Question on G Chord in 5 Chord Power Pack

So I bought a new guitar from Guitar Center and I am in love!

While talking to sales guy (who could play well) I was strumming some chords on different guitars and he said "Don't play G like that, play it like this". Then he added my ring finger to B string and my pinky to the high E. He said this is the way muscians play it. It did sound better to me than the way we are taught to play it in the course. It also seems a bit easier because when I'm playing I Get It Now at full speed my pinky sometimes ends up getting in a tangle with my other fingers.

Would it be bad to switch to playing G the way he showed me at this point? Is there a reason why that particular G was selected (hand training reasons or something)?

Everyone has a different way of forming the G Chord, that's how he prefers to play it. The reason is to do with switching speed and maintaining rhythm when changing chords during a song. Play the G and all other chords in a way that's proper, but comfortable for you.

My favourite way to play G is index finger on the Bass A, middle finger on the low E and pinky on high E. My ring finger gets ignored, hanging above the strings like a ninja waiting to strike. I'm stubborn and won't change, despite trying all the different ways!

Later on, you'll be switching fingers as your index finger will move and be pressed flat on all 6 strings to form Barr chords. For now it's important to just get used to chord positions and how to play them clearly, as you'll need to know the chord shapes later on. These chord shapes won't ever change, despite which fingers you'll use.

The sales guy you mentioned has probably been playing for years, stay focused on your current level and have fun :-)

Another way of playing a G chord is to use middle finger on the A string, ring finger on the low E string, and pinky on the high E. If that sounds like it makes no sense, try doing it and then changing to an "open" C chord shape.

As for the "This is how musicians play a G chord" comment, the salesman was talking out of his hat (I'm being polite). "Musicians" will play whatever chord voicing using the most logical or convenient fingers to fit the situation. All he was showing you was a different way to play a G chord, and not "The musicians' way".

I've been playing guitar on and off for a few decades, and can think of several different ways of playing what would fit as an open G chord, using anything ranging from 1 to 4 fingers, and sounding 2 to 6 strings (although some might argue that it isn't a true G chord unless it contains the Root, 3rd and 5th notes of the scale). I sometimes choose one voicing and fingering on a whim, other times because it sounds "right", and other times because it's the easiest to use to fit between the previous and next chords/etc.

Enjoy your new guitar, and your journey to hopefully becoming the guitarist YOU want to become.

The fact of the matter is, that there are G chords all over the neck, way more than most people will ever learn. There are also many ways to finger those G chords. They are all G chords. They all can be used to embroider the music by adding suspence or depression, or joy.....etc.

As you grow in your musicianship, you will play any given chord in the best position for the specific demande of music your are playing. There are also many ways to finger any of those chords and they are all right, if they work for the piece you are practicing. If you continue to grow as a guitarist, these diffrent approaches to a given chord or its fingerings will help you to increase speed and have better support for the melody becuse the chords a played as high or as low as the song demands.

You may need to play the same chord at diffrent octaves, or jump to other difficult chords, and fit in lead lines in inbetween the beats..... The ablity to play the same chords in diffrent places and with different fingerings is a very useful tool for acheiving musical virtuosity.

I would say play your G the way you want, as long as it is a G chord and not some dissonant outlier. Then go on to learn other G positions and be able to change them up as needed. The only real rules are that YOU, YOUR FELLOW MUSICIANS, AND YOUR AUDIENCE ENJOY THE MUSIC!

Thank you to all for your comments above. Each of them provides useful perspective and insight.

This site is great but since I'm not playing live for a teacher I'm trying to be careful to learn the right way.

Now at almost 4 months in I've come so far...it's still my favorite thing every day. So fun to be able to play a variety of songs and sing along!

You're welcome. Which guitar brand/model did you buy?