E chord and E Barre Chord fingering

[intargc]

Since I have started playing about 2 years ago, I have done the E chord and the E barre chord with my pinky on the A string, ring finger on the D string and the middle finger on the G string. This felt the most natural to me considering all the fingers go in descending order (or ascending depending on which way you look at it). Also, this always set me up to go nicely from E to C and even G.

However, I recently started taking lessons and my teacher has told me to switch the pinky and ring finger around. So, the pinky on the D and the ring finger on the A. I have noticed that most chord diagrams agree with him.

I'm just curious as to why this is considered the correct way? It feels and looks less efficient to a newbie like myself considering you have to switch the fingers up to do a C or G and the fingers aren't in descending order anymore...

Can anyone explain why this is the norm and why my teacher is so insistent upon me doing it this way?

 

[GammyBird]

Good question for him I think. I cann't see a problem with it.

 

[intargc]

I did ask him why and he said "more chords are done with this fingering". I guess I should have been like "uh, wait, what?" but since it was a 30 min lesson, I just let it go. I can ask him again next lesson, but the more I've practiced that fingering, the more I've been confused as to why he insisted upon it....

 

[GammyBird]

Do you form Am the same way?

 

[GitFiddle]

I can't even form a stable E chord with the way you described. The pinky is essentially overlapping the ring finger. That seems to be a less natural formation of the human hand.

Learn it both ways if it works for you. Many players just use what works best for them.

Have you ever watched Jeff Healey's fingering?

 

[GammyBird]

Just a bit of picking around leads me to think that it's easier to make quick chord changes when fingered correctly(that's what she said). But if you're used to it, it should make no difference.

 

[intargc]

I can't even form a stable E chord with the way you described. The pinky is essentially overlapping the ring finger. That seems to be a less natural formation of the human hand.

Learn it both ways if it works for you. Many players just use what works best for them.

Have you ever watched Jeff Healey's fingering?

Yeah, I can't make a stable E chord the other way... myself.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I do it the normal way because it feels natural to me. I think it allows for more accurate fingering up the neck, because I'm not trying to get my pinky around the ring finger. Also, the pinky is shorter. Assigning it the shorter reach feels more natural, to me.

 

[6stringelectric]

I do it the way your teacher said. I actually never had any formal lessons, but that way is a lot easier for me, less of a stretch, than how you do it.

But if you're more comfortable doing it the other way, why not? I always thought the important thing is how the chord comes out - if it sounds right it is right, no matter how you get there.

 

[AngryHatter]

No, do it the way everyone else, your teacher included, does it.
Otherwise you are reinventing the wheel.

Forms for chords are there for a reason.

Were you to start a discussion of harmonies within chords I'd have no way to explain to you how to play what we discussed.

 

[gypsyseven]

Just a bit of picking around leads me to think that it's easier to make quick chord changes when fingered correctly(that's what she said). But if you're used to it, it should make no difference.

 

[davies]

For the open version, I use my middle finger to fret both the A and D strings and my index finger for the G string or ring finger (A & D) and middle for G. (Same pattern for the A minor.) It really depends on what's coming after.

For the barred version, it will be ring finger (A & D) and middle finger G.

I wasn't aware that there were right and wrong ways - just traditional ways and however-you-want-to-do-it-that-feels-most-comfortable-for-you ways.

 

[AngryHatter]

How to make it a Maj 7th? Which finger does you use then?
Switching from a C Maj to F Maj in the first position would be more difficult, no?

If you do what is most comfortable, you may be doing it wrong and forming a habit that'll be hard to break.
There are reasons for what we do.
If you'd rather make it up as you go, then why ask? Just do it. You harbor some doubt.

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

It wont be a problem until you start doing real full barre chords, and expanding on them.

Then improper fingering will be such an ingrained bad habit you'll get frustrated.

There's a reason you're teacher is trying to show you the "right" way to make that chord.

It may not make sense now because you're not far enough along in your learning just yet.

Your teacher is trying to build a foundation that later you or he can build on.

Listen to him.

A sh*t foundation,....well,...who wants to build on that?

There are times in life and music it's good to be rebellious and go with your gut.

This is not one of those times.

 

[davies]

How to make it a Maj 7th? Which finger does you use then?
Switching from a C Maj to F Maj in the first position would be more difficult, no?

If you do what is most comfortable, you may be doing it wrong and forming a habit that'll be hard to break.
There are reasons for what we do.
If you'd rather make it up as you go, then why ask? Just do it. You harbor some doubt.

Was this to me?

 

[carydad]

My first thought was, if it works for you great. Then I thought of about a dozen tunes at the moment where I can't fathom playing without a mobile pinky. The standard chuck berry pinky hammer on thing for example. Dropping that pinky down under a 7th to hit the B string etc.

Also, the standard E shape is sort of the base for me. Add and remove finger from that bass is how my brain works, and it works because the index is the root and the ring is the 5th. The more I play with another guitarist and a loud bass player-I leave the root out and do other stuff, but that ring finger is my anchor I build from. With that as the last finger on my hand-I would sort of be stuck in one direction. Kinda like playing twister on the fretboard. I suck at twister almost as bad as I suck at guitar.

 

[Boppy]

I never took lessons. I just played open chords the way they seemed the most comfortable. Luckily, they turned out to be the standard way of playing.

I still use my thumb on the low E string to play the root of chords Hendrix-style though--a lot of people think that's odd, but like I said, whatever's the most comfortable.

 

[lespaul01]

lots of players finger it that way/ I use both.. Play a song like Love me two times by the doors and see what is best for you. I actually like the fingering you are talking about for that riff/song.

 

[mudfinger]

Two obvious examples of why it's more sensible to play an E chord as described by your teacher:

1. Going back and forth from the E chord to a shuffle pattern and back again, a very common move in Blues and Rock.

2. Going back and forth from the E chord to an E7, another very common move in Blues and Jazz.

Later on, you'll find it easier to play partials and intersperse melodic figures into your rhythm playing if you play your E barre chords this way. As Mal noted, it may not make much sense now, but your teacher is giving you a good foundation to build upon later.

 

[chrisuk]

I agree with your teacher and most of the others in this thread - the ring finger on the A string is common to more chords and options. The explanation he gave was indeed the whole answer.