that the notes for that Amin7 chord are A, C, E, and G and so you can find those notes all over the fingerboard yourself. THAT'S learning.

Get a good music theory book and learn from that. I highly recommend Edly's Music Theory for Practical People. http://www.edly.com/mtfpp.html

I like this book because he doesn't assume you know how to read music (but makes a very good case for learning the language of music), he doesn't assume that all music is codified by the rules of Western Classical music, and he doesn't assume you know how to play keyboards, and he doesn't ignore bass instruments.

John