Thumb Chords

tommaso

Hi all,
I’m trying to use gypsy chord forms which employ the thumb. First problem is that these chord forms are difficult to me. Moreover I have noticed that, for some chords, the use of the index instead of the thumb seems to be equivalent (see example below).
Could anybody explain why these chord forms employ the thumb ? Is there any hidden reason for that?
Thank to all,
Tommaso


Dm (Gypsy form) Dm (standard form)


e------1----------------- ---------1------------------------
B----------2------------ --------------2--------------------
G---------------4------- --------------------4--------------
D---------------3------- ---------------------3--------------
A-----T----------------- ----------1------------------------
E-----T----------------- ----------1------------------------

5th fret 5th fret

MichaelHorowitz

See:

viewtopic.php?t=992

tommaso

Thanks a lot Michael,
Your replay is illuminant as always.
Tommaso

P.S. We all are waiting for Gypsy Rithm Book(don't forget it).
Thanks again

Powerfibers

I have been working in the book, L'Espirit Manouche, but am I the only one who plays some thumb chords but cannot get the ones listed by Romane right from the get go? Man they are tough!

Bob

jimbo

mmaslan wrote:

"I've found some of these really hard too--the ones at the beginning of the intro to Nuages in Unaccompanied Django, for example--and I'm wondering whether it gets easier with time. Is there a way to build up facility with these chords? Flexibility? Some of them HURT!"

Reply From 'JIMBO':

Hi everyone. I'm new to internet forums.

I've been playing guitar for around 30 years but only started using thumb chords last year. I bought 'thumb chord technique for guitar' which covers them all in standard tuning. It's true that small hands would restrict the method (especially on acoustic). I've got medium sized hands and I can play just about all the chords in the book. It's true that your hands are more able to stretch over time.

Has anyone else got this book? If so, how are you getting along with including them into your general playing technique? People say my playing style has changed and that it looks unusual when I play. I seem to have changed the way I hold my hand on the fretboard (more relaxed and flexible). There are certainly many new textures available with these thumbchords. Sometimes I can get that Hendrix effect of two guitars playing at the same time.

I also bought a Django Rienhardt book with some thumb chord progressions in. I bought the thumbchord book from [url=http://www.spectralmusic.com]www.spectralmusic.com[/url].

Cheers!

Jim
-----------------------

gijsdhaene

Let's get these small hands to work. This topic is just what I needed.

Craig Denney

I was researching this topic. I thought I was doomed with not being able to use my thumb. I've never done it, because I tried to do it in the past and just couldn't do it. Michael's advice of doing it every day, and you'll eventually get it... just what I needed to hear.

That also reminded me... I was having a very hard time when I was first learning mandolin about 6 months ago. Everything felt uncomfortable at first. I was amazed at my progress after just a week of practice. Fingers seemed to go where they needed to, and it wasn't as much work.

Anything new is hard at first, and takes work. Your hands can learn to adjust.

Jon

Yeah, don't give up. It hurt me like hell to begin with, and I thought I'd never manage the big minor 6 chord. Now I've got a proud callous where my thumb sits over top of the neck Good advice - a little bit every day, and sooner or later you'll be fine. I used to be a real snob about Hendrix and the thumb as well, but now I love playing that stuff in the way it was originally done.

klaatu

It seems funny to me that some people are struggling so much with thumb chords. I've been playing them since I was ten years old. My parents had bought me a great big Kay archtop with horrible action to learn on, and I could not manage barre chords on it to save my life. I "invented" some thumb chord shapes, thinking that I was cheating, only to find all these years later that they're common in GJ. AND I have small hands, AND my GJ guitar necks are substantial. And I still don't like barre chords.

The Dm gypsy chord shape shown above in Tomasso's post is a breeze.

Michael's right, you just have to keep working at it. I have a lot more trouble with the stretches required for certain chords, but constant repetition has overcome some of that.

Craig Denney

The Dm shape posted above... I can barely get the edge of my thumb to fret the low E. And I have to severely contort my hand, bending my wrist backwards to get my thumb on the E and A, while fretting everything else.

My hand just doesn't do that.

@klaatu... if you have small hands and can do that, then my hands must be smaller than I think. But they're not that small.

I'll keep working with it. Gonna take some practice to get to it smoothly.