Hi everybody! I've been playing with the caged system quite a bit trying to see how many different sounds I could get from just one basic finger position and came up with this. It sounds pretty cool so I thought I would share it. I'm using the "C" shape "E". The progression is basically E, D5, A and back to the high E at the end. It's a bit sloppy but I'm still working on it. Let me know what you think and please add to it if you're so inclined. Thanks!

This Week's Chord Progression is a chill vibe in A Dorian. We'll need an Am9, a D9, Cmaj7, and a D6/9/11. Don't worry, I'll show you how to play these chords in the video, and yes, they are easier than they sound haha! If you want to play some lead over this chord progression, you'd be hanging out in A Dorian the whole time. Hope you have a good time with it and have a great weekend this weekend! -Ben P.S. If you need some help with the modes, check out our premium tier! It's cheaper than a gallon of gas per month and you get access to all of our courses, Riff of the Week's, and you'll get access to everything new as it releases!

Probably... What do you think? Riff of the Week! Well… more like Lick of the Week 😅 This is something I put together a long time ago, before I even really knew the fretboard, and I wanted to share it because it feels like a pretty realistic approach to stringing chords together. The chords are D, Cadd9, G, and A - the classic "party chords." It's actually from a little song I wrote that goes: "If sober and if blitzed, the day's over, let's just sip away…" (lyrics from back when I used to "sip") The fun part is the little flip in there... a hammer-on, pull-off, roll-off thing on the D shape. Try to make that top note ring out after you pull your finger off without the other string ringing. I usually mute the bottom string with my finger, but you can do it either way. Then we move to a hammer-on/pull-off on the second and third frets, reach over with the ring finger to the 4th fret of the D string, drop a full step, and let it resolve back to that open D. Honestly? It's more fun to play than anything. Who knows if it'll teach you something, but that's kind of the whole point, right? Maybe you'll learn it, maybe you'll just have a good time with it. Head on over to the https://www.skool.com/intermediate-guitar/classroom/8fea4915?md=1da9047105c240989bd85f58e6147957 Classroom section to find the video and more! Larry, I know you'll give it a shot 👀🎸 hope to see the rest of you in the comments below!

The mindset ahead of time - It doesn't have to get done, it just has to be perfect. That's the impossibility we hand ourselves every time we pick up the guitar. Sit down, just play. Grab something, move toward it, build your own inner vision of the fretboard. Less focus on perfection, more focus on getting it done. What I'm Working On: I'm still very much working on connecting my E shape to my D shape. So that's what I want to show you, about five minutes of me moving back and forth between them in the key of E. These shapes look the same in every key. It's just a matter of which shape you're working from and where you put it on the neck. The Two Boxes Concept: Inside both the E shape and the D shape, there are what I call two little boxes. - D shape: the box sits on the top two strings, using your pinky and ring finger - E shape: a similar pair sits up there too, using your pointer and middle finger Those boxes are always there. Every E shape, every D shape, anywhere on the neck. When you start hearing those boxes as functional shapes (not just chord grips), the whole fretboard opens up. How to Practice It: Forget the octaves at first. Just work the boxes. In E, the top of the box is your A note (5th fret, high E). Start there and work down to the lowest box note. Run it up, run it down. Those notes inside the box are harmonies - fifths - sitting right above the chord tones. That's why they sound so good. Here's the key point: you don't need open strings to enjoy the D shape. I can take that same D shape and slide it up to the 9th and 10th frets, and now I'm playing it inside the A position. Same two boxes. Same fingering. Just moved... That's the whole point of shape-based thinking. Two chord shapes, in one key, anywhere on the fretboard. The Takeaway: Two chord shapes. One key. Fully connected. Once you have that, you can pull phrases out of those boxes for songs, solos, or just more practice. It feeds itself. And yeah, sometimes it sounds buzzy and fretty when you're alone with it. Performing is a different thing. This is the behind-the-scenes version, the real practice.

Learning Can Be Hard - It’s almost never the learning itself that’s hard. Usually, it’s the start of learning. Or more specifically... The willingness to open ourselves up to learning in the first place. That’s the uncomfortable part. It’s sitting down with your guitar and admitting: - “I don’t fully understand this yet.” - “I’m not as good at this as I want to be.” - “This feels awkward and unfamiliar.” Most players don’t quit because they can’t learn. They quit because being a beginner at something again feels vulnerable. Especially on guitar. We attach emotion to this instrument. We compare ourselves. We hear someone play effortlessly and think:“Why doesn’t my playing sound like that yet?” But what we often forget is this - Every guitarist you admire once struggled with the exact same things: - switching chords slowly - missing notes - losing rhythm - forgetting shapes - feeling overwhelmed by the idea of theory - wondering if they were actually improving The difference is that they stayed with it long enough for things to connect. That’s where patience and persistence come in. If we trust the chords we already know…If we trust the melody we’re trying to develop… If we allow ourselves to sound imperfect while learning… Something beautiful starts to happen. The fretboard slowly becomes less intimidating.Your fingers begin finding notes without panic. The sounds in your head begin coming out of the guitar more naturally. Not overnight. But gradually. And honestly? That gradual process is where the real magic is. Because guitar isn’t just about arriving somewhere. It’s about becoming someone: - more patient - more observant - more expressive - more connected to yourself and your creativity So if learning feels difficult right now, don’t mistake discomfort for failure. You are likely much closer than you think. Keep showing up. Keep listening. Keep trusting the process. One day you’ll play something that used to feel impossible… and it’ll feel natural.