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Many guitarists use the so-called "CAGED System" when referring to positions for scales, arpeggios, etc. This shorthand makes discussion a lot easier since "E Form" is much faster to say than "the position in which the root is on the low E string and the rest of the notes extend above it for the most part"!
On the guitar, the five forms in the "CAGED System" get their names from the associated open-string chords played in first position (R indicates the lowest root available in the chord):
Co┌───┬───┬───┬───┐ ├─o─┼───┼───┼───┤ o├───┼───┼───┼───┤ ├───┼─o─┼───┼───┤ ├───┼───┼─R─┼───┤ └───┴───┴───┴───┘ |
Ao┌───┬───┬───┬───┐ ├───┼─o─┼───┼───┤ ├───┼─o─┼───┼───┤ ├───┼─o─┼───┼───┤ R├───┼───┼───┼───┤ └───┴───┴───┴───┘ |
G┌───┬───┬─o─┬───┐ o├───┼───┼───┼───┤ o├───┼───┼───┼───┤ o├───┼───┼───┼───┤ ├───┼─o─┼───┼───┤ └───┴───┴─R─┴───┘ |
Eo┌───┬───┬───┬───┐ o├───┼───┼───┼───┤ ├─o─┼───┼───┼───┤ ├───┼─o─┼───┼───┤ ├───┼─o─┼───┼───┤ R└───┴───┴───┴───┘ |
D┌───┬─o─┬───┬───┐ ├───┼───┼─o─┼───┤ ├───┼─o─┼───┼───┤ R├───┼───┼───┼───┤ ├───┼───┼───┼───┤ └───┴───┴───┴───┘ |
There does not seem to be any analogous system in use for the Stick, and I can't think of any better ideas. So I am going to use the guitar's CAGED system to describe Stick positions.
On the melody side of the Stick, I will use the CAGED system as it is defined for the guitar. These are major triad arpeggios with the root note shown in parentheses.
| Position name |
String with lowest root |
Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| C Form | 2nd-Lowest | Down |
1┌──R1──┬──────┬──────┬──R4──┬──────┐ 2├──────┼──R2──┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 3├──────┼──R1──┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 4├──────┼──────┼──────┼──R2──┼──────┤ 5├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼─(R3)─┤ 6└──────┴──R1──┴──────┴──────┴──R4──┘ |
| A Form | 2nd-Lowest | Up |
1┌──R1──┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┐ 2├──────┼──────┼──R2──┼──────┼──────┤ 3├──────┼──────┼──────┼──R3──┼──────┤ 4├──R1──┼──────┼──────┼──R4──┼──────┤ 5├──────┼─(R2)─┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 6└──────┴──R3──┴──────┴──────┴──────┘ |
| G Form | Lowest | Down |
1┌──────┬──────┬──────┬──R3──┬──────┐ 2├──R1──┼──────┼──────┼──R4──┼──────┤ 3├──────┼──R2──┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 4├──────┼──R1──┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 5├──────┼──────┼──────┼──R2──┼──────┤ 6└──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴─(R3)─┘ |
| E Form | Lowest | Up |
1┌──R2──┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┐ 2├──R1──┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 3├──────┼──────┼──R2──┼──────┼──────┤ 4├──────┼──────┼──────┼──R3──┼──────┤ 5├──R1──┼──────┼──────┼──R4──┼──────┤ 6└──────┴─(R2)─┴──────┴──────┴──────┘ |
| D Form | 3rd-Lowest | Up |
1┌──────┬──────┬──R2──┬──────┬──────┐ 2├──────┼──────┼──────┼──R3──┼──────┤ 3├──R1──┼──────┼──────┼──R4──┼──────┤ 4├──────┼─(R2)─┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 5├──────┼──R1──┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 6└──────┴──────┴──────┴──R3──┴──────┘ |
Confusion could come from the differences in the Melody Side between Stick models. I will always define the lowest melody string as that particular Stick model's lowest melody string. On Stick Bass and NS/Stick, this will be string 6.
I'm attempting to write PHP scripts which will make these pages adjust themselves for the individual user if that user enters his or her model and tuning correctly via an HTML form. So hopefully the terminology won't be much of a problem despite the fact that "C Form" on a Grand Stick in Classic Tuning is the same as "G Form" on a 10-string Stick in Classic Tuning when you look at the five highest-pitched strings.
The inverted fifths tuning on the bass side of most Sticks presents a problem. If you use the CAGED system as defined for the guitar, some of the positions are no longer unique. G Form (lowest string going down) and D Form (third lowest string going up) would be the same thing.
So for the bass side, I will use a CAGED system, but it will not be defined based on guitar positions, but on Stick bass positions. On frets 9-12 on the bass side of a Stick in Classic Tuning, we have this convenient arrangement of notes:
╒═(A)══╤══════╤══════╤═(C)══╕ ├─(E)──┼──────┼──────┼─(G)──┤ ├──────┼──────┼──────┼─(D)──┤ ├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ └──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘ 8 9 10 11 12
I will name my bass positions after this arrangement, like this
| Position name |
String with lowest root |
Direction | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| C Form | Lowest | Down |
7╒══════╤══R1══╤══R2══╤══R3══╤═(R4)═╤══════╕ 8├──────┼──R1──┼──R2──┼──R3──┼──R4──┼──────┤ 9├──────┼──R1──┼──R2──┼──R3──┼──R4──┼──────┤ 10├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 11├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 12└──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘ |
| A Form | Lowest | Up |
7╒══════╤═(R1)═╤══R2══╤══R3══╤══R4══╤══════╕ 8├──────┼──R1──┼──R2──┼──R3──┼──R4──┼──────┤ 9├──────┼──R1──┼──R2──┼──R3──┼──R4──┼──────┤ 10├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 11├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 12└──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘ |
| G Form | 2nd-Lowest | Down |
7╒══════╤══R1══╤══R2══╤══R3══╤══R4══╤══════╕ 8├──────┼──R1──┼──R2──┼──R3──┼─(R4)─┼──────┤ 9├──────┼──R1──┼──R2──┼──R3──┼──R4──┼──────┤ 10├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 11├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 12└──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘ |
| E Form | 2nd Lowest | Up |
7╒══════╤══R1══╤══R2══╤══R3══╤══R4══╤══════╕ 8├──R1──┼──────┼─(R2)─┼──R2──┼──R3──┼──────┤ 9├──────┼──────┼──R2──┼──R2──┼──R3──┼──R4──┤ 10├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 11├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 12└──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘ |
| D Form | 3rd-Lowest | Down |
7╒══════╤══R1══╤══R2══╤══R3══╤══R4══╤══════╕ 8├──────┼──R1──┼──R2──┼──R2──┼──R3──┼──────┤ 9├──────┼──R1──┼──R2──┼──R3──┼─(R4)─┼──────┤ 10├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 11├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤ 12└──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘ |
