Chopping Odd Chords

[Torpedotom]

I'm really just learning to play this li'l monster and am trying to get chopping down so here is a question. Just say that a song is in G, three chords, GC&D and this song just happens to have a Gsus4, hypothetically. When the band hits this weird chord, what chop chord does one play? Do you just play the G and go on or do you finger the sus chord and chop it?

[Phil Goodson]

I don't know what's "correct", but I generally follow all chord changes UNLESS doing so will interfere with the rhythm or will cause too much 'muddiness' in the music. I might try one way and drop it if it doesn't sound good to me.

In your example, if I did NOT use the sus chord, I'd probably pick a 1/5 fingering without the '3 note', since the sus implies that the 3 note should not be heard. (e.g. G: 755x)

As I'm thinking more about this, I can't think of many places in music where I'd likely be 'chopping' a sus chord. Chopping is mostly used in Bluegrass where sus chords don't really exist much. I'd more likely be using some other rhythmic approach.

[John Flynn]

Speaking of the key of G, there is one chord I have chopped on that I think sounds really good: Em 4223.

[jesserules]

When you're chopping on a mandolin you're playing rhythm, not filling in harmonic subtleties.

Chop shape for a G sus 4: 00xx

[JeffD]

As I'm thinking more about this, I can't think of many places in music where I'd likely be 'chopping' a sus chord. Chopping is mostly used in Bluegrass where sus chords don't really exist much. I'd more likely be using some other rhythmic approach.

When you're chopping on a mandolin you're playing rhythm, not filling in harmonic subtleties.

That is what I was thinking. My rule is if its not bluegrass I don't chop, and in my jamming experience subtle chords either don't occur in bluegrass or are not important enough to get right in the chop. Alternatively if harmonic subtleties of the chords are important, it is likely not bluegrass and I shouldn't be chopping anyway. There are likely exceptions, but not as a rule.

Kind of like the hot pink pick up truck with a manual transmission...

[hatta]

Chop shape for a G sus 4: 00xx

How do you chop open strings?

[John Flynn]

How do you chop open strings?

I don't know how @jesserules does it, but if you think about what a chop chord is, it's a chord that sounds briefly on the first down strum and then is quickly muted. I do "open chops" by doing the chop strum pattern with my right hand exactly the same, but instead of letting off the pressure on the fretboard to mute, I kind of "slap" my pinky across all four strings for the mute. That may not technically be a true chop and it does not have exactly the same sound, but with some practice, I have gotten it to sound pretty close. It lacks some of the hard percussive sound of a true chop, but it's workable for those chords there is no other way to chop on.