Regardless of my current level, I’m going back to square one, or Grade 1, and starting over from the beginning. I figure that I’ll find the weaknesses in my playing on that journey and take the time to address them properly as I move through Grades 1 - 3.
Many of the Grade 1 Modules deals with open chords, and most beginning students are taught to use fingers 1, 2, and 3 to learn the open chord pattern.
I’m considering changing that up and instead using my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers. The method to my madness is that eventually as we work our way up the neck when we hit CAGED (I’m making the assumption Justin uses CAGED, but correct me if I’m wrong) I’ll have fingers 2, 3, 4 fretting notes correctly as well a stretched when it comes to using finger 1 for barring. Plus it strengthens and coordinates those fingers. It also makes these early lesson more challenging.
Any thoughts on this approach? What am I missing if I use this approach. Feel free to constructively critique the approach. I’m looking for holes in my logic.
From Stitch:
“Not a good idea. You will need your pinky free to play sus chords and embellishments.
D shaped chords are usually played as triads on the e B and G string keeping the pinky free for the same reason.”
Ah-hah! Got it!
So - not a good idea in the long run.
Thanks!
ideally you’ll end up learning both ways - open chord with the pinky free to create sus chords etc, and index free for creating barre chords - so why not in the order that Justin teaches?
Hi lamphunlamai.
I use both but which one is usually based on whatever the next chord will be.
I use 234 if in A , finger one is there if changing to E and it does’ent seen to slow the change to D (maybe thats down to me usually doing it like this).
Or 123 if using say a sus/dim chord. (or whatever requires the pinky free to use ).
I’m sure there any many who do same and many will stick with 123.
I do it this way just because it makes ( my ) changes quicker and smoother.
Personal choice.
Some of the answers you have received suggesting it is context dependent are correct. You may sometimes choose to play E major (for example) using fingers 2, 3 & 4 … because you have come from or are going to a 6-string E-shape barre chord.
But I think the point you specifically raise - which is choosing to do it as a preparation for being able to play barre chords better - has been overlooked a little. So, in answer to your very specific question in your post i would say no - do not learn the essential open position beginner chords using fingers 2, 3 & 4. That would be a bad idea. I can not think of any occasion when I would choose to play C or D or Dm or D7 using fingers 2, 3 & 4.
I learned the A major chord as 3-fingers in a line so do use either fingers 1, 2 & 3 or 2, 3 & 4 as a regular habit. But the latter is definitely not because I want to be able to play an A-shape barre chord better. I never play A-shape barre chords using fingers 2, 3 & 4 across the D, G & B string.
I occasionally (perhaps < 5% of the time) play E major using fingers 2, 3 & 4 because of it sitting before or after an E-shape barre chord. But it is very seldom. Similarly with an Am chord.
E-shape and A-shape barres account for (at a guess) more than 90% of all barre chords played so using fingers 2, 3 & 4 for D-shape, C-shape and G-shape open chords to prepare for those shapes as barres is irrelevant and redundant. Virtually nobody plays them at any time anyway.
And if you’re playing only open position chords in a song, you definitely want the 1, 2 & 3 option for chords whereas the 2, 3 & 4 versions will likely be awkward and a hindrance.
Interesting statistic. E-Shape/A-Shape 90%. I’m pretty well covered.
Actually, I use a 3rd finger mini-barr on the 2nd/3rd/4th string. I’ve been playing long enough that the mini-barr comes pretty naturally. Long-term I need to work on not muting the 1st string i.e., I need Chord Perfect exercises in the future for A-Shaped barr chords, especially when I get past the 12th fret - at least on my Epiphone. My Strat is a little more forgiving above the 12th fret as the frets seem a little wider. But go figure, I really like playing my cheapo Epiphone.
I’m trying to think what I was thinking when I wrote the original post. I sometimes will move the individual CAGED shapes up and down the fretboard as memorization practice, ‘name the chord’ on random frets. If I started from a 2-3-4 A-shape on the 2rd fret then I could just quickly move up and barr. It would seem like I’d get quicker at chord changes, but honestly now that I’ve sat down and played with it - I flip back to using the mini-barr.
The ADHD part of my mind sometimes goes into ‘write a question mode’ before I think things out. Sorry about that!
Just noting that sometimes there are good reasons for playing G with 2, 3 & 4, not, as you stated, for moving to a G-shape barre chord (yuck!), but for other reasons altogether (ease of change to C, embellishments with the index finger, etc.)
You’re 100% right of course.
My bad for completely neglecting to mention it.
In my focus on giving reasons not to opt for 2, 3 & 4 as a default based on the wording of the OP, in my single track thinking I didn’t pull out for a wider perspective.
