Broken Triads in Position 5
Finally, here we have the last position of the CAGED system, the D-shape. Running through broken triads in position 5 involves a little more movement than the other positions. This time, for the last triad in the octave run, you will actually have to move briefly to the next position. Position 5 is the only one that requires this shift to hit the full octave. There are really two ways to play the octave in this shape, but both require a position shift. Either you start in the previous position and shift up to position 5, or, as I’ve done it, you start in position 5 and shift up to position 1 to hit the last triad. There is no ‘right’ way to do this. Ideally you’ll master both approaches and eventually have complete comfort moving fluidly between positions.
What’s next?
These exercises are essentially just ideas to get you going. In reality there are endless possibilites restricted only by your imagination. Once you have the basic idea down you can easily alter the exercise to become something new. In fact, if you practice the idea enough to master it, you will most likely come up with your own permutations naturally. For example, one idea that comes to mind is to do a run that moves through all 5 positions and climbs all the way up and down the fretboard.
I highly recommend not getting stuck in a rut with these kinds of technical exercises. If you’re not practicing how to apply the ideas you learn, then you are getting a very limited value. Maybe your fingers will move better and you’ll start to feel more comfort moving around the fretboard. This is useful, but it isn’t enhancing your playing much. Always try to find a way to use the skills learned in any exercise in a practical way.
Videos and worksheets
Get the worksheet for part 1 here:
Video coming soon!
Get the worksheet for part 2 here:
Video coming soon!
Get the worksheet for part 3 here:
Video coming soon!