Power chord fingering


jpatrickschu
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jpatrickschu
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10/03/2020 3:36 pm

Index n pinky? Index n ring? All 3? I've seen all of the above but not sure which one is the most efficient.


# 1
JeffS65
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JeffS65
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10/05/2020 3:31 pm
Originally Posted by: jpatrickschu

Index n pinky? Index n ring? All 3? I've seen all of the above but not sure which one is the most efficient.

I tell ya, in all my years or playing, the best answer I have is; depends on my mood.

Not very technical but the truth is, I don't much put thought in to it. Mostly it matters when I need my pinky to do something seperate while playing the power chord. On average though, I probably use my pinky more. My pinky is strong as far as pinky's go and it's comfortable. But really, don't sweat this one too much.


# 2
manXcat
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manXcat
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10/05/2020 8:52 pm
Originally Posted by: jpatrickschuIndex n pinky? Index n ring? All 3? I've seen all of the above but not sure which one is the most efficient.

Here's my take. I use all, [u]circumstantially[/u]. As you grow, you'll learn and assimilate so you just know intuitively which technique fits and works best for a particular song, for you, instinctively deploying it.

I prefer single (ring) finger and use it most of the time, but what I use depends upon the tempo, pattern and position of the barre chords within the context of the song. Frequently I will choose to use both ring and pinky, and occasionally the pinky instead of the ring.[br][br]A prime example of when I find [u]two fingers more efficient than one[/u] for a power chord is either The Kinks "You Really Got Me" or "All The Day And All Of The Night" played original Dave Davies style. The slides are so fast and their timing critical to the rhythmic core of the song, if you use single (ring) finger, though subtle there's more pressure required to fret the chord which results in longer (micro-) time to release/reapply along with a resultant greater transitional friction/ finger drag. Index and pinky in concert with less pressure just work better here [u]for me[/u]. I learnt it using just the ring, and so I can play it either way, but prefer the two fingers. And here's an observation, for my stature & hand span, I discovered short scale (as Dave Davies played the original) is easier for playing that song with the same power chords so low down the neck. i.e. First twelve bars are sliding G-F-G-F-G (Note: for clarification, power chords, so technically G5 & F5).

"Paranoid" played at the twelfth OTOH, there's plenty of time between chords, so I use ring finger only [u]for the main riff[/u].

"Revolution" (fast electric version), though not a barre chord, so low on the neck I alternate between using ring and pinky for the 12 bar, using ring on the 3rd and 4th strings, pinky for the 5th string. That reach/fit facilitation is more efficient [u]for me[/u].


# 3
jpatrickschu
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jpatrickschu
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10/06/2020 12:43 am

Thanks for the responses, much appreciated


# 4
anish.bhardwaj7722
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anish.bhardwaj7722
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11/02/2020 10:06 am

Thank you soo much for such awesome and useful information.

It really heldped me alot to understand about the whole stuff.

https://www.amogue.com/collections/nehru-jackets


# 5

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