Which fingers?

[Iheartbacon]

As opposed to using your little pinky?

 

[PCM]

...As for Griffs advice, there are two approaches to teaching beginners. One is to try to get them to do everything with proper form even if it takes longer because they will not develop bad habits. The other is to get them playing and enjoying making music quickly with whatever way works and additional skills and techniques can be added later.

I highly recommend following GH’s good form and technique emphasis. He doesn’t talk about it a lot, but bad habits and bad technique have the long-term effect of “encasing one in cement” if left to their own path. Very difficult to remedy if left for a long time.

I’m a classic case in point. Bad habit improvement at this age and juncture is extremely difficult to the point of negative frustration. I don’t recommend it.

PCM

 

[Paleo]

using just two fingers is OK for power chords and you can get away with it on an electric with low action, but if you try to play like that on an acoustic or any guitar with higher action, you will mute out the minor third. I would try to learn BOTH approaches, as I find I use them both fairly regularly.

The strings ring clean

@DavidLylis is saying that he can play without muting out the Major or minor 3rd or whatever the heck is on the next string up from his "ring finger/bent knuckle (ouch) barre".

As I demonstrated earlier, there's no way I can.

At the time I resisted doing it because I thought there was a reason that at some point down the road would prove to be a bad habit.

He may find in future situations with other types of chords or with guitars that are set up differently that he can't.

Then he will have to change his approach ("bad habit"?) in those cases.

I can only assume that this is why his instructor "insisted" he do it "correctly" from the beginning.

(And why other members are suggesting the same.)

However, it would have been helpful if the instructor simply explained his reasoning at the time.

(Like Griff, or I, or any of the rest of us, would have done.)

I ain't gonna do nuthin' til someone gives me a reason why.

 

[MikeS]

Before becoming a member of BGU I took a few lessons from a guy at the guitar store. When I played a barred minor chord (among others, but for example) I would cover the 4th and 5th string with my ring finger rather than ring and pinky. He was all over me and told me not to do that. The strings ring clean and my chord changes are much faster. Still, "don't do that". At the time I resisted doing it because I thought there was a reason that at some point down the road would prove to be a bad habit. Now, Griff who seems to say if its workin' for you. . . It's not that I have large fingers, because I don't but the shape of my finger works nicely with this technique. Thoughts?

I've never seen it done your way & I use ring & pinky, but if it works for you and you are comfortable doing it, I can't think of a reason not to do it.

 

[JPsuff]

Regarding bad habits, I recall surfing YouTube one day visiting various sites for playing tips.

I came upon this one site where the hook line was for a particular tune that I liked and this guy was going to show everyone how to play the riffs.

OK, so I click on the video and he starts to explain the various chords and such and then starts his demonstration by showing everyone how to play the opening chord. He began his demonstration by saying that the first thing to do was to fret the 5th and 6th string with your thumb and then...

Record scratch!!!

Apparently this "teacher" had Jimi Hendrix fingers and whatever he does may work for him but for mere mortals such as myself with average size hands the "Two-strings-with-the-thumb" bit just ain't happening!
This pointed out the difference between true teachers and showoffs -- or at least people who don't realize that other folks may not have hands the size of shovels and for whom certain "positions" may prove to be impossible.

This is yet another reason to respect Griff's approach to teaching because he basically teaches in a more traditional or even "classical" manner which allows almost everyone with functional hands of any size to play guitar. Things like fingertip muting, palm muting and proper finger placement are all staples of good teaching. And yes, from time to time Griff may point out that what he refers to as a "Rock Thumb" or single-finger chords will work just fine if one has the facility and comfort in doing so. But he always starts off by demonstrating a more correct way to do something and then offers some alternative ways of doing it and lets the individual decide what works best for them.

THAT's the way to do it!

Before I found BGU, I was doing many of the things Griff teaches (out of necessity) and when I found BGU I was pleasantly surprised to find that I wasn't doing anything wrong but rather I was doing what worked for me and having that confirmed by him gave me a shot of confidence and reassured me that I was not only on the right track but also that technique isn't carved in stone and that there are often many ways to get to the same destination.

So whether one can play chords spanning six or seven frets or if they choose to use a pinky instead of a ring-finger or if you're someone like me who can't palm a basketball (I even have trouble with volleyballs) and thus do not possess the "wingspan" of others doesn't really matter as long as whatever you're doing in whatever way you're doing it produces the result you're looking for.

 

[sloslunas]

I have a tendency to use my middle finger a lot! Oh, wait a minute...we are talking about playing the guitar here. Never mind. Carry on fine sirs...

Steve

 

[Grateful_Ed]

if you're someone like me who can't palm a basketball

I use the Brady (alleged) method. Just let a little (or a lot) of air outta the basketball. I'm still working on how to relate this to guitar (as well as how to dribble a deflated basketball)

 

[Paleo]

I'm still working on how to relate this to guitar

Air guitar?

 

[sdbrit68]

Air guitar?

very easy to intonate

 

[Paleo]

very easy to intonate

Depending on the ambient air temperature and, as you well know, the humidity.

 

[jmin]

Fingers really aren’t necessary...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpgDuBjnTxY&list=RDyck2Qid41Jo&index=7

 

[RobertCress]

Only reason I don’t think it’s a good idea for me is I’d rather have my fingers conditioned for them to all be used, then it would be easier for A7 and such. Just my opinion which don’t amount to a hill of used guitar strings

 

[Terry B]

And for playing a song with quick chord changes such as F#m to Bm at the second position it works better the way he told you to do it; or if you want to do a substitution such as using a minor 7 instead of the regular minor occasionally.