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Hello @Powelly ;
Simple answer: No.
Wait, what’s the question?
“Is this system an alternative to barre chords as I haven’t understood it’s purpose yet.”
Ok, this is one of those “trick” sentences. So let’s break it down. There’s a question in the first part of this run on sentence: “Is this system an alternative to barre chords?”
No, it is not an “alternative” to anything. It does show all 5 barre chord shapes. Most people don’t get beyond playing 2 of the shapes, the E shape and the A shape. The others are possible, and a few guitarists actually master playing all 5 barre chords, but they do it on an electric guitar or a nylon string, not a steel string acoustic. At least, I’ve never seen anyone play all 5 barre chord shapes on a steel string.
So, since we are not going to use these barre chord shapes for playing, then what’s the purpose?
Yeah, that’s the real question and is implied in the second half of your run on sentence: “as I haven’t understood it’s purpose yet.”
So, what is the purpose of the CAGED system? Simple, this is a way to organize the notes of the fretboard in a way that we can actually explain and understand and remember every single note on the fretboard without sheer power of memorization.
You have 5 open chords with 5 associated scale patterns. You can find the notes of C major surrounding the open C chord. Then find the notes of A major surrounding the open A chord. Then find the notes of G major surrounding the open G chord. Then find the notes of E major surrounding the open E chord. Then find the notes of D major surrounding the open D chord.
However, it’s actually easier to just use one root note. Find the notes of the C major scale, all natural notes, surrounding the 5 shapes of the C major chord. Same shapes as the 5 open chords. These open chords then give us a name that makes sense for each shape. So the C shaped C major chord has it’s root on the 3rd fret of the 5th string. The A shaped C major chord has it’s root on the 3rd fret of the 5th string also, but the chord is toward the body of the guitar from that note rather than toward the head stock. The G shaped C major chord has it’s root on the 8th fret of the 6th string. The E shaped C major chord has it’s root on the 8th fret of the 6th string also, but the chord is toward the body of the guitar instead of toward the head stock. The D shaped C major chord has it’s root on the 10th fret of the 4th string.
Here is a chart showing all the natural notes on the fret board. It also shows all 5 chord shapes and the associated 5 scale patterns.
I hope this helps.
MG 😀