G Chord middle finger position

Hoopoe

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Messages
82
Reaction score
93
So pictures say thousand words. My middle finger is bent inwards when holding the G chord, is that normal or a bad habit? At the moment it’s easier for me but wondering if I won’t be able to make smoother and faster transitions going forward. Even G to F isn’t very smooth now.

397698B6-7E13-41A5-A985-A909F020DC48.jpg
 
It's a bad habit, but we all have them and it's not the end of the world.
 
So pictures say thousand words. My middle finger is bent inwards when holding the G chord, is that normal or a bad habit? At the moment it’s easier for me but wondering if I won’t be able to make smoother and faster transitions going forward. Even G to F isn’t very smooth now.
Not a problem ... indeed, can be a significant advantage when wanting/needing to make a "partial barre" using one finger to fret two adjacent strings whilst using the others to play melody ;)

Enjoy :music:
 
The nice thing about playing the ukulele is that if it works for you... go with it.
that is the way I form G. I have seen others barre the 2nd fret - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
strings - and use their middle finger on the 2nd string 3rd fret to form the 0232 (G).

I believe that chord changes become easier and more comfortable over time, and that
by paying attention and experimenting, so-called 'bad habits' may be overcome.

Some chord forming can be difficult for everyone, and that calls for more practice,
especially if the chord in question becomes one one wants to use more and more often. :)

keep uke'in',
 
There are a lot of chords that I play the same chord with my fingers positioned in various ways, depending where I'm going next with it. Being paralyzed over time by muscle memory I think is blown way out of proportion.
 
Try to have a alternative fingering using your (C)middle, (E)pinky, (A)ring fingers.

It's always good to have different fingerings for some chords to help your changes.
 
Mine won't even bend that way! I've noticed that a lot of really great uke players have finger joints that bend inwards.
 
Mine won't even bend that way! I've noticed that a lot of really great uke players have finger joints that bend inwards.

Not one of those great players but it’s good to know I share something with them ��

Playing with three fingers at the moment. Had a look at / tried some chords where I’ll need to use the pinky and I almost burst into tears. It was like, this will be the end of my uke journey. Either that or where you need to hold three strings down on one fret.
 
Beginner here. My G chord looks like that too but is getting more relaxed the more I practice.

I’ve seen videos where the player is holding down three strings on one fret with their index finger and placing their middle finger on top of the index finger to strengthen.

My hands are small so I just can’t reach some chords with my pinkie so I try to find an alternative way to play the chord :)
 
It's not your middle finger you should be looking at, it's your whole hand.

The reason why your finger's the way it is, is because your wrist/back of your hand is facing toward the headstock (at a 45º angle), instead of being parallel with the fretboard.

Your thumb's in the wrong position too. The tip of your thumb should be not be visible when fretting a chord. It should be resting on the back of the neck & it should be the tip of the thumb only resting on the neck, certainly not the heel.

It's a lazy way of holding the uke, and will cause you problems with fretting all sorts of chords, not just a G.


With just the tip of your thumb on the neck, bring your elbow into your side, pivoting on that thumb-tip, to swing the back of your hand round so that it's parallel with the fretboard, rather than being at 45º to it.

If necessary, raise the angle of the fretboard wrt to the ground, until you're comfortable holding the uke with the back of your hand parallel to the fretboard, and the tip of your thumb resting on the back of the neck.
 
In the picture, it looks like the player's wrist is too low, probably with the elbow down against the player's left side. Bring the elbow up, and raise the wrist. Then, the fingers will align properly. The index and middle fingers should be side by side.
 
Top Bottom