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WATCH IN THIS ORDER:

(1) G Shape 

(2) C Shape

(3) D Shape (current lesson)

(4) A Shape

(5) E Shape

Refer to part one to download the PDF! Part 1: https://www.patreon.com/posts/35413097

Click here for the community post about this specific lesson to ask questions, post pictures or audio, or to see what other people are saying about this lesson.

Check out the Lesson Archive for more Soloing lessons.

This lesson is part of my CAGED Soloing | I - ii Progression series

Files

CAGED SOLOING * D Shape * I - ii Progression

This is "CAGED SOLOING * D Shape * I - ii Progression" by Scott Paul Johnson on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love...

Comments

Dan McHugh

This is cool, but I'm a little confused as to how/when to use this. Like, will every song in A Major have some chords where I should work in the extra B minor notes? Or is it used only if there happens to be a minor chord used in whatever song is playing? What would I accent if there's a chord being played besides one of those two chords?

Scott Paul Johnson

Hi Dan - have you watched my "Music Theory Monday" Course? It helps you understand chord progressions. This is a I-ii progression, but any song could have I ii iii IV V or vi Many many songs in a major key will have a I chord and a ii chord. You're practicing in the key of A Major, but this is transposable to any key

Robert Morrow

Can u clarify something for me? I’ve been working my way through your caged soloing over 1 & 2 chords. When you say, for instance, “D shaped pentatonic” is that the same as the 5 position/shapes of the pentatonic scale. I get a little confused when we are working in the key of A and u reference a “D shaped pentatonic”. Is it just “D shaped” because of where it is on the neck, even though the over all key is A. Thanks again. Really enjoying these lessons

Scott Paul Johnson

Hi Robert! It is the same thing - I never learned the position numbers and to me they have arbitrary names. Why is shape 1 called shape one? I don't know. I like to refer to the CAGED shapes like in my CAGED soloing video on YouTube. Watching that might help you see these shapes better!

EZ Whip

I was struggling with why one is called a "C shape" and another is called an "A" shape. It clicked for me when I realized that these are just constellations and they have to be called SOMETHING to differentiate each one. They could be called "The Little Dipper" or "Orion." To more easily identify the shapes I try to focus on the notes on the bridge side rather than the nut side.

Randall Brown

I am also a total nube, but it took me a second as well, because when you learn the pentatonic position numbers they change one whole position, if you are in minor to major. So when you are in position 1 minor you are in the G shape of caged, but when you are in major it is a E position. I think?

Eric Wong

@EZ Whip the shape names are based on open chords. If you play an open G cord then all of your fingers will be fretting notes in a G shape, same with all the other shapes. This is most easily noticed in the C shape when you hit the first fret of the 5th string, which to me is the most distinctive feature of the C shape.

Raphael Barcelos

Scott, first, let me congrats for the content. Its fantastic. Your are an awesome person to teach so well. Let me understand more: I play the notes in D shape's chord (=A Major) and the notes in Em shape's chord (=Bm). The pentatonic scale (D shape) is a guide. Right. Its seems great. I am doing great advances up to here watching the CAGED's soloing. Thanks for helping me. I will send a video, when I have more practice and less anxious for playing notes when the rhythm is playing on track (yes, I think is common for beginners, right?) I would ask you to suggest some phrases in these lessons, or in the next videos of CAGED soloing. It helps a lot to have some expression in order to create others.

Scott Paul Johnson

Hi Raphael! You're getting it! Fantastic! If you post a video, check out the Community Forum! I'll do more about phrases but its hard to cram all that information in the videos. However, if you follow the rules (start on a note in the chord, if jump, just to note in the chord, if walk, walk until you reach a note in the chord) you'll be making phrases!

Riccardo Emanuele

This stuff is great but mind blowing... I have played for years just using the 5 shapes of the pentatonic over a key without really thinking about the chords. I managed to get away with it by feeling what sounded right but not knowing why. This stuff is game changing nd I'm now comfortable with the G, C and D pentatonic shapes with the I, II progression. BUT there are so many progressions to go and I can't imagine how I'll be able to get my brain to remember all 7 chord shapes for all 5 caged shapes, and that's just the major scale. I'm going to have to take this slowly.

Andrew Klein

I was just thinking this! Grasping I-ii is pretty intuitive, at least if you've played for a while, but when I think about how little I still know, I start to sweat!

Scott Paul Johnson

Andrew! It's a lot, but you gotta remember each new shape won't be equally as hard to learn as the last. Each new shape gets easier and easier. Just take your time with it and have fun!

Jason Dufair

Scott - this CAGED soloing series has unlocked so much knowledge for me. I've tried to develop this knowledge via the Fretboard Logic series of books, private lessons by at least 3 instructors and much effort at self-teaching. Your materials and teaching approach are second to none, in my opinion. I have I-ii down pretty well for all 5 CAGED shapes/positions and am working on I-IV. Is the idea that we would have all 7 (or maybe 6 if we ignore diminished scales) sets of chord tones at our fingertips (literally) for each of the 5 CAGED shapes/positions? i.e. have the combination of 35 sets of chord tones and positions committed to muscle memory?

Scott Paul Johnson

Thats kind of the idea. But it's also the idea that the more you get to know the shapes, the more you learn, the easier it is to grasp the new set. Also, learning the order of chords in open position for each CAGED shape will make a huge difference. This is such a big concept, that I've restarted this series from a slightly different angle. I'll start releasing this series soon. Then it won't feel like you're learning an isolated set of shapes, but learning a holistic birdseye view of the guitar that applies to everything

Jason Dufair

Thanks Scott! Very excited to see the new releases. Never been happier playing guitar.

Prens

I just realized that after watching the D shape, you can combine this with the previous lesson (C shape) and jam for hours between the 7th and 12th frets to help with memorization so you don’t forget the previous lesson. Can’t wait to link all the shapes!