Guitar chord reference
Major guitar chord: five CAGED shapes
A major triad contains root, major 3rd and perfect 5th. Seeing those three functions inside every CAGED form turns five chord grips into a connected map of the same harmony.
Chord construction and function
The major 3rd defines the chord quality; doubled roots and 5ths change the voicing without changing its identity. Track the root location before moving any shape.
- Chord formula
- 1 · 3 · 5
- Notes in C
- C · E · G
C in CAGED neck order
Root notes are highlighted. Read each movable voicing as a set of chord tones, not simply as a copied open shape.
C shape
A shape
G shape
E shape
D shape
Practice drill
Play the same chord through C–A–G–E–D shapes from low to high. Name the lowest sounding chord tone in each voicing and keep transitions rhythmically even.
Open the chord randomiser