so.....what is the secret for doing those chop chords?

[mee]

Specifically that G chop chord, how in the world do you stretch that pinkie??? I have got the two finger chords down pretty well. But I want to chop and I can't seem to get the full chords ANd then there is the issue I have with the whole chop, I seem too uncoordinated to do this. But it looks so smooth and easy when I watch others play!

[pickloser]

There are good tips here: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...ght=chop+chord
I think Pete Martin's vids would be especially helpful. The link is at post 6.

Good luck! You'll get it.

[Jon Hall]

I advise my students to move the G chord up the neck 3 or 4 frets to Bb or B and practice the chord there where the frets are closer together. You can actually practice the same I chord(G), IV chord(C) and V chord(D or D7) and develop the muscle memory required to make the chords on every accessible fret. As you gradually increase the stretch of your fingers you can move the chords to the A position, Ab position and finally the G position. Be patient and do this gradually. You don't want to injure yourself.

[Brent Hutto]

I advise my students to move the G chord up the neck 3 or 4 frets to Bb or B and practice the chord there where the frets are closer together. You can actually practice the same I chord(G), IV chord(C) and V chord(D or D7) and develop the muscle memory required to make the chords on every accessible fret. As you gradually increase the stretch of your fingers you can move the chords to the A position, Ab position and finally the G position. Be patient and do this gradually. You don't want to injure yourself.

Yeah, that's part of the idea behind those 4-finger chords. No open strings. Why not take advantage of that instead of learning it in the hardest spot (first position) right off the bat? Good reminder, Jon.

[SincereCorgi]

Another thing to consider is that a lot of players don't really play all four strings when they chop. The emphasis is on the bottom two or three, the E-string being quasi-damped to give it a less brilliant and more throaty, percussive quality. Also, try chopping over the octave mark of the fretboard rather than toward the bridge- an instructor turned me on to that and it lets you have a really powerful stroke. The chops have nice 'woofy' quality up there. There's a John Moore masterclass on YouTube where he shows off some really nice, powerful chops in a classroom setting.