G Chord

[JamesHall77]

Is it ok for me to just use the 3 finger G? I can chop and switch back and forth so much better. Just don't want to pick up any bad habits and hinder my playing

[Kevin Stueve]

I give you permission

[billhay4]

Sure, it's fine. The 4 finger chord gives a more percussive sound, though, and is worth learning. Practice both.
Bill

[JamesHall77]

I give you permission

Thank you sir!!! LOL!

[BrianWilliam]

There's always the two finger power chord. It's worth knowing them all....

[Tobin]

Is it ok for me to just use the 3 finger G? I can chop and switch back and forth so much better. Just don't want to pick up any bad habits and hinder my playing

Would "bad habits" that "hinder your playing" include avoiding common chord shapes and only sticking to easy chords?

Your question is fairly common. Folks want to play without struggling to form chords. I get it. But there comes a point where the hard chords serve a purpose, and avoiding them will limit your versatility. I'm not saying you have to rush into it immediately. But don't avoid it too long. There are a lot of mandolin players who wish they had worked on it years earlier than they did.

[JeffD]

I would say by all means use the three finger version. But I would also say don't stop working at the four finger version. It can't hurt.


Perhaps try this. Put your pinky down first and then the ring finger, middle finger, index finger. See what your hand has done to make them fit. Memorize that.

[Jordan Ramsey]

If you're playing bluegrass, I would avoid the three finger approach for G. Your job in that context is to be a snare drum. Hard to do that if you have a loud open bass string ringing. Even muting the strings with your left hand and "chunking" on 2 and 4 would be better than the three finger approach with an open G, IMO. My main recommendation for "cheating" is to play (low to high) 75XX with your middle two fingers. This way, you're getting the bass chunk on the G, and it's relatively close to you three finger C chop (523X) and D chop (745X).

My advice for beginners trying to get the four finger shape off the ground is to practice it up the neck initially, around the B or C chord (middle finger on the 7th or 8th fret respectively). The shape is closer together up there... it's easier to get comfortable with the awkward hand position when your fingers don't have to stretch out so far. After you gain some strength and muscle memory, gradually move it down the neck and work on stretching out those fingers until you can do it in G. Most beginners try the G shape right out of the gate and then give up or try to "cheat" in some way. It'll be easier if you gradually work into it from a more comfortable position while you're building pinky strength and coordination. Think of it as finger yoga. Hope that helps, best of luck.

[JeffD]

I recall someone asking Mike Marshall about whether, if you have to do three out of four, whether it is better to do the top three or the bottom three. He said the bottom three, to get deep thick juicy chop sound.

[Beanzy]

I'd say keep at the four fingered option, everything else can be a choice after that is in the bag.
However place the pinky first then 3rd finger to make sure you're reaching with the wrist brought well around the neck.
The placement of the 2nd and 1st fingers should be done last and if they are should be easy.
So practice the 4th and 3rd finger placement initially to get you used to relaxing the elbow, letting it swing forward so allowing the hand to coming well around the neck, lessening the reach required from the fingers.

[Mandoplumb]

If you can't play a 4 finger chop chord, and by can't I mean can't not just don't want to use the effort it takes to learn. I have a stiffness in my fingers that I didn't have when I was in my 20s 30s or 40s so a 4 finger G chord is just about impossible now. The alternative fo me is 452x. I know that leaves out the D note but it allows a power chop without a ringing open string ( you can kill the E string and still have a free hand to slap across the strings.) I hate the fake chop, muting all strings and chucking on the off beat, that ain't the role of a bluegrass mandolin I don't care if a lot of players do it or chop so quick it sounds like it. There needs to be a tone to the chop. That's the way Bill done it.

[Mark Wilson]

The alternative fo me is 452x. I know that leaves out the D note but it allows a power chop without a ringing open string .

I was using 452x early on and an instructor got me onto 455x BGDx

I practice with the 4F G, but thankfully, it's not a requirement by my group to use it.

Nothing beats the low DG punch from the four finger G tho

[Phil Goodson]

....
Nothing beats the low DG punch from the four finger G tho

That's why I'd go for the 755x if I couldn't do the four finger chord. And it's easy to do with two fingers.

[jaycat]

I go with 4523. If you can hear the difference with banjos, guitars, etc. going in a jam, you're a better man than I.

[Fiddler3]

Wouldn't say if playing bluegrass you need to be a snare drum...not me. Get a snare if that's what you want,but I play bluegrass and if that was all I did was chop I would get a drum. Play the way it sounds best to you!

[Mandoplumb]

Wouldn't say if playing bluegrass you need to be a snare drum...not me. Get a snare if that's what you want,but I play bluegrass and if that was all I did was chop I would get a drum. Play the way it sounds best to you!

I hear you, as Jethro said chopping chords is boring. I do fills chording multiple shapes etc but a hard driving BG needs the chop. A mandolin is the BG drum but it don't have to be a snare. 50 years ago after Reno left Top of the Morning show in Roanoke Smiley had a mandolin "player" that just chorded a mandolin with a piece of paper woven in the strings. I was just a kid starting out on mandolin and I thought that was useless, now I hear players just muting the string and getting the same sound. Don't they just get a drum and let the Bluegrass Police deal with them.

[MediumMando5722]

My dad showed me an alternate chop fingering when I had trouble with the standard shape at the beginning, 4523 for G. I didn't like the sound, so I stuck with it and got the regular 7523 down. I bet I'm not sounding the E courses a lot of the time, though.

[Malco]

I got the G chop chord down, but the one that gives me fits is the D chop chord, fingered 7452. Been practicing going from that to G, which is pretty easy, but going from the C to the D and back is tough. Then throw in going from the A (2245) to D? Yikes.

[Mandoplumb]

Cheat. Use three finger on C and D leaving E string open and muted ( allow hand to lay lightly on string) makes life simpler and hard to tell the difference still have the bass sound

[wag1943]

No body mentioned the 7557 G chord not real hard to make ... So is there a reason not to use it ??

[jasona]

If you are playing in G a 1-4-5 progression the standard fingering makes the transitions between chords much easier.

[zedmando]

There's always the two finger power chord. It's worth knowing them all....

That's what I normally have been using--I think that comes from my guitar playign background--but no harm in knowing & using more than one form to chords--sometimes one form fits better--and that also comes from my guitar background.

[Ivan Kelsall]

This is the 'G' chord shape that i use,simply because i prefer the sound of the lower note on the G strings.

Chris Bowsman mentions maybe not sounding the "E" strings when playing the 7523 shape. Using the G chord shape that i use,the E strings ring loud & clear - but it's a matter of personal choice,
Ivan

[MediumMando5722]

This is the 'G' chord shape that i use,simply because i prefer the sound of the lower note on the G strings.

Chris Bowsman mentions maybe not sounding the "E" strings when playing the 7523 shape. Using the G chord shape that i use,the E strings ring loud & clear - but it's a matter of personal choice,
Ivan

This was the alternate fingering I was trying to describe.

[JamesHall77]

Been working at it. Believe I'm getting the hang of it now.