Stop Memorising Patterns.
Start Understanding the Fretboard.
CAGED Clarity is your complete guide to the CAGED framework — showing you how chords, arpeggios, pentatonic scales, and full diatonic scales are all connected across the neck, and how to use that connection in your actual playing.
You've learned some scales. You've learned some chord shapes. Maybe you've even heard of CAGED.
But something still isn't clicking.
You can run through the minor pentatonic box. You can play a barre chord. But when the music actually moves — when the chords change, when it's time to solo — you freeze.
You're not sure where to go. You're hunting for "the right scale" instead of hearing it.
That's not a talent problem. It's a visibility problem.
The fretboard isn't a mystery. It's a map — and once you know how to read it, everything changes.
What is CAGED?
CAGED isn't a trick or a shortcut someone invented. It's an inherent feature of how the guitar is tuned.
The five open major chord shapes — C, A, G, E, and D — are the only chords playable in open position without a barre finger.
They connect in a specific sequence across the entire neck, forming a chain of Root notes and chord shapes that repeats all the way up the fretboard.
Once you can see that chain, you can never get lost.
What makes CAGED Clarity different?
Most CAGED resources show you the boxes and leave you to figure out the rest.
CAGED Clarity builds the picture layer by layer — starting from a single Root note, and progressively adding chords, triads, arpeggios, pentatonic scales, and full seven-note scales, all within the same position on the neck.
The result isn't five separate scale patterns to memorise.
It's one unified map of the fretboard that tells you exactly where you are and what's available at any moment.
What you'll learn
The CAGED Backbone
How the five octave shapes chain together across the neck — and how to use them to locate any note, anywhere, instantly.
All 10 CAGED Shapes (5 major + 5 minor)
Each shape is broken down into six progressive layers:
- Root Octave Shapes — your anchor points for everything else
- Barre Chords — the familiar open shapes moved up the neck
- Triads — compact three-note voicings across every string set
- Arpeggios — outlining the chord tone by tone for stronger, more intentional soloing
- Pentatonic scales — the five-note system, understood in context rather than isolation
- Diatonic scales — the full seven-note framework, giving you complete melodic freedom
Practical Application
Seven structured exercises to internalise the Shapes — including how to link neighbouring positions, how to alternate between layers in real time, and how to move freely across the entire neck.
Navigating Chord Progressions
How to apply CAGED when the chords are actually moving. You'll learn the five open keys, how to translate them anywhere on the neck, and how to use CAGED to choose the right notes over every chord in a progression — not just the one chord you're camped on.
Who CAGED Clarity is for
CAGED Clarity is for guitarists who are ready to start making sense of the neck.
That might mean you're:
A complete beginner who wants to build fretboard knowledge the right way from the start
An intermediate player who knows a few shapes but can't connect them into a real solo
Someone who's tried CAGED before, got overwhelmed, and gave up — this time, it's explained properly
If you can play a few chords and a pentatonic scale, you have everything you need to get started.
What's inside
- 143-page PDF guide
- Full fretboard diagrams for every layer of all 10 CAGED Shapes
- TAB for every scale and arpeggio pattern, with recommended fingering
- Triad voicings across all four string sets
- Chord progression examples and CAGED Key maps
- Links to companion video lessons throughout
Plus: 32-page Fretboard Charts PDF (colour and black & white versions)
A dedicated printable reference covering every CAGED shape at a glance — major and minor chords, arpeggios, pentatonic scales, and full diatonic scales for all five shapes, plus full-neck layouts showing how each layer connects across all six strings.
The CAGED Keys section maps out every chord in the key across the fretboard for all five open key "feels," with open position chord grids and TAB included.
Designed to sit on your music stand during practice so you're not flipping through the main book mid-session.
Use the colour version on screen, print the black and white version for the practice room.
As your knowledge deepens, the charts become a quick-glance prompt rather than a crutch — reinforcing what you've learned without slowing you down.
About the Author
Ry Naylor is a guitarist and educator known for clear, visual teaching that makes complex ideas simple. His courses and books have helped thousands of players improve their fretboard fluency, confidence, and musical understanding.
If you enjoy guitar content that actually makes sense, you’ll love this book.
What students say:
"CAGED Clarity opened my eyes to what we really have access to in the fretboard. Connecting shapes not only improved my understanding but elevated my improv! If you haven’t gotten it, NOW is the time!"
Victor Santiago - McAllen, TX
“CAGED Clarity promises what is says, it brings clarity in what the CAGED system is and how it can help you to understand the relationship between chords and scales for better soloing.”
Jan Callens - Belgium
“Ry’s books effortlessly bring together theory and practical approaches that create clear paths for learning guitar not found anywhere else. CAGED Clarity brings a breadth of insight and understanding that sweeps away prior confusion of how to apply CAGED to the guitar.”
Charles Kutler - New Paltz, NY
"CAGED Clarity is exactly the right name for this book.
It's simply the most methodical, and clearly written book on mastering the CAGED system - and thereby mastering the fretboard - than any other resource you'll find out there".''
Adam Price - Washington, DC
"CAGED Clarity course is well organized, and detailed and is helping me to learn applicable guitar theory that is useful in my playing and writing.
I’ve had access to a number of Ry’s educational materials and like them all. His videos, his writing are all crystal clear. Ry uses sound educational philosophy - he’s an organized teacher."
Brett Zukowski - SC
“If you have ventured out into the online world looking for videos on the CAGED system, then like me you have probably found it to be overwhelming and to say the least, downright confusing. “
“CAGED Clarity is clear, specific, and honest. The entire E-book is pieced together from start to finish to benefit your guitar learning experience on the CAGED system. You won’t be disappointed!
Brad Chase - Canada
"The book is dissected into digestible chunks for easy understanding of the lessons and properly sequenced but don't take my word for it. My best suggestion is to try it by yourself and I am sure that you'll be happy with your improvements and understanding. 🤗
Marco Deoferio - Qatar
“CAGED Clarity is my go to source to review theory and music composition. It is clear and it's a "gift" that keeps on giving. Thanks Ry.” —
Roberto Castro - Chelan, WA
“The most comprehensive way to finally understand CAGED. I’ve been playing the guitar for 30 years, stacked in the same scales and patterns, without understanding the principles. After going through the book, I understand the WHY and I am able to easily learn the fretboard, and how to build every chord and scale.”
José María Regidor, Madrid
“After learning the notes on my guitar fretboard, CAGED Clarity is the next step. You'll learn to link the chords, scales and arpeggios to the fretboard on a very clear and logical way, with also attention to the daily practice”
William Gombert Flanders -(Belgium)
A note on the approach
Every exercise in CAGED Clarity is designed to be practised with harmonic context — a drone, a chord, a backing track — not in isolation.
That's not a small detail. It's what turns a fingering pattern into music.
The book also includes guidance on practising with a metronome, how to change Root notes systematically to avoid relying on muscle memory, and how to structure your practice so you're building a connected map of the fretboard — not just collecting shapes.
The fretboard already makes sense.
You just need someone to show you the map.
Before you buy...
- Please note that this product is sold as a digital download (PDF)
- You will be able to download it instantly and print it at home after purchasing it
- You will receive access to the PDF as soon as you check out.
- As the product is delivered upon confirmation of purchase, I am unable to offer any refund