CAGED System for the Minor Scale (Flat Style)

Charts to help you learn the CAGED system for the Minor scale for guitar.

Each of the 5 shapes will produce a full A-Minor scale when you play it from root note till any other root note. Root tones have a stronger visual emphasis to provide soloing landmarks and a better overview of the shape's primary "anchor points" to help you memorize and internalize all 5 patterns.

This reference features flat style notes (empty circles). Even though it's intended for more seasoned guitar players, it's here as a variation that you simply might prefer over the other options.

Tip: Since these diagrams have blank circles in place of specific note names or intervals, you can view these charts as a recipe for any minor scale, not just A-Minor. The patterns will be identical for all minor keys. For example, to get CAGED patterns for the G-Minor scale you just need to align the E-shape's (pattern 1) root tone with the 3rd fret of the lowest 6th string (you can also align the G-shape with the 3rd fret of the 6th string, but then you'll have to play the pattern with open strings—not that you have to avoid it, but I'm just saying).

The order of CAGED patterns never changes, and it's the same as the CAGED-word is spelled. So for our G-Minor example the next shape towards the guitar's bridge would be the D-shape, and the previous shape towards the guitar's nut would be the G-shape.