Hey & welcome to GT!

Originally Posted by: smdeyoung

I'm just learning the first 5 full chords in guitar fundamentals. I noticed that the fingers used in the lesson differ from the ones my daughter is learning in school.

There isn't one industry standard for playing chords because it depends on the musical context.

When we first start to play we try to fret notes & make chords sound in any way we can! After that we learn a few chords & try to string them together to play music. Eventually you discover that knowing more than one fingering is useful.

For example, the E minor chord played with index on the 5th string will be useful if you are going to an open G major chord next. You can keep the index finger where it is & use it as a pivot point while your middle finger moves to the low E string 3rd fret.

But if you play the E minor chord with your middle finger on the 5th string, then it will be easier to shift all fingers over to play an A minor next. Bottom line is that depending on which chords or notes you need to get from & to next (which is the mucial context), you might need to use one fingering instead of the other!

In the end, the best fingering to use for any given chord or music is the one that helps & does not hinder smooth, natural & efficient motion.

With all that mind, I encourage students to learn a variety of fingerings, because they are going to be useful depending on the musical context.

Hope that helps!