Scale Basics: CAGED Major Scale Patterns Guitar Lesson
Scale Basics: CAGED Major Scale Patterns
Whether you've practiced a lot of scales or you are new to lead playing, Daniel's presentation of the CAGED major scale patterns is one you won't want to miss! You'll also receive valuable practice advice and a simple chord progression to play over.
Taught by Daniel Gilbert in Improvisation with Daniel Gilbert seriesLength: 11:40Difficulty: 2.5 of 5
Supplemental Learning Material
Improvisation with Daniel Gilbert
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsThis series covers scale positions, arpeggios, modes, advanced blues and more! Learn creative, outside the box ways of applying your knowledge and ideas to your improvisation.
Lesson 1
Improvisation with Daniel Gilbert
Known around the world for his inspirational approach to guitar instruction, Musician's Institute veteran Daniel Gilbert outlines his series on Improvisation.
Length: 6:01 Difficulty: 0.0 FREELesson 2
Learning Techniques
Learning can be frustrating! Daniel kicks off his series by taking you through 3 basic stages of how to learn, specifically on guitar. He provides a basic lick to illustrate how to apply these learning...
Length: 13:03 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Scale Basics: CAGED Major Scale Patterns
Whether you've practiced a lot of scales or you are new to lead playing, Daniel's presentation of the CAGED major scale patterns is one you won't want to miss! You'll also receive valuable practice advice...
Length: 11:40 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Scale Sequencing
Daniel shares and demonstrates a large variety of basic and advanced scale sequences and shares his philosophy behind using them in your playing.
Length: 14:59 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Scale Basics: Minor Scale Patterns
Daniel continues his study of "Scale Basics" by teaching the five natural minor scale patterns. He discusses the similarities and differences between the major and minor scales and takes a look at improvising...
Length: 11:03 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Minor Pentatonic Patterns
Need a fresh approach to one of the most familiar and widely used scales on the planet? Look no further. Daniel teaches the five basic patterns, offers some unique sounding sequences to practice, and improvises...
Length: 10:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Major Pentatonic Patterns
Daniel teaches the patterns of the major pentatonic scale and discusses what makes this scale unique from its minor counterpart. He also shares two unconventional sequencing ideas.
Length: 8:32 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Starting to Make Music
Daniel wraps up his "Scale Basics" mini series by sharing a few ways to make simple scales sound a bit more interesting. Ascend one and descend another. Sequence one and play another one straight through....
Length: 8:41 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Basic Blues: Quick Change & Slow Change
Daniel teaches the "quick change" and "slow change" blues progressions and provides a blues comp idea that he calls "The Chicago". Play with both forms over shuffle and straight backing tracks!
Length: 10:57 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Blues Comping and the Blues Scale
Daniel covers one more chord-based blues comp as well as many riff-based comp ideas for the quick change blues. He then goes on to introduce the 5 positions of the Blues Scale.
Length: 13:40 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Major Blues Sounds and Bending
Daniel continues his basic blues mini series by discussing bending as a prominent style defining attribute of one's playing. He then takes you in to the possibly less common realm of Major Blues licks...
Length: 9:34 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Hybrid Blues
Daniel introduces the Hybrid Blues sound and uses two B. B. King "boxes" to illustrate some ways that it can be applied.
Length: 7:48 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Mixing Blues Sounds
Take the 3 distinct blues sounds you've practiced during this "Basic Blues" mini series and learn a really tasty way to apply each sound over a different part of a blues progression. Getting a grasp on...
Length: 9:45 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Major 7 Arpeggios
Daniel kicks off his "Arpeggios Mini-series" with the major 7th arpeggios. He teaches the five CAGED shapes as well as some alternate fingerings for a few of the patterns. Then, he demonstrates some of...
Length: 13:17 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Minor 7 Arpeggios
Learn the minor seventh arpeggio shapes and how to apply them over a couple of different chords. Apply these arpeggios over the provided backing tracks.
Length: 11:09 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Dominant 7 Arpeggios
If you took Daniel's "Basic Blues" lessons, you won't want to miss this lesson on dominant seventh arpeggios! These patterns provide you with a nice 'wide' sound when compared with regular scales and are...
Length: 11:31 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Minor 7(b5) Arpeggios
Finishing up the last of the seventh arpeggios, Mr. Gilbert teaches the m7(b5) patterns and demonstrates a few conventional and unconventional ways of applying them. Blues players, this lesson will rock...
Length: 14:38 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Improvising with Arpeggios
Taking all of the arpeggios learned so far, Daniel takes you through two chord progressions and demonstrates many ways to apply the patterns musically over backing tracks.
Length: 8:48 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Major Arpeggios
Saving the three note arpeggios for later in his series was a strategic one. They are actually harder to play! Once you have the seventh arpeggio shapes down, start getting these shapes in your fingers!
Length: 9:47 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Minor Arpeggios
Daniel begins by teaching the basic CAGED minor arpeggio patterns and then shares an etude that provides a beautiful musical context with which to apply some of the shapes covered so far.
Length: 9:54 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Diminished 7 Arpeggios
Daniel teaches the fully diminished 7th arpeggio shapes and explores several ways of applying them over chords and progressions we use every day.
Length: 9:54 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Augmented Arpeggios
In this last installment of his arpeggio mini series, Daniel teaches the augmented patterns. As usual, there is a backing track provided so that you can, using Daniel's insights, practice making music...
Length: 7:01 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
The Dorian Mode
Modes are generally a source of mass confusion for many guitarists. If you're new to modes or struggling to apply them, Mr. Gilbert's mode mini series is for you. In this lesson, learn the Dorian patterns,...
Length: 10:31 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
The Phrygian Mode
Apply Daniel's same easy method for learning the modes to the Phrygian mode. Daniel outlines the scale patterns and teaches some short musical phrases that help drive home the unique nature of the scale....
Length: 9:27 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
The Lydian Mode
Daniel teaches the CAGED Lydian patterns, some tasteful phrasing ideas, and explores some chords and progressions that are appropriate for the Lydian mode.
Length: 9:47 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
The Mixolydian Mode
Being one of Daniel's favorite sounds, he takes extra care in explaining and demonstrating the Mixolydian mode. Learn the patterns, some musical phrases and put it all together with a backing track!
Length: 8:43 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Modal Jams
Daniel wraps up his mini series on modes by teaching you how to play over two different modal backing tracks. Learn how to switch between modes and keys and apply scales as well as arpeggios.
Length: 12:07 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Advanced Blues: Expanding the A7 Chord
Welcome to Daniel's "Advanced Blues" mini series. This is an incredibly interesting lesson about how arpeggios and scales in different keys relate to the A7 chord. If you like your blues with a bit of...
Length: 16:53 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Advanced Blues: Using Triads
Daniel explores some conventional and unconventional ways to use triads over an A7 chord and an Am7 chord. When added tastefully, triads really spice up the old blues and pentatonic scales.
Length: 12:42 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Advanced Blues: Modes and Blues
Sticking with the 12 bar form, Daniel looks at different chords that can be used in place of the more traditional blues. He then dives deep into utilizing modes as a form of improvisation over the blues...
Length: 8:25 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Advanced Blues: "A La Carte"
Put it all together with this monster modal blues beast and Daniel's series finale. If you've been following Daniel's series and practicing diligently, this is your test... your chance to reach further......
Length: 10:21 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
About Daniel Gilbert
View Full Biography
Veteran Musician Institute guitar instructor brings his 35 years of guitar classroom teaching experience to JamPlay! His playing and perspective on the guitar will help anyone excel in their journey to become a better, well-rounded musician.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.This lesson should be redone. If you want a good understanding of the caged system, listen to the videos that Nick Kellie made.
Daniel you got the CAGED patterns mixed up , see Fretboard Logic by Bill Edwards
I find it helpful doing scales being aware of mi/fa, (3rd/4th interval),and si/do, (7th/8th interval) as the half step interval between notes on the guitar. So when I say/play the scales anywhere on the strings, I'm ready for the half steps.
Has the tab been updated yet? I don't want to learn this the wrong way.
In the Tab for the D Major Scale in the C position: why is there a G# in the fourth measure? Is this a mistake, or have I completely misunderstood something about scales (should be a G, I would say)?
There appear to be systematic mistakes through all supplemental content scales for lesson three. The G Major scale is shown in the G shape, not the "E Shape" as indicated. The A major scale is in the A shape, not the "G Shape" as indicated and so forth through all five scales. All of the shape recommendations appear to be mistakes. If you watch Daniel, he starts the G shape he demonstrates on the 6th string G note. The A major scale starts on 6th string A note etc.
I agree with you kuolema01, there is a mistake in the TAB, if you look carefully and listen to Daniel he plays a G.
Can someone Please explain to me why do they call G major scale 2nd position in E shape. What I do not understand is the (E shape) thank you
I'd suggest you look for another lesson about the CAGED system here on jamplay. It's a way of memorizing and understanding scale shapes. Take, for example, the open E major chord. You've probably already learned, that you get an G major (barre) chord, if you shift the position of that chord to the third fret. So you could say, you play a "G chord with the E shape". Now play that "G chord in E shape" and compare it to the notes of the major scale of G "in the shape of E". You'll see, that all the chord notes can be found in the scale shape as well. So it's really just a way of memorizing and understanding things, the notes of G major are always the same, no matter wheter you play in the shape of C, A, G, E or D. However, I'd suggest you check out any other lesson about CAGED to really understand, what it's all about :)
Can someone explain to me why do they call G major scale 2nd position in E shape. What I do not understand is the (E shape)
can we have a diagram format of the positions for each shape? that will make visualizing how each shape is used for one note depending where its played on the neck . in other words how all the shapes are used for each scale.
The instructor has confused the CAGED shapes. He refers to the E shape as being the G shape and so on. To find the actual name of the CAGED shaped, you can actually see the open position chord laid inside the scale.
Very confusing lesson. The G shape played by Daniel is, in fact, the E chord shape or the ionian mode shape...the A shape played by Daniel is in fact the G chord shape and the Aeolian mode (F sharp aeolian) and so on... The CAGED chord shapes refer, as i observed - correct me if i'm wrong - to some mode shapes, that succeed in a natural order> C chord shape is seen over the Phryian pattern, A chord shape over the Mixolydian, G over the Aeolian, E over the Ionian, D over the dorian. And the chord shapes offer us the arpeggios for this mode patterns.
You are absolutely correct that the instructor is wrong, in my opinion. He says "A Shape" when he means "A SCALE", and "G Shape" when he means "G Scale" and so on. Too bad, because the presentation is good, but with systematic error throughout the video, it will confuse many people.
Drum Roll........ ....... I'm pleased to announce that the supplemental content for this lesson is now up! Sorry for the delay! Enjoy!! -Chris
Still waiting. I really want to start working on this asap.
Another excellent lesson! Just a thought---maybe it would be more productive to have the supplemental content prepared prior to posting the lessons. We are lucky to have the caliber of teacher like Daniel Gilbert on JamPlay!
Yes, it would be wonderful to have the supplemental content released with the lesson! But depending on the instructor, it might be less accurate. You see, many of our instructors come to the film session and add/change things in the lessons they have prepared. As a result, they sometimes need time to compare the original supplemental content with what actually got cut in to the video so that it is as accurate as possible. That said, we are working on a system to have supp content up ALWAYS at the same time as the news posting goes up. Thanks for your patience!
Daniel is putting the finishing touches on the supp content and it should be up very soon! Thanks for your patience!
...still waiting??? Daniel can speak with lightning speed, but supplemental content is s-o--s-l-o-w. Yes , I'm impatient.... I'll work on it. resetting my metronome LOL