CAGED System in A Major

I want to show through analysis of Mark Knopfler's solo in Sultans of Swing, how we can use shapes from this 'CAGED System' and arpeggios to choose similar melodic notes to what the great guitarist himself plays.

This is a gateway too to how we can start to look at chords in any song to assist our solos and make everything sound more melodic - not just throwing out the same old licks (which can still be great of course...) or sticking to one scale and one scale shape.

Now, the question WHY do we need to look at chords to sound more melodic? Well, The Andalusian cadence or the chord progression in Sultans of Swing to put that in a more recognisable way, highlights this very well.

It is a minor key chord progression, and it moves downwards from the 1 (i) chord to the V chord, then back to the 1 (i).

This could be:

• Dm, C, Bb and A (Sultans of Swing)

• or even Am, G, F and E (like Hit the Road Jack).

Over this chord structure, we can basically play:

• D minor pentatonic or extend into the full D minor Scale (over Dm, C and Bb)

• Then, A major or A7 licks/triads and notes that fit over this chord (A or A7)

We literally need to jump into a different set of notes to make it work but don't let that scare you, as there's only so many notes to learn that just repeat all over the neck.

Let's start off with this lick to learn the sound of it first!

Knopfler Lick

TAB for this lick

In the next lesson it's a Jam Track where we can use this lick and practice it over and over. However we can also improvise freely during the sections that are in D minor - just make sure you highlight that A major sound when it comes round and you'll smash it! Good luck.