CAGED
The C shape takes the open C major chord and makes it movable. Slide it up the neck and the same fingering gives you a different major chord at each fret. It has the widest stretch of the five shapes, so it rewards patience. Diagrams follow the left- or right-handed setting at the top of the page.
This is one of five CAGED shapes. See how they fit together on the CAGED system page.
The open shape and the movable shape
Left: the open C major chord. Right: the same shape moved up two frets to play D major. In the key of C itself this shape is the open chord, and it comes around again at the 12th fret.
- Root note, the note the chord is named after
- Other chord notes
- Barre: one finger across several strings
- × means do not play that string, ○ means play it open
Drawn for left-handed players: the thickest string (low E) is on the right.Drawn for right-handed players: the thickest string (low E) is on the left. The row of numbers at the bottom is the suggested finger: 1 is your index finger, 2 your middle finger, 3 your ring finger and 4 your pinky.
How to play it
Barre type: Partial barre (G, B and high e strings).
- This is a partial barre. Use your index finger (1) flat across the G, B and high e strings, three frets below the root note.
- Your pinky (4) takes the root note on the A string, your ring finger (3) the D string one fret below the root, and your middle finger (2) the B string, one fret above the index finger.
- Play the five strings from the A string down. Leave the low E string out: let your index finger or the underside of your ring finger lightly touch it, or just aim your strum from the A string.
Here is each note in the movable shape, shown for D major.
| String | Fret | Note | Role | Finger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 5 | D | Root | 4 |
| D | 4 | F♯ | 3rd | 3 |
| G | 2 | A | 5th | 1 |
| B | 3 | D | Root | 2 |
| high e | 2 | F♯ | 3rd | 1 |
Find the root note
The root of the C shape is on the A string. In D major the root, D, appears on the A string (fret 5) and the B string (fret 3). Find the chord you want on the A string, and that fret is where the shape goes.
Find it in every key
This chart shows the C shape for all 12 major chords. Fret numbers are listed from the low E string to the high e string, and x means do not play that string. Where the shape cannot fit below the nut, the chart gives the next place up the neck.
| Chord (major) | Root fret on the A string | Frets, low E to high e |
|---|---|---|
| C | 3 | x-3-2-0-1-0 |
| C♯/D♭ | 4 | x-4-3-1-2-1 |
| D | 5 | x-5-4-2-3-2 |
| D♯/E♭ | 6 | x-6-5-3-4-3 |
| E | 7 | x-7-6-4-5-4 |
| F | 8 | x-8-7-5-6-5 |
| F♯/G♭ | 9 | x-9-8-6-7-6 |
| G | 10 | x-10-9-7-8-7 |
| G♯/A♭ | 11 | x-11-10-8-9-8 |
| A | 12 | x-12-11-9-10-9 |
| A♯/B♭ | 13 | x-13-12-10-11-10 |
| B | 14 | x-14-13-11-12-11 |
Minor and other chords
The C shape is not normally used for minor chords. For minor, use the A or E minor shapes instead.
Tips and common problems
- Practice it higher up the neck first, around frets 7 to 12, where the frets are closer together and the stretch is easier.
- The pinky does most of the work. Keep it curled and press with the tip, close to the fret wire.
- If the full shape is too much at first, learn the open C chord first and shift it one fret at a time, saying each chord name as you go.
- Check the high e and G strings. They are covered by the index finger, and they are the ones most likely to buzz.
Where this shape sits in CAGED
In C major the C shape sits at frets open–3 (and again at 12–15). As you move up the neck the shapes follow the order C, A, G, E, D and then C again, so it comes after the D shape and before the A shape. In C major it lines up with Pattern 3 on the C major scale page, so you can find the scale notes around the chord.
Other shapes: C shape · A shape · G shape · E shape · D shape
Practice ideas
- Slide the shape up one fret at a time and say the chord name at each fret. Use the chart above to check.
- Play the open shape, then the movable shape in C, four strums each. Listen for how the same chord sounds in a different place.
- Switch between this shape and the A shape, which comes next in the CAGED order. Keep the chord the same and just change position.
- Go slowly. Start at 60 bpm and keep the chord changes clean before you speed up.