3 finger A chord

[jarednye]

I'm going through Greg Horne's mandolin method and his A chord just seems very strange. Should I be working on the flexibility to be able to squeeze index and middle into the G and D strings in the second fret and my ring finger all the way on A string of the forth fret? Or using my pinky a fine way to play it?

[Tobin]

I'm assuming you're talking about a 2245 chord shape? It's a useful closed-position chord shape that you can move up and down the fretboard, so it's a good idea to get comfortable playing it. How you approach it will depend on your hand size and shape.

I generally use this chord in the same manner that I use its minor variant (2235 for A minor), which is to hold my index finger in a barre position. I'm not actually barring all 4 strings, but I'm using it to hold down both the G and D strings at the 2nd fret. Then I use my middle finger on the A string if I'm making a minor chord (3rd fret) or my ring finger for a major chord (4th fret). My pinky frets the E string at the 5th fret.

By doing it this way, I can easily slide up the neck for other chords, and just alternate between my middle and ring fingers depending on whether the chord is major or minor.

[AlanN]

I do A by

2-2-4-5

with 2-2 achieved by laying finger 1 down on those notes/frets, then with tips of fingers 3 and 4 on frets 4 and 5.

[mandocrucian]

I-I-R-P (index-index-ring-pinky) is the better fingering if you are ONLY going to play the "chord". However, you should become comfortable with the alternate I-I-Middle-R which leaves the pinky free to hammer-on/pull-off for Curtis Mayfield/Hendrix embellishments on the (held down/ringing) chord shape: (you can move the middle and or ring fingers to the lower strings for embellishments on the G and D strings)>

========5^7^5===================
======4======7^4================
====2============(5)^7^5=========
==2=====================6^2^0^2=

Also, it's also a good idea to become comfortable with the index-finger-tip fretting of the G-D strings. This can enable more comfortable playing "above the shape" than using the index "barre" (flattened finger pad).

While not so much applicable to the A or Am chords (in first position) , using M-M-R-P for these shapes up the neck (4-4-6-7; 4-4-5-7; 5-5-7-8) ((or 3 string versions 4-6-7, 4-4-6 etc ) can making "walking chords" more efficient and easier overall. Optimal fingering may be determined ny the chord you are coming from or the chord you are moving to; the idea of keeping finger switching on the strings to a minimum.

Niles H

[foldedpath]

Also, it's also a good idea to become comfortable with the index-finger-tip fretting of the G-D strings. This can enable more comfortable playing "above the shape" than using the index "barre" (flattened finger pad).

That fingertip on both G and D strings is incredibly useful for Irish/Scottish traditional tunes.

I use it all the time for an "A modal" chord (2200), and less often for an "E modal" chord (X220). With no third in the chord (technically a dyad, I guess?), it works for tunes in major, minor, or "Irish ambiguous" where you don't need to make a strong chordal statement, and at the same time it frees up the other fingers for melody over the partial chord. I come home from a local mixed Scottish/Cape Breton/Irish session and my index fingertip hurts, while the others are fine. All those darned pipe tunes in Amix...

A few things I've noticed about that fingertip technique:

It puts a real emphasis on fingernail management, depending on the shape of your fingers. Keeping a little nail on, to help grab all the strings seems to help. Too much fingernail, or too little, makes it harder. Your mileage may vary depending on fingertip shape, callus, etc.

It works better in first position than it does climbing up the neck, because the spacing between string courses usually gets wider as you climb up the neck. The action height over the frets may get higher too, depending on your setup.

It's a difficult technique to transfer to octave mandolin, due to the (usually) wider spacing between string courses. I can barely pull it off on my 22" OM and it's a lot trickier. Probably easier on a mandola.

[Jim Parriott]

I'm an old guitar player and the barre comes naturally to me, so I use it. Much more comfortable and I'm fast with it. Problem is, if you want to play melody or slides off of that position, it's more difficult. So I do drills to make that fingertip bridge more comfortable and automatic (I've only been playing the mandolin for a year and a half). There is so much to learn with this wonderful instrument.

[John Kelly]

Another variation is to leave the E string open, so 2-2-4-0, with E as you highest note.

[jarednye]

Another variation is to leave the E string open, so 2-2-4-0, with E as you highest note.

This was the one I was referring to, I just wasn't sure if there was a trick to fitting both fingers on that second fret and getting the strings ring out perfectly!

[Jim Parriott]

One trick is to use one finger for the G & D courses. Aim in the middle of the two courses. The side if your finger pad will cover enough of the top G and bottom D to deaden them. The sound won't be quite the ring out of an open chord - but works for a chop.

[KEB]

Another variation is to leave the E string open, so 2-2-4-0, with E as you highest note.

Or just drop the E.

You rarely really need that high cutting E string on chords.

[pops1]

I like to leave the E string open too, but using 6740. The chop is very good too.

[sblock]

Some of us with small hands cannot span the G and D strings with a single fingertip, because our fingertips are simply too narrow -- even with a "narrower" neck -- no wide nut. (This issue also comes up when playing the Em chord, as 0220.) However, a barre shape, or a partially barre shape, is always available to us!

[wag1943]

i like to use the 2245 or the 9779 ...........

[Tobin]

Some of us with small hands cannot span the G and D strings with a single fingertip, because our fingertips are simply too narrow -- even with a "narrower" neck -- no wide nut. (This issue also comes up when playing the Em chord, as 0220.) However, a barre shape, or a partially barre shape, is always available to us!

Yup. I'm one of them. After reading this thread, I was trying to do it the other night, just to make sure I hadn't fooled myself all this time. And nope, my fingertip still won't cover both courses. The outer strings just turn into dull thuds that sound terrible. Even on the fiddle, I still have to angle my finger just a certain way and not play with the tip, in order to cover both the G and D strings.

Sometimes I envy folks with larger fingers who can exercise this technique. But I know they sometimes struggle to fit their fingertips into string/fret positions where I know my skinny fingertips fit easily without muting other courses. So it all works out in the end. Each hand shape/size has its advantages somewhere, and the mandolin will reward you if you find it.