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I'm trying out the CAGED method, and whenever I use the G Form, either my pinky can't keep enough pressure on the High E string, or my ring finger lies so flat that it mutes the A string.

By curling up my pinky and fretting the high E with my pinky knuckle, I get a clean chord every time.

The problem is that it hurts, but I don't know if it's the "I've never done this before" kind of pain or the "I shouldn't be doing this" kind of pain.

I should add that the ring finger on that hand had its tip crushed when I was about 10, so it's a little misshaped. So, while advice on how to finger it properly without using the knuckle is appreciated, it may not work for my unique hand. However, it may work, so feel free to give advice on that.

G Chord w/ pinky knuckle

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  • The CAGED method has you keep your index finger free for barre chords when you move down the fretboard
    – Anonymous
    Jan 27, 2011 at 15:36
  • 3
    For those of us who don't know, what's the CAGED method?
    – Anonymous
    Jan 27, 2011 at 15:50
  • See this question for more details on the CAGED method music.stackexchange.com/questions/1455/…
    – Jason W
    Jan 27, 2011 at 17:50
  • Is that your right hand in the photo? Or has the image been flipped?
    – Anonymous
    Jan 27, 2011 at 21:57
  • It's my left. That'll teach me to use PhotoBooth, it automatically flips images.
    – Anonymous
    Jan 28, 2011 at 0:25

5 Answers 5

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Wow, that looks nasty! Looks like your missing your pinky!

I have no issues playing the caged system in both open and barre but I love the sound of the open G played with just the 1st and 6th G's fretted. Very easy to play and a very nice sounding chord. It goes well with playing an open Am7 with doubled 7ths(3rd and 1st string).

Try it out and and use it instead. You can use your middle or pinky for the 1st string but I suggest you use your pinky to get used to using it. ALSO, because your not fretting the 5th string(A) you must mute it or you'll get a Gadd9 type of chord that won't sound that great. You do this simply by allowing your finger that is fretting the G on the 6th string to rest against the 5th string.

In any case if it's really easy for you to play like you are then I guess you can but realize it will be hard for you to use that pinky for melodic notes and it might slow you down when changing chords.

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Try using your index finger for the A string and your Middle finger for the E string, Then your pinky should fit comfortably on the lower e string...

I would most certainly not hold the pinky the way you are... Since You will get huge problems when learning more difficult chords in the future...

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  • He wants to slide the g form of the chord up the fret board, so he needs his index finger to form a barre underneath.
    – yossarian
    Jan 27, 2011 at 17:15
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I had issues with the G chord as well. Training myself in classical style for discipline requires the pinky to hold down the high E string. Like you, I was either muting the A string with my ring finger or muting the high E string because my pinky wasn't pushed down hard enough. In observing very carefully what I was doing, I noticed that rather than actually pushing down on the high E string when my fingers were properly arched, my pinky's nail (which was actually pretty short) was grinding into the fingerboard and prevented me from properly holding the high E string down to get a clear tone (even when playing right behind the fret). I filed my pinky nail down and voila, I was finally able to apply proper pressure to the high E string to get a clear chord without having to flatten my ring finger causing the A string to be muted.

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Now, it might be easier now to finger the G chord like this, but later on it will slow your chord changes. It would probably be better to use the tip of your pinky.

I think the problem is that when you try to finger the G chord normally, i.e., using the tip of your pinky on the high E string, your fingers are lying too flat on the string. It seems that fingering the G chord like the way you are doing naturally raises the other two fingers so that it is not muting the other strings. What I would recommend you to do is to practice fingering the chord using only the very tip of your fingers. Play each note of the chord to make sure that each note rings cleanly. If you're a beginner, then it helps to keep your thumb behind the neck (later on you can put your thumb over the neck of you like it that way).

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  • The OP doesn't just want to play an open G, it's a moveable G shape.
    – Tim
    Jul 26, 2016 at 9:15
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Fingering the chord this way is not a good idea, because You're building up a bad habit instead of good practice. I'm sure You can get the right sound using Your pinky in normal way, with practice and patience.

Chord You try to finger is basic chord, that You find in the start of learning the guitar chords path. Your fingering will not help You to progress on this path to more advanced chords.

P.S. And to to be advocatus diaboli - things like this can sometimes define Your unique style (i think primarly of Django Reinhardt and his crippled fingers - which has influence on his style and sound), but i don't think this is the case.

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  • I think you missed the OP's point of moving the chord up the fingerboard.
    – Tim
    Jul 26, 2016 at 9:16

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