WHY YOU ROTTEN SCOUNDREL JOHN!! You've beaten me at my own game! Here I thought I was gonna have some fun with those "Flamer type folks" 'cause I've been so opinionated this week about "Song Circles", "Boozing Guitarists", and the "Reno/Gonzales Travelling Circus". It's only because the BlueJays suck big time this year that I've been glued to Mudcat...well, also 'cause I'm really enjoying it recently.

Ya want chords big fella?

My general rule is: try to have as many "free fingers" in order to decorate the chord, and make your playing more interesting. As far as a "D" goes..If you use a 3 string barre with your index, and play the 2nd string with your middle, you've got a "free" ring finger to put on the 5th string at the 3rd fret..making a nice D7. If you tune to a dropped "D" you can alternate the bass D note with the 4th fret F# (played with the ring finger), go to a 5th fret (6th string) G note..strum the very rich G6 chord and then slide up to a 3 string (thumb) barre, on the 7th fret, making a great Joanie Mitchell A suspended.

As far as G goes, do whatever it takes to gain the strength needed....but when you're able to, learn to do it with the last three fingers...just gives you lots of extra notes to play, while keeping the ring finger firmly on the 6th string G note. Tom Paxton does nice things with this.

I can't tell you how much I've learned from folks' suggestions in the other (disguised) chord threads. I've got about two pages of seriously good ideas from them.

Naturally I felt like a fu***ng idiot in my "Bb" thread. It was obviously TOO disguised (Flatbreads don't interest to many folks) and in Heather's words: "you're such a smart-ass...no-one's gonna catch your little joke!" Not ENTIRELY true..but I learned my lesson (for now anyway, heh, heh.)

Rick