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February 2008
Posts: 129
Location: Berkeley, CA | Is it "dirty pool" to fret an A major using my thumb? :eek:
Consider that I'm 63 and a newby. ;)
knuckles |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | If it works no problem. What strings are you fretting? |
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Joined:
February 2008
Posts: 129
Location: Berkeley, CA | Originally posted by an4340:
If it works no problem. What strings are you fretting? #2, 3, & 4, strumming 2-6. |
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Joined:
February 2008
Posts: 129
Location: Berkeley, CA | Originally posted by knuckles:
Originally posted by an4340:
If it works no problem. What strings are you fretting? #2, 3, & 4, strumming 1-5. |
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April 2006
Posts: 848
Location: Munich, Germany | It worked for Richie Havens, why shouldn't it work for you?
Kurt |
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Joined:
February 2008
Posts: 129
Location: Berkeley, CA | Originally posted by Koenig Kurt:
It worked for Richie Havens, why shouldn't it work for you?
Kurt Yeah. Me and ole Richie. What a pair, huh? ;) |
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Joined:
January 2007
Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | G'day knuckles and a belated greeting from downunder.
If it feels good...do it |
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Joined:
February 2008
Posts: 129
Location: Berkeley, CA | Originally posted by Koenig Kurt:
It worked for Richie Havens, why shouldn't it work for you?
Kurt Tell me he isn't!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Richiehavens.jpg
oooeeeooo |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Play 'em any way you like!
I play an open A with 2nd & 3rd fingers pushing 3 strings.
I cheat with Fmaj7th allatime, Dm7, use Dsus2 when I shouldn't,
and the infamous two-finger B7... :p
Whatever woiks! |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | whatever works |
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Joined:
June 2007
Posts: 270
Location: Yorkshire, England | Never been a thumb player, but why not? |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | Since you got to 63 your way, you can do what you want. I'm with OMA. I use 2 fingers, but I know a couple of good players, who grew up on power chords and barre chords, who play the open A with the ring finger, same as they'd do a barre B or C. |
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Joined:
October 2007
Posts: 283
Location: Portland, OR | Jimmie Rodgers played a lot of chords with his thumb. He was from Camas, Wa and made "Honeycomb" and other pop songs of the '50's. I saw him at school in the early '60's and never could figure out what he was playing. Maybe he was using the A form up and down the fretboard. |
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June 2007
Posts: 270
Location: Yorkshire, England | Arthur, just looked up Dsus2 - sounds really good! |
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Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Nobody likes the way I play an A., but it works. |
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Joined:
February 2008
Posts: 129
Location: Berkeley, CA | Originally posted by Trader Jim:
Nobody likes the way I play an A., but it works. How's that? |
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Joined:
December 2002
Posts: 939
Location: Fort Worth, Texas | I've had a lot of talk about "..the way I play an A..." over the years.
I play an 'Amaj' at the 'open' position like this:
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xo132o
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Like a 'Dmaj' moved towards you and crammed onto the 2nd fret...
My fingers are just to big to play it like I was taught:
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xo123o
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I often, in the middle of a song, switch an 'Amaj' to the fifth fret barre chord 'E open position':
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1----1
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As far as using your thumb, whatever works and is comfortable and at ease for you.
I've been playing what I call my 'slop chord' on the fifth and seventh fret with my thumb and forefinger like this:
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T||111
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And it's fun!
Hope this makes sense. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 1132
Location: NW Washington State | Hooray, a topic about one of the three chords I can play!
I first learned the standard 123 fingering for the A. A few years ago I got a book that suggested this fingering:
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xo213o
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It took a while to retrain myself, but it does make it easy to slide the index finger down to play the first position E chord. Just shows that there's more than one way to skin a cat.
-Steve W. |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by numbfingers:
It took a while to retrain myself I'm trying to retrain for a smooth transition to this G:
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 1132
Location: NW Washington State | G? What the heck is that? I only know A, D, and E. With a capo I can play in any key. I've heard about "bar chords", but I don't like to go to bars, I only play at home so I don't need 'em. |
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Playing chords