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


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6 string guitar (EADGBE - standard tuning)
C octatonic major-minor scale - general

This weeks BLOGoZON looks at the C octatonic major-minor scale for 6-string guitar in standard tuning.

CAGED octaves logo

The CAGED octaves sequence is shown for C natural in the diagram that follows:-

CAGED octaves C natural octaves

GuitarPro6 c natural octaves

The diagrams that follow show all of the C octatonic major-minor scale notes plotted over the 6-string guitar's EADGBE fretboard in the CAGED octaves and GuitarPro6 styles:-

CAGED octaves C major-minor octatonic scale fretboard notes

NOTE No.1:- The GuitarPro6 fingerboards that follow show both E's and B's enharmonic equivalent spellings of D and A (the augmented second interval name rather than the minor third; the augmented sixth interval name rather than the minor seventh ) used elsewhere on this page.

GuitarPro6 C major-minor octatonic scale

NOTE No.2:- The C octatonic major-minor scale is also the fifth mode of the F bebop dominant scale hence the F natural is highlighted in the diagram above (rather than C natural the true root note) as GuitarPro6 does not display these modes correctly.

NOTE No.3:- The C octatonic major-minor scale is an amalgamation of the C pentatonic major and
C pentatonic minor scales; GuitarPro6 diagrams of both follow:-

C major pentatonic

C minor pentatonic

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 C octatonic major-minor scale are detailed below in the CAGED octaves manner:-

CAGED octaves C major-minor octatonic scale fretboard intervals

The tables and tabbed panels below detail all five box shapes for the C octatonic major-minor scale in the CAGED octaves style.


6 string guitar (EADGBE - standard tuning)
C octatonic major-minor scale - box shape pdf files

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5C2 box shape pdf
5A3 box shape pdf
6G3G1 box shape pdf
6E4E1 box shape pdf
4D2 box shape pdf
5c2 box shape at 12 pdf

6 string guitar (EADGBE - standard tuning)
C octatonic major-minor scale - YouTube box shapes

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

GuitarPro6 5c2 box shape

GuitarPro6 5A3 box shape

GuitarPro6 6G3G1 box shape

GuitarPro6 6E4E1 box shape

GuitarPro6 4D2 box shape

GuitarPro6 5C2 box shape at 12


6 string guitar (EADGBE - standard tuning)
C octatonic major-minor scale - box shapes & TAB

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

5C2 box shape

5A3 box shape

6G3G1 box shape

6E4E1 box shape

4D2 box shape

5C2 box shape at 12


Once the individual box shapes have been assimilated all five shapes should be linked together and played in one continuous exercise (with the first shape - 5C2 - being repeated at the 12th fret).

The video shown to the right demonstrates the CAGED octaves chain-linked sequence for the C octatonic major-minor scale box shapes.


The complete TAB for the previous exercise follows:-

C octatonic major-minor box shapes TAB


The box shapes for the previous exercise follow:-

C octatonic major-minor scale box shapes

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C octatonic major-minor box shapes pdf

C octatonic major-minor box shapes TAB pdfC octatonic major-minor box shapes TAB pdf


6 string guitar (EADGBE - standard tuning)
C octatonic major-minor scale - overall fretboard box shapes

CAGED octaves C octatonic major-minor scale fretboard notes

CAGED octaves C octatonic major-minor scale fretboard intervals


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