|
|
Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | :mad: So I am trying to break Old Habits... I learned my basic chords, pretty much the same way everyone else did. Passing a guitar (and other things) around a circle. "70's Show" style.
Only one lesson video that I have seen recommended using your 2-3-4 fingers to do E, Am & G... Leaving the Index finger free for barre chords later-in-life.
He even said, "Many people will wonder why I recommend doing this..."
Since none of the other videos/books said this, I continued to play "the Normal Way."
So now after playing the way I've played for most of my life, I am gonna re-train my fingers. I hope. Also gonna throw-in Shroeder's idea of extending my index finger further across the neck. (see Thumb Exercises thread)
I just put this out here looking for any other tips that might come along... Since I am pretty-much starting over... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | I've never played chords like that, the only time it's 2-3-4 for an E is when barring. That way you have the pinky for adding the 7th. Same with the Am, adding the G on top. G I always have the index on B and the middle of G and the ring on D and pinky on high G |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Or use the 1-2 for E, Am, D and any other chord you can figure it out for so you can just poke and twist with the left-over fingers.
E.............Am.........D
0.............0..........x1
0.............x1.........x12
x1............xx2........x1
xx2...........xx2........0
xx2...........0..........0
0.............0..........x
And when you're using just one finger for Em & A you can play an entire melody and bass line while you're strumming! (Or just take a nap 'till the next chord...) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | breaking good habits for bad....
wonder what my old college guitar teacher would say to that? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2007
Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | I also was once advised to play an open E with fingers 2-3-4 to allow a quicker transition to a bar chord (is it bar or barre?) but it never worked for me. I find I can change to a bar chord just as quickly using fingers 1-2-3.
99% of the time I play an open A with one finger and if I'm feeling lazy I'll play that A bar shape with one finger leaving my other fingers free to do something else.
I always play an open C with my pinky playing a G bass note -- it fills it out a bit more. As for seventh chords I often use the C7 shape anywhere up the neck.
Bad habits are hard to break. I find my finger positions depend on the song I'm playing, where I am on the fretboard and what sort of sound I want. I love open chords but they don't always do the job.
Good luck with it Arthur...hope your fingers will co operate. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Keep those cards and letters comin', boys & girls.
I'm not sure about the "Good Habits for Bad" thing... But I think I really just wanna add these things to my repertoire. Like, I do the G both ways, depending on if I am coming/going from/to Em or C...
So I wanna train myself on the E, so I can go straight to F; and Am to Bm and Cm. Just trying to rewire the Brain-stem.
And Oz... I tell my friends, while giving them advice, that "I know how it works, and what the chord is, in my Head. Sometimes this don't translate to my fingers!"
:eek: OOO, ooh! Add-on: I see people playing the E open all up and down the neck, with NO bar! I haven't found a need/opportunity to do that...
Comments? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 387
Location: Whitecourt, Ab | Hey Arthur. I too changed a few years back from 1-2-3, to 2-3-4 finger style. Now I can use either or depending on if barre chords or open chords with hammer on etc. are to be used. A friend showed me to place my thumb parallel with the neck (pointing at the tuning pegs) as opposed to perpendicular to the neck, for ease in grabbing the new finger style... worked for me |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | [Eek!] OOO, ooh! Add-on: I see people playing the E open all up and down the neck, with NO bar! I haven't found a need/opportunity to do that...
Comments?
Good Idea, Red! Try that too. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | The only time I play the E that way is if I was sliding from a barre chord down to the E. Seems like it was on one song I learned from the 70s. That's about it. Same with A. I normally use 2 fingers for 3 strings, but when sliding from another barre chord, I'll barre it with one finger. I do different fingerings on other chords all the time, depending on what chord I'm coming from and what chord I'm going to, but I play mostly fingerstyle, so I'm not usually playing all the strings in the chord at the same time. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Like Mark, I use either method, depending on the chord progression. Usually use 1,2 3 for most.
Same with 'A', sometimes one finger, sometimes 3. If I'm strummin', its 1, if I'm a pickin', its 3.
It's never a bad thing to learn something new. I play my 'D' different to most folks - I reverse the 1st and 2nd fingers. That's how I was taught all those years ago, and I reckon that the person that taught me is the only other person that plays it that way. It's funny how when someone is following me on guitar, I get to 'D' and they ask "WTF was THAT chord?"
It's actually a good way to play 'D' if you want to play 'Seagull' by Bad Company.
OMA, as regards to your last post, if it sounds good in the tune yer playin', use it. There aint no rules here. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Yeah Mark, I do that two finger A, I can't get three of my fat-stubby fingers in that small a space. That often gets the "WTF is that" response also.
And Muzza, I've seen that "movable E" on youTube and done by PDX street musicians. I didn't know 'em, so I didn't ask. They're working, and I was going to work. I've done it, playing with the idea, but not in a song. [Just sitting here trying stuff out] Actually, if I were to sit-down and figure it out, I suppose that I could use it. [Y'know, here's the root, here's the third and the fifth, so it is a "?"]
Always Learning... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 2491
Location: Copenhagen Denmark | ...barré.....I think (french)
Vic |
|
| |
Retraing My Fingers
