Theory

Short pages on what the fretboard tool is showing you.

• 01

  The Nashville Number System

  Charts written in degrees rather than chord names, so one chart plays in every key.

• 02

  The CAGED cycle

  Why five shapes, why always in that order, and why the loop never breaks.

• 03

  Roots and octaves

  The lattice underneath everything, and the shapes that join it up.

• 04

  Following the changes

  Playing the chord you are on instead of the key you are in.

• 05

  The chords of a key

  Seven chords fall out of a scale, always in the same order, and most songs live inside them.

• 06

  The chord wheel

  Why those six chords go together, and why turning it one notch gives you the next key.

• 07

  Pentatonics and the blues blend

  Up major, down minor, and the two notes a fret apart that make it sound like blues.