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


Yamaha Attitude Ltd III

Yamaha Attitude Ltd III

Yamaha Attitude Ltd III

Yamaha Attitude Ltd III

Yamaha Attitude Ltd III

Yamaha Attitude Ltd III

Yamaha Attitude Ltd III


EDCAG octaves (EADGBE : 6-string guitar standard tuning)
F major arpeggio (3 notes per string): General

In BLOGoZON No.294 the box shapes for the F major arpeggio were presented using the EDCAG octaves methodology - this is the standard CAGED octaves guitar system.

In this BLOGoZON we look at the F major arpeggio, again, but with 3nps shapes and join them all together to form one long EDCAG octaves chain.

The diagram that follows shows all seven of the EDCAG octaves shapes for use with the
three notes per string patterns for a 6-string guitar tuned to EADGBE :-

EDCAG octaves 3nps logo

The conjoined EDCAG octaves sequence is shown for F natural in the diagram that follows:-

EDCAG octaves fingerboard : F natural octaves

GuitarPro6 fingerboard : F natural octaves

GuitarPro6 F natural octaves

The diagrams that follow show all of the F major arpeggio notes plotted over the 6-string guitar's fretboard in the EDCAG octaves and GuitarPro6 styles:-

EDCAG octaves fingerboard F major arpeggio notes

GuitarPro6 fingerboard : F major arpeggio

GuitarPro6 F major arpeggio

As always a more long term solution to fretboard navigation is to see scales as INTERVAL shapes rather than note names - as these are universal to all scales, arpeggios and chords rather than specific to one particular root note - with this in mind the intervals for the F major arpeggio are detailed below in the EDCAG octaves manner:-

EDCAG octaves fingerboard F major arpeggio intervals

The tables and tabbed panels below detail all five box shapes
for the F major arpeggio in the EDCAG octaves style.


EDCAG octaves (EADGBE : 6-string guitar standard tuning)
F major arpeggio (3 notes per string) box shapes : pdf

YouTube icon

Flash iconGuitar Pro 6 icon

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 6E4E1 box shape pdf

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 6E4D2 box shape pdf

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 4D2 box shape pdf

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 5C2 box shape pdf

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 5A3 box shape pdf

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 5A3G1 box shape pdf

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 6G3G1 box shape pdf

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 6E4E1 box shape at 12 pdf


EDCAG octaves (EADGBE : 6-string guitar standard tuning)
F lydian mode (3 notes per string) box shapes : YouTube videos

  • 6E4E1
  • 6E4D2
  • 4D2
  • 5C2
  • 5A3
  • 5A3G1
  • 6G3G1
  • 6E4E1 at 12

GuitarPro6 F major arpeggio (3nps) : 6E4E1 box shape

GuitarPro6 F major arpeggio (3nps) : 6E4D2 box shape

GuitarPro6 F major arpeggio (3nps) : 4D2 box shape

GuitarPro6 F major arpeggio (3nps) : 5C2 box shape

GuitarPro6 F major arpeggio (3nps) : 5A3 box shape

GuitarPro6 F major arpeggio (3nps) : 5A3G1 box shape

GuitarPro6 F major arpeggio (3nps) : 6G3G1 box shape

GuitarPro6 F major arpeggio (3nps) : 6E4E1 box shape at 12


  • 6E4E1
  • 6E4D2
  • 4D2
  • 5C2
  • 5A3
  • 5A3G1
  • 6G3G1
  • 6E4E1 at 12

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 6E4E1 box shape

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 6E4D2 box shape

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 4D2 box shape

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 5C2 box shape

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 5A3 box shape

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 5A3G1 box shape

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 6G3G1 box shape

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) : 6E4E1 box shape at 12



Once the individual box shapes have been assimilated all seven shapes should be linked together and played in one continuous exercise (with the first shape - 6E4E1 - being repeated at the 12th fret).

The video shown to the right demonstrates the EDCAG octaves chain-linked sequence for the F major arpeggio (3nps) box shapes.


The complete TAB for the previous exercise follows:-

GuitarPro6 F major arpeggio (3nps) box shapes TAB


The box shapes for the previous exercise follows:-

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) box shapes

Flash iconGuitar Pro 6 icon

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) box shapes pdf

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) box shapes GuitarPro6 TAB pdfEDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) box shapes GuitarPro6 TAB pdf

EDCAG octaves (EADGBE : 6-string guitar standard tuning)
F major arpeggio (3nps) : Overall fretboard box shapes

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) box shapes : entire fretboard notes

EDCAG octaves F major arpeggio (3nps) box shapes : entire fretboard intervals


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