G chord position

In time it won't matter. In the beginning it is tough, though.

I always play the G -

E A D G B e

3 2 0 0 3 3 - Frets

m i 0 0 r p - Fingers

I like the sound of it better. I can switch to the C with out a problem.

You will learn progressions like G, C and D will be tough in the beginning as well. In time, with practice, you won't even think twice about them and your fingers will be in the right spot before you know it.

Have fun,

Mike

Hello and Welcome to Guitar Noise from a fellow Michigander :D
The 2,3,4 fingering is the best for G to C chord changes, Keep at it, your pinky will get stronger.
It is best to work that pinky as much as you can as you will find that you use it alot when you get deeper into playing.
After a couple thousand changes you will find you can land those chords without even thinking about it.

Like Mike said, after awhile you won't even notice which fingers you're using...

I use one of two or three fingerings depending on what kind of sound I want and what chord is following:

I almost always use 2,3,4 (middle,ring,pinky) for the G chord when going to standard C chord.

320003 -> x32010 (or x32013)

I tend to play the G without the third a lot: 3x0033 (similar to Mike's 320033) with middle finger on low E string, ring finger on B string, and pinky on high E string (first finger on A string if I use 320033). In that case, I usually (but not always) go to the C chord with the add 9, so I'm only moving the index and middle fingers:

3x0033 (G) -> x32033 (C)

I can't say I ever use 320003 fingered with 1,2,3...

Hey there. Welcome to GN

Stick with the pinkie and soon you will learn to love it. After awhile it will become second nature to use different kinds of fingerings depending on what chords you are going to and from.

There is no rule that says what fingers to use for any of the open chords.

Thanks very much, everyone. I will keep at it. I am already finding that my fingers automatically go to some of the other chords I've learned, so I'm sure it will happen with this one - eventually!

I do wish I had picked up the guitar earlier in life - I'm 40 - but I definitely believe that you're never too old to do something if you want to do it. It might just have been easier if I didn't have middle age setting in! :) But I'm determined.

Thanks again!

(By the way, missileman, I'm a Yooper, so I'm about as far from Detroit as you can get and still be in Michigan!) :)

I finger a G chord with my first three fingers, and sometimes i add my fourth to the high e string on the third fret. Is there an advantage to fingering a G with the last three fingers (without the index finger)?

I do wish I had picked up the guitar earlier in life - I'm 40 - but I definitely believe that you're never too old to do something if you want to do it. It might just have been easier if I didn't have middle age setting in! :) But I'm determined.

Welcome to GN old timer... :wink:

I started in my late 50s, so you've got no worries with age really. For months I used the "no pinky" version of the G chord. Partly because that was the first version I was shown, and partly because I had joint pain in my pinky that made it painful to use.

The goods news was that as I practiced and exercised my fingers the pain actually disappeared. I also found that (as others have said above) after a while you can finger chords a number of different ways depending on what you're changing to and from.

For instance, I now don't have any trouble using the "pinky version" of G if the song also has a G7 in it, as that makes the G7 real easy to swap to and from. But with time I also developed the ability to change fast between all the basic shapes anyway, so I don't necessarily need to pick the "easiest" configurations for changes any more. It all comes along in time. :D

All the best with your journey.

Cheers, Chris

I agree with Chris (also started in my late 50s). You will use the G and C chords so much in your playing I would guess that any fingering will seem easy before too long.

Welcome to GN, i agree to use the pinky at first so you can build up the strength. you'll end up using it before long anyway so you might as well start out getting it into the mix.

I finger a G chord with my first three fingers, and sometimes i add my fourth to the high e string on the third fret. Is there an advantage to fingering a G with the last three fingers (without the index finger)?

Makes it easier to transition from G to C, one of the more common chord changes. Also keeps your pinkie finger in shape.

I finger a G chord with my first three fingers, and sometimes i add my fourth to the high e string on the third fret. Is there an advantage to fingering a G with the last three fingers (without the index finger)?

A couple I can think of...

1) Easier to switch from G to C, and you can keep top G note on high E string if you finger like this:
320003->x32013
2) You can alternate between G and Gsus using free index finger:
320003->320013 (or how I'd play it 3x0003->3x0013)
3) Related to 1 - easier to walk from G to C chord

--------------------0----
--0-----1-----3----------
-----0-----0-----0-------
-------------------------
--------0-----2-----3----
--3----------------------
o o i o p o o (Left
r o m r Hand)

i=index (1)
m=middle (2)
r=ring (3)
p=pinky (4)


Alright, i suppose i need to try to use my pinkie. Even though it feels like a weak little flopping thing. but thats the same way my other fingers felt when i started! :D :D

Alright, i suppose i need to try to use my pinkie. Even though it feels like a weak little flopping thing. but thats the same way my other fingers felt when i started!
Me too! :) But then, back in high school when we learned to type on manual typewriters (oh, the horror!) I didn't think I'd ever be able to hit that "Q" key hard enough to make a mark, either, and I did. I suppose if it weren't for computers, my pinkie would still be stronger!

I remember what it was like when i first started playing, my fingers felt so big and weak and clumsy. but as time went by it felt like the guitar neck grew, or my fingers shrank and now they fit pretty well.