So Rick, let's see if I've got this right. The first chord you describe is this Eb and the second Eb is like this. I've seen Gary Davis use the second fingering a lot. He would play it as a D then slide it up a fret and form a thumbed G. On "You've Got To Move" he worked those two chords back and forth. I have a video tape of Merle Travis using that same Eb chord but he fingered it this way. Of course that only works if you don't need your little finger for anything else.

A natural (no pun intended) alternate for your third Eb is basically the same but the little finger notes the sixth string and damps the fifth like this.

Thanks again for these threads, it seems my interest in Mudcat is not diminished (pun intended).

- Mark