Tim Lerch's alternative to the CAGED system

I feel that the CAGED system is flawed and incomplete and ultimately causes more confusion than it
should. So I thouht rather than simply complain a!out it" I should propose a !etter system.
So here oes. I call it T.I.#. Triadic Interation #ethod. Its a simple fret!oard orani$ation system
similar to CAGED !ut with out the shortcomins.
It allows the player to see the finer!oard completely via % sonic structures and & ma'or triad finerin
shapes.
The Sonic Structures are ()*( and (*(). Each Sonic Structure has three finerin shapes" one on each
of the ) sets of four ad'acent strins. The only reason there are si+ shapes rather than two is the tunin
of the , strin. -nce we can ad'ust for the , strins tunin and see the finer!oard in liht of it" the
entire finer!oard opens up. The Shapes come in pairs and pivot on a sinle root note" in other words
the ()*( shape lives ad'acent to the (*() shape and !oth shapes share a common root. The ()*( shapes
live on the nut side .left/ of the root and the (*() shapes live on the !ride .riht/ side of the root. So if
we loo0 at the &th" *th and 1th strins as root locations and see each root as common to two Sonic
Sructures we have si+ shapes that cover the !oard with no dar0 spots.
So what are these ()*( shapes2 To most players the ()*( shapes will !e !etter 0nown as the lowest 1
notes of the Cow!oy G" C and 3 chords. The open position G"C and 3 chords all have the same
structure4 ()*(.
The (*() Structures are the lowest 1 notes of the common E" A and D chords which also all have the
same structure.
The !i difference with The T.I.#. system is that the structures only have 1 notes each on ad'acent
strins. So rather than call them !y the shape names of the ar!itrary open strin chords .G"C"3"E"A"D/ I
call them !y there actual structural 5uality. ()*( or (*() plus the strin that the root lives on.
-nce we reali$e that these two Sonic Structures ive us a wor0a!le view of the finer!oard that is
complete and leaves no dar0 areas the whole thin opens up !oth harmonically and melodically. The
Sonic Structures themselves are interated with each other and flow into each other up and down the
finer!oard as well as across the finer!oard. I reali$e that this written description may !e a !it
convoluted since we uitarists tend to !e visual creatures so I will do some e+panded e+planations on
the T.I.#. system and post it on my we!site for those who want to o into it more deeply.
6ou miht have noticed that !ecause the Sonic Structures are only 1 note roupins" there are a few
places on the raphic where there are notes in the chord a!ove or !elow the root that have !een left out.
This is !asically for the sa0e of clarity" it ma0e it a !it easier to see the relationships. ,ut have no fear
we can fill the picture in and that is where inversions of each of the main triads interate the entire
finer!oard. The inversions actually can still !e descri!ed as one or the other of the % Sonic Structures
we 'ust have to see the shape without the !enefit of havin the root as the lowest note. There is also an
interestin feature to this system" if you imaine that the hih set shapes slide around the !ac0 of the
nec0 and come out onto the low side the Sonic Structure switches from one to the other and continues
from there.