Octave Method for 6-string Guitar
Major Scales & Arpeggios


CAGED octaves method for 6-string guitar

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eBook :


Octave Method for Six String Guitar


Fretboard navigation method for 6-string guitar based on an instrument specific modification of the CAGED guitar method, using linked octave shapes rather than open position chord shapes for ease and simplicity of use.


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Paperbook Book :


Octave Method for 6-String Guitar


Fretboard navigation method for 6-string guitar based on an instrument specific modification of the CAGED guitar method, using octave shapes rather than open position chord shapes for ease and simplicity of use.

Octave Method for 6-String Guitar Paper Book


John Frusciante

John Frusciante
The Red Hot Chilli Peppers had the very musical John Frusciante to write, arrange and perform on their hit single The Zephyr Song from the album By The Way. This BLOGoZON takes a look at the derivation of the verse's underlying chord sequence and the musical way that the 5C2 and 5Cm2 arpeggio box shapes are used.

The song's verse is in the key of A minor and the table that follows shows all of the possible four chord sequences for A minor (the relevant four note chords being highlighted):-

A minor four chord progressions

This numerically ordered chord sequence (Progression No.20) is rearranged to the order shown in the next table:-

Progression No.20

An enlarged portion of the previous table follows:-

Progression 20 enlarged



Rather than strum standard open position chord shapes Mr Frusciante draws from the 5C2 shape (for the two major chords) and the 5Cm2 shape (for the two minor chords) - a detailed diagram of the box shapes follows (with the notes chosen for the introduction highlighted):-

Am7 and G7

Fmaj7 and Em7

During the verse sequence Mr Frusciante draws the majority of his note selections from the undelying arpeggio box shapes. Tablature detailing the four locations of the box shapes follows plus a link to the Guitar Pro 5 file:-


5C2 and 5Cm2 box tab


The highly memorable introduction uses less notes - as highlighted on the previous diagrams.
The following tablature uses the arpeggios to follow the chord changes in a similar manner to the original song:-

Guitar Pro 5 file

The Airship Ballad

All in all a nice way to use some standard A natural minor scale chord arpeggios..........Zon Brookes.

All of the standard CAGED octaves C major arpeggios are detailed below - skip to pdf and GP5 information.

C major arepeggio box shapes

The C major arpeggio box shapes are explored in detail as follows

5C2 box shape 5A3 box

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5A3 box shape
5A3 box

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6G3G1 box shape
6G3G1 box

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6E4E1 box shape
6E4E1 box

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4D2 box shape
4D2 box shape

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5C2 box shape at fret 12
5C2 box at fret 12

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Guitar Pro 6 icon

5C1 pdf
5A3 pdf
6G3G1 pdf
6E4E1 pdf
4D2 pdf
5C2 at 12 pdf

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