Thank you!
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Itās hard for me to tell when to substitute these chords. I appreciate that the chord changes are much easier almost all the time, especially as tempo increases. I have tiny hands and always play Cadd9 instead of C. Iām working on Good Riddance and canāt determine if this version of D sounds better than the first chord we learned, which I still struggle to play without muting!
Regarding transitioning from open D minor to G chord (any variation), Justin recommends using the 4th finger on the 3rd fret of the second string for the D minor chord. I find this makes it difficult to transition to the G chord. Any tips in terms of what G chord variation would be the best to maximize success in this transition? Any other tips in mastering this transition? Thanks!
Iām really struggling with the full G with 3rd and 4th fingers because the strings where those fingers are on keep getting muted. I seem to fare a bit better when playing the regular G and CAdd9 without the 4th finger.
The guitareoke wonderwall in the app is indicating people should be using the classic chords, and not the stuck 34 versions of the chords.
On one hand Justin is giving us licence to use the stuck versions and the 34 versions interchangeably as long as they sound good. On the other hand having the chords showing in guitareoke should be the ones he is intending us to use at this point in our learning journey.
Justin says that many people call them the wonderwall chords.
100% use the stuck versions to make the song easier.
Iām learning wonderwall currently. And I am really struggling with the stuck 3&4 chords.
Specifically my 3rd and 4th fingers buzzing. I feel like I can press really hard, right up near the fret, and the minute I move my 1st and 2nd fingers, the 3rd and 4th start to buzz.
My guitar is well setup, though it is an acoustic, so the strings are thicker than Iām used to. But I just canāt seem to avoid those fingers buzzing when Iām playing.
Is it really just a finger strength issue? Or is there some aspect of the chords Iām overlooking?
Hi Damien,
getting these stuck 3&4-chords under oneās fingers is tough. So it takes patience, time and practice. 
The best way the folks here can help you sort that out is a video of your playing where we can see your fretting hand. Would this be ok for you?
I can only guess, but probably your fingers 3 and 4 start moving with the others while changing parts of the chords. Thatās normal in the beginning. Fingers need to learn to be independent from each other. This develops with slow, mindful practice. Watch your fretting hand while changing chords and start really slow. Once your fingers get used to it, you can increase the speed bit by bit.
Also, you donāt need to ādeath gripā these chords. Try to find the minimum amount of pressure needed to make all strings ring out clearly. This helps to avoid tension in your fretting hand.
Hope that helps a little.
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Not the easiest of chords!
Iām noticing too now while practicing āWish you were hereā.
Lisa said almost everything already.
Practice should make it much better!
But of course, in case your guitar isnāt set up well or has heavy strings that you struggle with anyway makes the case worse. So try to eliminate these points.
Finger strength, finger accuracy & calluses not developed yet. Make sure theyāre in the right spot and in time it will get much easier.
DONāT PRESS TOO HARD!!! Youāll just tire your hand out. It takes very little pressure to fret the high E and B strings, so I doubt that you arenāt using enough pressure.
I suggest holding the chord shape youāre having trouble with, pluck each string, and if one buzzes, try moving your finger around a bit until you get that string ringing clear.
Once you have found the right position, then teach yourself how little pressure it takes by slowly relaxing your finger pressure while plucking the string until you find the point where the buzzing returns. Youāll be surprised how little pressure you need!
Also, trim your nails as short as you possibly can so they donāt get in the way when fretting, especially if your callouses havenāt developed yet.
YMMV
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Totally agree with @Fast-Eddie. I would advise going a step further, even. Once youāve found the right position for all your fingers and each string is sounding cleanly, then change chords (ie. move your middle and index fingers, keeping your ring finger and pinky in place) and repeat the exercise: pluck each string to hear it sound cleanly. If something does not, then correct it. Look closely at your 3&4 fingers while you change chords. Are they moving, even a tiny bit? See if you can make the chord change while keeping 3&4 completely immobile.
This is the sort of focused troubleshooting you need to do, imo.
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Thank you for this explanation! I drafted a reply yesterday but, as a beginner, I worried I was talking nonsense so didnāt post it.
Iāve been having the same problem with the stuck G chord specifically. 3rd and 4th fingers sound great til I add the 1st and 2nd then itās super buzzy. I was causing so much pain in my pinkie pressing so hard but didnāt make a difference. Moving my fingers didnāt help much either until I relaxed my whole arm and adjusted my elbow positionā¦ itās not perfect but a whole lot better than before.
I find the strings ring out more clearly when I check them part way through a song, I guess because my arm is more relaxed and in a better position?
Still muddling through with it, but hope that helps/makes sense!?
I had some problem playing the stuck 3 and 4 chords too.
Iād say you have to find the right spot that your fingers want to sit at. If you press a bit harder, your fingers will build up enough finger strength to do it easily
Hope this helps
This one was very nice, thank you!
ok im gonna skip this one because itās just more chordsā¦ excited for F in the next lesson!
ā im gonna skip this one because itās just more chordsā¦ excited for F in the next lesson! ā
@Procurer4551 Hi David, welcome to the community. I can understand your eagerness to learn the F chord since it is used a lot. If you try the F chord and it is a struggle, then you should return to this lesson and give these chords a try. Justin put these chords in here to help strengthen your hand and prepare you for success with the F chord. You should at least try to learn the G and C chord since those are used in a lot of modern songs. Also the E, A and D versions are used in the āWish You Were Hereā intro in this module.
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Stuck on this lesson for nearly five months after breezing through the first module - too many chords and the lesson is a bit too long.
Restrung my guitar yesterday (it sounds so crispy and bright now !) and giving it another goā¦ heartened to see that my experience isnāt unique.
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Sorry if this was already asked/ answered by someone else but on the D sus4 Chord, my fingers want to naturally go to 2,3,4 instead of 1, 3,4. This way, transitioning to A7 sus 4 Chord is just adding a finger instead of switching places.
Can someone explain the rationale behind 1,3,4? Is it because of transitioning to D major you just move 3 up and over and then 4 over while 1 stays put?
Yes, I think itās the natural fingering starting from a regular D chord. Just add the pinky on fret 3 of the e string for Dsus4.
There are many songs where you go back and forth between D, Dsus2 and Dsus4. The easiest way to achieve this is fingering a regular D chord and then either add the pinky (Dsus4) or remove the middle finger (Dsus2).
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