Open G chord - Pinky or ring finger on high E

i was doing the same thing? using finger 1-2-3 to play the G my teacher has got me use 2-3-4 hard at first but is getting better and sounds pretty good..... good luck

It will pay off.
Your changes from G to C and back will be much faster and smoother.
When fingering the G chord look at what chord you are coming from and what chord you are going too.
I use the pinky most of the time and ring and middle on the other strings.
This also leaves my index finger open for G7.
Then again I sometimes use my index and middle on the 5th and 6th strings so I have my pinky and ring open for Gadd5.
Like I said it all depends on what you are playing but yes it is well worth learning.

I think the high-e pinky G has its advantages, i learned it from the very beginning with high-e pinky, for example changing to C is easier as you said.
And maybe Changing to G7, E...
But actually i think it is a matter of opinion.

I use my pinky finger, mainly because I switch within G chords when playing G. I.E. G5 to G or Gadd9 to G. This gives your G chords more depth.

I think missileman hit the nail on the head. 99% of the time I use my pinkie for the high e simply because most of the time you are coming from or going to a chord that makes it easier this way like the C or E.

Every once in awhile you may find it better to get to or from the G using fingers 1, 2, 3 but not often.

Plus the habit of using 2 and 3 on the E and the A is good/required for the G7.

You should learn as many different ways to play each chord as you can. Sometimes one fingering will be called for, and sometimes another.

When I started to play guitar I was self-taught, and used 1-2-3 fingering. When I started taking lessons, I found that the hardest 'bad habit' to break - you'll use 2-3-4 a lot more often than 1-2-3.

The only times I'd use a 1-2-3 fingering now are if I'm playing something where I'm going to change to a G-B-D-G-D-G voicing (320033), or if I'm playing a tune with second position fingering and need an open G - there it's sometimes a motion saver to use the 'wrong' fingering to avoid changing position (Over the Hills and Far Away comes to mind)

The advantage in my mind to using the pinky on the high E is gaining strength in your pinky. For a long time I played open G using 1-2-3, when I got to bar chords I found my pinky was really weak and uncoordinated. I ended up going back and learning 2-3-4 to build strength in my pinky.

King is right, both.

When you play "Hurt", or AICs "nutshell" you will need to be familiar with your way, but for changes from C and E the pinky method is fastest.

Self taught here too, and I used 1-2-3 for quite a while and just decided to switch on my own. I saw how much easier it would be to switch between all the other open position chords. Plus it would help limber and build up my pinky. Doing 2-3-4 makes going from G to E, C, A, ect much easier. But going to D always takes some co-ordination. You'll have to spend extra time to relearn that transition when you switch.

It was a little harder for me, my left pinky is disproportionately shorter than my right, and most other people's pinkies. It's about an inch and a half shorter than my ring, 2 shorter than my middle. Lots and lots of pinky action can be a challenge for me.

I taught myself to play G using 1-2-3 finsers, but since taking lessons my teacher is allways getting on to me for not playing it with 2-3-4 (pinky)

It's easy to see why using your pinky would make some chord changes easier, so if your just learning your chords, I'd say learn G using the pinky, it's easier than having to re-learn it later.

I guess its just me but I play G with D fretted on the B string. I think it sounds better then leaving it open.

I guess its just me but I play G with D fretted on the B string. I think it sounds better then leaving it open.

I use this fingering too, but only where i think it matches.

When I first learned guitar, I was taught the 2-3-4, so I naturally opposed anyone who suggested that 1-2-3 was correct. Since I've matured, I may not use it much, but I see the value in being able to finger one chord in various ways.

I've come to learn to play a G 1-2-3, 2-3-4, four fingered, and barred. Each has been necessary to ease transition to another chord in some piece, so its good to know them all.

But if you HAD to pick just one... :wink: