The Bluegrass G chop chord

Torture machine for strengthening fingers

While developing the big stretch 7523 4-finger G chop chord I was hoping to get away with the three-finger X523 chord but it didn't work. As you chop downwards you can avoid hitting the open 1st string at the bottom but you really need to hit (and thus fret) the 4th string at the top. The same goes for all other three-finger chops, i. e. they need to consist of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings rather than the 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings.

Somewhat late in the day I noticed the 452X G3 chop chord which is recommended for beginners, children and others with small hands, and that provides a quick fix to help smooth the transition. It's particularly good when playing in D as the changes between D, G and A are easy. And that also goes for the Key of E which I simply treat as the Key of D moved up two frets. Despite the reservations I expressed before, moving chords up the neck proved much easier than expected.

The 452X is less useful when playing in the Keys of G or C because the C chord shape is rather different. In G or C it's easier to play the 455X G chop chord as it has similarities with C and is identical to the 233X F chord shape. Although these chords cover three strings, they require only two fingers.

So, if I am using 452X in D (and the same shape moved up two frets for E) and 455X in G and C, when do I get to practice the 7523? I'm using that for songs in A which I treat as G moved up two frets. As the frets get smaller towards the bridge the stretch is easier. Once I've mastered this shape for A I'll attempt to move it down for G.

In the meantime I'm building up the strength in my left-hand fingers, particularly the little finger, with a D'Addario finger exerciser.