The Bluegrass 7452 D chop chord

The 7452 chord (left) is actually only a D3 chord like the
745X (right). The 245X (centre) is a full D chord, albeit
an inversion.

I've felt for some time now that my playing style was too intermediate, i.e. it tended towards Bluegrass in speed and rhythm but used open chords. Apart from anything else, this created a lot of volume and drowned my vocals, especially in a purely acoustic environment. I learnt to counter that by muting the strings with my right palm during the verses, but I've now decided to play chop chords in order to go in a more authentic Bluegrass direction.

One thing that long intimidated me about playing in Bluegrass style was what I presumed to be the importance of the four-finger 7452 D chop chord, but further research in books and online suggests that even Bill Monroe more often used the three-finger 245X chord. And then there is the 745X D3 chord which is what I'm currently using for a closed D chord.

I realise that chords are not played in isolation and that the 7452 chord has its advantages in certain situations if you are able to play it, but I'm very glad to learn it's not mandatory as I'll be able gradually to switch over to closed chords without suffering any hiatus in performing.