BC-131 • The G Chord

[justinguitar]

Questions...

Lesson link: http://justinguitar.com/en/BC-131-G-chord.php

[licksnkicks]

I find it more helpful to play the high e string while playing the G chord with my baby finger. Is that okay?  It's just alot easier for me then trying to play it with my ring finger.

Licksnkicks

[Wes_FR]

I find it more helpful to play the high e string while playing the G chord with my baby finger. Is that okay?  It's just alot easier for me then trying to play it with my ring finger.

Licksnkicks

That's a much used variation on the 'standard' fingering, I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I'll leave it for Justin to answer.

I personally find this chord to be really easy, could learn it a lot smoother than I did with the others. I also like the full sound of it.

[licksnkicks]

I broke that damned finger and dislocated it when walking the dog.  She saw a raccoon and took off with me down the street.  Got tangled in her leash. I just don't have the quickness and the flexibility that I want with my ring finger and the baby finger does.  I didn't know if this was wrong or right.  I hope Justin sees this and can answer this for me or anyone else with a lot more knowledge about finger positions than me.

Licksnkicks

[Linsen]

From everything I've seen so far by Justin, he recommends the 'standard' fingering (with the thumb on the back of the neck) for beginners. As we all know, many (if not most) experienced guitarists have the thumb further up the neck to mute the E string or to play it sometimes.

I'm not 100% sure why the recommendation for beginners is to not use that fingering, but I suppose it's better for getting your fingers used to being curled properly and not supporting the neck with your palm. I noticed that when I have the thumb on the low E string that I tend to mute the high E string with the palm of my hand, which is definitely not good.

All that said, if you have trouble with any of your fingers but are able to get it ringing out cleanly while using the thumb, I reckon it's okay to do it.

P.S.: I'm actually having a similar problem with my index finger from a 20-year-old cut injury. I can't bend it as well as my other fingers to the point that it's painful to actually touch the root of my index with it's tip, which makes C and Dm f.e. kind of tougher than they should be. I can only fold it all the way once it's properly warmed up, but I've made it one of my goals not to let that distract me and still do everything by the book, as I'm hoping that it will eventually (thinking in years here, rather than months) come back to normal flexibility from all the workout it's getting.

[licksnkicks]

As long as it sounds like standard and ya can't do anything about it then what are you going to do?  I think there MUST be SO many people who have injuries or old war wounds and they have to make some kind of adjustments to the standard fingering some where along the way.

Justin where are ya when we need ya?  lol

Licksnkicks

[Simonovski]

Maybe deliberately using your ring finger would be good for you? Most people have to work to get their pinky under control, and the best way to do that is use it often. I know when I broke my pinky I was given some simple exercises to get some strength/mobility back into it. So maybe you could get some of that flexibility back in your ring finger.

[Stonio]

It just dawned on me, i'll have to work on these two chords, 8 changes in a min from G-C on my first try.

[Tetsuo]

Well..i got 8 too in my first try. 

Now i got 55 in last try.

Its just a matter of practice 

Keep practicing.

[nitty1s]

i found it very easy 

[close2u]

@ licksnkicks

nothing wrong with it at all

it is a perfect lead in to playing the G chord with the 3rd fret of the b string held down too (with the 3rd finger) - used in hundreds of songs

[Bootstrap]

@ licksnkicks

nothing wrong with it at all

it is a perfect lead in to playing the G chord with the 3rd fret of the b string held down too (with the 3rd finger) - used in hundreds of songs

Yep - like Hallelujah & Good Riddance that are in the songs list.

I play it both ways, but for songs with quick chord changes (particularly G to C or vice versa) I prefer the pinky method as it allows you to get your index finger down much faster.

Also as a beginner your pinky generally doesn't get much of a workout and playing G with the pinky is a good way of hardening it up for later on.

So it really doesn't matter but were I you licksnkicks I'd still try playing it with the ring finger to try and improve strength and flexibility as you can't avoid using it for some things as you go along.

Cheers, BS

[DeM]

I have a "theoretical question" about G and C chords. Looking to E, F, A and D chords, all of them follow the same pattern: The name of the chord - 7 frets down - 5 frets down - 4 frets down - 3 frets down (impossible in D) - 5 frets down (impossible in D and A).

Following this pattern, the G chord MUST be 3-x-0-0-0-x? instead of 3-2-0-0-0-3, and C chord must be x-3-x-0-1-0 instead of x-3-2-0-1-0. Why we change the pattern in these two chords?

[nephente]

hey,

i would say that the construction pattern you describe, although i've never seen that before, seems kind of limited since it gives you no frets on the a and e string for your G chord.
Still 3-x-0-0-0-x IS a valid G major chord! But i think you can answer your question by yourself by looking at the major scale. If your not familiar with it: http://www.justinguitar.com/en/SC-001-TheMajorScale.php
You must also know that a major chord is constructed from the first, third and fifth degree of the corresponding scale. (e.g for a G-major chord you take the Gmajor-scale and from this the 1st, 3rd and 5th note).

You can then bring this in context to the pattern you mentioned and to the fingering of C,A,G,E,D chords.
Justin did a lesson on this too, called the CAGED-System 
http://www.justinguitar.com/en/TB-031-CAGEDsystem1.php

Hope i didn't got you wrong and bored you with stuff you already know or confused you!

cheers

[DeM]

hey,

i would say that the construction pattern you describe, although i've never seen that before, seems kind of limited since it gives you no frets on the a and e string for your G chord.
Still 3-x-0-0-0-x IS a valid G major chord! But i think you can answer your question by yourself by looking at the major scale. If your not familiar with it: http://www.justinguitar.com/en/SC-001-TheMajorScale.php
You must also know that a major chord is constructed from the first, third and fifth degree of the corresponding scale. (e.g for a G-major chord you take the Gmajor-scale and from this the 1st, 3rd and 5th note).

You can then bring this in context to the pattern you mentioned and to the fingering of C,A,G,E,D chords.
Justin did a lesson on this too, called the CAGED-System 
http://www.justinguitar.com/en/TB-031-CAGEDsystem1.php

Hope i didn't got you wrong and bored you with stuff you already know or confused you!

cheers

That was just what I was looking for. Thanks, nephente (are you a Sentenced fan? ).