EGS Lesson Nine Developing our rock chord library
EGS Lesson Nine Developing our rock chord library
Each one of these new chords has a feature which has not been in any of the previous seven chords.
In the chord of C, you can see that three fingers are required, but each one is on a different fret.
To ensure that the hand will stretch wide enough, make sure that the thumb is placed behind the second fret and is pointing vertically [across the neck of the guitar]. Do not allow it to creep behind the first fret or fall sideways pointing away from the body of the guitar.
Regarding the height of the thumb on the back of the neck [position 'across the neck' - see Anatomy of the modern electric guuitar in Lesson 1, Page 13], feel free to try this in a high [towards the bass(low) string side of the neck] and a low [towards the high E string side of the neck] position. Lowering the thumb on the neck means that the fingers are allowed to stretch into a much wider position.
If the thumb is placed slightly higher, then this can create a more secure grip and often has the effect of angling the fingers and allowing the joints to bend more easily. This means that the fingers come flush onto the fingerboard and can avoid the other strings.
Experiment! It should not be necessary for the thumb to be more than half way down the neck, but equally it may be more comfortable if the thumb is placed above the neck - with the palm of the hand on the back of the neck.
Play the following exercise on a C chord, ensuring that all strings ring clearly. Each finger should not touch any string other than the one it is fretting.
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Once the chord plays clearly, practice strumming on the chord of C.
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