G chord

On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 23:50:16 GMT, something compelled

Post by two7sclash
I've been fingering G major with fingers 1, 2 and 3. Ihave recently picked
up a basic book on playing guitar, and it says use 2, 3, and 4. Do I have
to start over and do it according to the book?

No, you don't.

Tony Meloche

2005-01-19 00:38:46 UTC

Post by Steve Daniels
On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 23:50:16 GMT, something compelled

No, you don't.

Right. The book is telling you *A* way to play G - there is no *THE*
way.
It can be handy to know more than one fingering, but you'll prbably use
yor own "favorite" fingering 95% of the time. What is comfortable to
you, and does the job well is fine.

The Old Guy

Chip L

2005-01-20 16:55:52 UTC

I would use the new fingering (2,3,4). This finger will allow you easily do
the G-C hammer on (ala Tequila Sunrise) which is very common in pop music.
I always teach my students 2,3,4 even if they have learned 1,2,3 (ususally
1,2,4)

Chip L

Post by Tony Meloche

Post by Steve Daniels
On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 23:50:16 GMT, something compelled

No, you don't.

Jailhouse Bones Dupree

2005-01-19 00:08:23 UTC

Post by two7sclash
I've been fingering G major with fingers 1, 2 and 3. Ihave recently
picked up a basic book on playing guitar, and it says use 2, 3, and 4. Do
I have to start over and do it according to the book?

Why not learn both ways? I use 1,2,4 which makes it easy to use 3 to
finger the d note on the b string if I'm of a mind to.

It's my understanding that knowing different fingerings for chords makes
it easier in the long run as the fingering you use will be dependant on
the chord you are coming from or the chord you are going to. So if you
know multiple fingerings it will make your playing smoother in the long
run. Check out A Modern Method For Guitar by William Leavitt, he's big on
that sort of thing.

--
Cheers!

http://www.subatomicblues.com

Alan Gregory

2005-01-19 00:11:17 UTC

Using the 2,3,4 fingering makes switching to G7 (1,2,3 fingering) very easy.

-Alan

Noah Roberts

2005-01-19 00:13:45 UTC

Post by two7sclash
I've been fingering G major with fingers 1, 2 and 3. Ihave

recently picked

Post by two7sclash
up a basic book on playing guitar, and it says use 2, 3, and 4. Do I have
to start over and do it according to the book?

Using the 2,3,4 fingering makes switching to G7 (1,2,3 fingering) very easy.
-Alan

I have always used 1,2,4.

Tim Harrington

2005-01-19 04:09:23 UTC

For years, I've always used 2,3 and the 4th on the bottom string. It's a
bit more difficult to learn but in the end it makes it a breeze going from G
to C and F. Plus, as someone said, hitting that G7.

But I just learned to form a different G using my thumb on the top string,
muting the A string, and 2nd finger on the third fret, bottom string, while
muting the B string.

It sounds confusing, but it's super easy and has a great ring to it. I
think it's what the Eagles (not that I'm their biggest fan) use as the first
strum of "Take it Easy".

3x00x3 is how I think it looks. You can also fret the B string on the third
fret to make an even fuller sound.

Please pardon all my technical jargon. ;)

On 1/18/05 4:13 PM, in article

Post by two7sclash

Post by two7sclash
I've been fingering G major with fingers 1, 2 and 3. Ihave

recently picked

Post by two7sclash
up a basic book on playing guitar, and it says use 2, 3, and 4. Do

I have

Post by two7sclash
to start over and do it according to the book?

Using the 2,3,4 fingering makes switching to G7 (1,2,3 fingering)

very easy.

Post by Alan Gregory
-Alan

I have always used 1,2,4.

Noah Roberts

2005-01-19 04:53:15 UTC

Post by Tim Harrington
3x00x3 is how I think it looks. You can also fret the B string on the third
fret to make an even fuller sound.

Which is why I have always used 124, my 3 goes on the B.

320033

sheli

2005-01-19 00:40:15 UTC

Post by two7sclash
I've been fingering G major with fingers 1, 2 and 3. Ihave recently
picked up a basic book on playing guitar, and it says use 2, 3, and 4. Do
I have to start over and do it according to the book?

Well, in my experience, which isn't long <g> I find that if I play it with
2, 3 and 4 it makes an easier transition to a barre chord and leaves your
index finger open for barring. Or as previously said to play a G7.

Sheli

Sandpiper

2005-01-19 01:03:04 UTC

Post by two7sclash
I've been fingering G major with fingers 1, 2 and 3. Ihave recently
picked up a basic book on playing guitar, and it says use 2, 3, and 4.

Post by two7sclash
I have to start over and do it according to the book?

I started out using 123 then switched to 234. It was a bit awkward at first
but after playing 234 I'm glad I switched.

JFC

Noah Roberts

2005-01-19 01:12:35 UTC

Post by Sandpiper

Post by two7sclash
I've been fingering G major with fingers 1, 2 and 3. Ihave recently
picked up a basic book on playing guitar, and it says use 2, 3, and 4.

Post by two7sclash
I have to start over and do it according to the book?

I started out using 123 then switched to 234. It was a bit awkward at first
but after playing 234 I'm glad I switched.

Wouldn't G7 be 323003? If you play 123 or 234 I think it makes 320033
more difficult. Plus with 3 available you can put it on any 3 fret to
play G7, G7#9. Really though, any fingering you pick is going to have
its limitations, so doing all would be a good idea.

Roger E. Blumberg

2005-01-19 05:32:18 UTC

Post by Noah Roberts

Post by Sandpiper

Post by two7sclash
I've been fingering G major with fingers 1, 2 and 3. Ihave recently
picked up a basic book on playing guitar, and it says use 2, 3, and 4.

Post by two7sclash
I have to start over and do it according to the book?

I started out using 123 then switched to 234. It was a bit awkward at first
but after playing 234 I'm glad I switched.

Wouldn't G7 be 323003?

323003 _is_ a great G7 voicing, but they were talking about the old standard
default 320001 fingering (I'm sure).

I wish someone had shown me your voicing when I first started playing --
because to this day I think the old standard default open position G7 is the
single most lame sounding chord on guitar! ;')

Roger

Post by Noah Roberts
If you play 123 or 234 I think it makes 320033
more difficult. Plus with 3 available you can put it on any 3 fret to
play G7, G7#9. Really though, any fingering you pick is going to have
its limitations, so doing all would be a good idea.

Noah Roberts

2005-01-19 07:18:17 UTC

Post by Roger E. Blumberg
323003 _is_ a great G7 voicing, but they were talking about the old standard
default 320001 fingering (I'm sure).
I wish someone had shown me your voicing when I first started playing --
because to this day I think the old standard default open position G7 is the
single most lame sounding chord on guitar! ;')

Interestingly I learned G as 320033 so there was never much of an option
to fingering. So until a couple of hours ago I didn't think to play G7
as 320001 but grabbed from the C form idea and play 323003. Now I been
playing with 323001 and other variants.

I don't think it is too hard to switch from 320033 to 320001 (rather
easy comparitively), its like switching from G to C for me only slightly
taller. Every book I read from showed the same fingers I use, which is
why I always laugh when I see the G chord (the F-You chord - yeah, me
and my third grade humor).

I don't like the idea of altering chord fingering just to make it easy
to switch to some other chord form, like barre chords. You should learn
to be able to switch from any form to another anyway, so why change the
way a chord is fingered just for that reason? If you are in a song and
know that the next chord you are going to play will be X form,
maybe...but doing it out of habbit is sort of cheating yourself I think.

So yadda yadda yadda, everyone has a surpluss of oppinion, and there is
a small part of mine.

Jailhouse Bones Dupree

2005-01-19 11:49:05 UTC

I don't like the idea of altering chord fingering just to make it easy to
switch to some other chord form, like barre chords. You should learn to
be able to switch from any form to another anyway, so why change the way a
chord is fingered just for that reason? If you are in a song and know
that the next chord you are going to play will be X form, maybe...but
doing it out of habbit is sort of cheating yourself I think.
So yadda yadda yadda, everyone has a surpluss of oppinion, and there is a
small part of mine.

I think it's called economy of movement, or something along those lines.
The hardcore jazz guys are into it and if you're doing a lot of quick
chord changes I can understand the idea. But yeah, I think you plan it out
ahead of time based upon the song you're playing. Not that I'm doing it as
I'm just barely beyond the Red River Valley stage, but for advanced
players I can see how it makes sense.

--
Cheers!

http://www.subatomicblues.com

Tony Meloche

2005-01-19 14:27:28 UTC

Noah Roberts wrote:

(slight snip)

Post by Noah Roberts
I don't like the idea of altering chord fingering just to make it easy
to switch to some other chord form, like barre chords. You should learn
to be able to switch from any form to another anyway, so why change the
way a chord is fingered just for that reason?

This is also my view. I have used the "3-2-1" fingering of open G
forever, and I can switch to or from it in a flash - just as I'd be able
to do if I had learned it in some other fingering. It's always good -
very handy, in fact - to know more than one way to finger a chord, but
for open G, any of them work equally well. If there is one who's sound
you like more than others, that's what you should use, of course.

The Old Guy

two7sclash

2005-01-19 01:58:42 UTC

Post by Sandpiper

Post by two7sclash
I've been fingering G major with fingers 1, 2 and 3. Ihave recently
picked up a basic book on playing guitar, and it says use 2, 3, and 4.

Post by two7sclash
I have to start over and do it according to the book?

I started out using 123 then switched to 234. It was a bit awkward at first
but after playing 234 I'm glad I switched.
JFC

Thanks for the input. You people are awesome!

hammerstein

2005-01-19 11:15:01 UTC

I personally wouldn't, as at a later date you are bound to want to
play the fuller G chord, which uses all four fingers. Some books I've
read try and get you to use fingers 2, 3 and 4 for most open chords,
so that your index finger is free...I assume this is so that barre
chords, when you get to them, use the same fingers (plus the index as
the barre)

you are probably playing

320003 (thick to thin, fingers 1 2 and 3 respectively)

an alternative, and IMO fuller sounding G is

320033 (thick to thin, fingers 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively)

70% of the songs I play use the the latter voicing.

j.

Rich

2005-01-19 17:37:53 UTC