Turn CAGED Major Shapes Into Minor Chords
Episode 2 of Play ANY Guitar Chord builds on the major chord shapes from Episode 1. First I explain the difference between a major and a minor triad, then I change each CAGED shape into a minor chord and move those shapes up the neck.
What I cover:
- Major and minor triads
- Major 3rd vs minor 3rd intervals
- A color-coding system for chord tones
- Minor chords from the C, A, G, E and D shapes
- Moving the minor shapes up the fretboard
- The odd one out in the CAGED system
- How open strings help you find chords
A basic triad is the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the scale. From the root to a major 3rd is four half steps, and to a minor 3rd is three. A major chord is a major 3rd with a minor 3rd stacked on top, and a minor chord is the other way round. The 5th doesn’t change. So to turn any major shape into a minor chord, you find the 3rd and move it back one fret.
On the diagrams in the video, black dots are root notes, red dots are 3rds and blue dots are 5ths. I go through all five open shapes this way (C minor, A minor, G minor, E minor and D minor), then take them up the neck as C minor shapes. Some, like the C-shape minor, aren’t the ones you’ll find in most chord books, but they are usable as long as you avoid the strings that clash.
Which CAGED shape is the odd one out? It’s C, because every other shape has an open string with the same name. Since the 12th fret is an octave of each open string, that gives you easy reference points for A, E and D chords. I finish by playing a short progression with A, E and D in three positions along with a backing track.
If you want to warm up with open-position minor chords first, download my free 1st Position Minor Chords & Minor 7ths chart (PDF).
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