G Chop Chord

[squeally dan]

Ok, I've been playing guitar for 20 years. I thought mandolin chords had to be easy. That thing is so darn small!

Boy was I wrong. Most of the chords are not giving me trouble, except for that G chord? My hand seems to physically not be able to stretch far enough. I keep trying it for a few minutes everyday. Will I finally be able to do it, or are some people just not physically capable of stretching that far?

[Phantoj]

I've been playing guitar for about twelve years - and mandolin for about two months, but I find the G chop chord to be pretty E-Z. Bigger hands? More flexible joints? I dunno.

I played fretless bass for a bit during my formative years; I think that loosened my LH tendons a lot. Now, I try to play weird jazz chords on an acoustic guitar, so that keeps me limber, too.

Of course, the answer is easy: KEEP AT IT. There's an armless guy that plays guitar with his feet. Remember when you felt like you'd never be able to play a barre chord on guitar?

[brandon]

going from g to the d chop chord is fun too....i'm new to the mando and it gave my problems at first but I was very determined and spent a fair amount of time working on them everyday and I am getting fairly comfortable with them....just keep on keeping on, and keep your hand as relaxed as possible. it will get better I promise.

[edawg]

i think that my fingers are slowest going to from G to D. but as i played midnight moonlight (about 2 mintues ago), i think that slowness kinda gave it a nice sound during the chorus.

but yea, that G chord is a stretch with pinky. i had the hardest time with it a few months ago. i even posted here venting about it, but i finaly feel that i have mastered it.

now im chopping on the 2 and 4. still chopping on the 1 and 3, just muting it. thas a WHOLE new ball game:p

hang in there

[brandon]

maybe we nee to invent a finger stretching device?

[AlanN]

I mastered the G to D move (keeping pinky planted) on a cross-country bus ride. 3 days of nothing but that change, over and over. Thanks Greyhound!

[Michael H Geimer]

LOL I was just thinking to myself this mornining how the chop chords have finally 'settled in'. That is, how I can now move around the typical mandolin chord shapes as easily as I can with guitar chords. I recall being in your shoes and looking forward to the day when my fingers would 'know' where to go.

So, I think you'll probably just get over it one day. Of course, practice helps.

[babymedic]

I started playing in January, and had the same reaction--"you've got to be kidding?" I worked on it everyday, and wouldn't allow it to frustrate me. After about a month, I was able to put my fingers on the right frets, but unable to do so without muting every string; another month, I could play all but the e string clearly. In may, when I switched from the Breedlove (wider fret-board) to Weber, I was able to play the chord just fine. I've just acheived my first chord switch--g to a--so, to make a long story short, it'll come eventually. I found that if I planted my pinky on the g string first, then the rest of my fingers could stretch back just fine.

[Tom C]

Becaue you only have 4 strings across, you need to stretch. I was told one should be able to stretch 7 frets. I can do that, but I can not press down other fingers
while doing it. -I'd find a different way to play the need passage.

[RobP]

Ditto here... I picked up mando after 20 years of guitar 3 years ago.

Just remember how impossible those those minor barre chords seemed on guitar, but now I would guess you can play them in your sleep

Rob

[ab4usa]

You might try to practice A to D to E and then work up the neck. Although you are spanning the same number of frets they are closer together.

[Flowerpot]

Your fingers will stretch with time. Won't happen overnight, but tendons and things get more flexible. Just keep at it.

After many, many years of playing mandolin, my left pinky is noticably longer than my right, almost by a quarter inch. Didn't used to be that way before I took it up, and I didn't play as a kid. Weird stuff, how the body adapts. A friend of mine who has played guitar all his life, many hours a day usually, has asymmetrical hands, as his left hand is longer than his right by a half inch or more.

You think the G chop is bad, try the G minor chop, that's lots of fun. It hurts, for a while anyway.

[squeally dan]

Thanks for all the encouragement! I DO remember when some of those guitar chords seemed near impossible. That was a while back.

Its good to hear that eventually it will happen.

[GVD]

Flowerpot Posted

After many, many years of playing mandolin, my left pinky is noticably longer than my right, almost by a quarter inch.

Flowerpot, My intial reaction was to think you're a freak. Then I compared my pinky's and lo and behold my left pinky is longer as well. I'd say it's at least 3/16" longer than the right and I haven't been playing all that long. Of course that may just mean that we're both freaks.

You think the G chop is bad, try the G minor chop, that's lots of fun. #It hurts, for a while anyway.

Yeah the G minor chop chord is still kicking my behind. I guess I just need to keep working at it like I did the G chop chord instead of cheating and using some of the easier minor forms.

GVD

[squeally dan]

Is there a chart somewhere of all the chop chords?

[Lefty&French]

Quote: Flowerpot, My intial reaction was to think you're a freak. Then I compared my pinky's and lo and behold my left pinky is longer as well. I'd say it's at least 3/16" longer than the right and I haven't been playing all that long. Of course that may just mean that we're both freaks.

GVD, I had the very same reaction : to my great surprise it was true, except it was my righty pinky...

[Tom C]

I've never heard of fingers getting longer. I've heard of one's hand getting bigger mainly because fingers can be spread wider. I have noticed great pickers such as Chris Thile -that their pinky does look almost and long as their ring finger. That must be a huge help. Mine is shorter and curved inward which plainly stinks.

[Flowerpot]

I was afraid I'd have to post pictures to prove it... glad there are other freaks out there. Wonder how Thile's left pinky compares to the right?

[Phantoj]

Thile is a lefty, so maybe you'd expect a longer left pinky on him.

[goldtopper]

Try the G chop shape up the neck to get used to it, then work down.

[squeally dan]

Try the G chop shape up the neck to get used to it, then work down.

Good idea! Why didn't I think of that!

[mandoJeremy]

I have known the finger thing for years now except with me it involves all of my fingers on my left hand. They are all longer than the fingers on my right hand. Weird and freaky stuff I guess.

[Flowerpot]

Freaks of the world, unite!

Should we come up with a scientific name for asymmetrical digit syndrome, like asymmetricus mandolinious? Maybe we can get a gubm't grant to study it.

[Greg H.]

You should definately keep trying to get the standard G chop chord down, but if you want an alternative you might try changing the voicing of the chord a little. i.e.

string # fret
G # # # # 4
D # # # # 5
A # # # # 5
E # # # # 3

This will sound a bit different, as you're putting the 3rd in the bass rather than the 5th, but it might be a bit easer to hit cleanly until your hands get used to the stretch.

[Jim Gallaher]

Squeally, I played guitar for 20 years, too. One important point I had to realize was that guitarists focus on having their fingers curl around the neck and approach the strings at a 90-degree angle. Not so with mandolinists, who angle their fingers at the strings to prevent muting the adjacent strings. We also tend to avoid the "thumb-behind-the-neck" thingy so cherished among guitarists (although I use it for barring minor chords, among others).