Some learning advice?

[pointpergame]

I'd encourage the chord-challenged to keep at it. Chords are an automatic way to put your fingers on the most important notes at a given moment without having to think.
1) An arpeggio is ( usually ) just a chord where may not have put all the left hand fingers down at the same time.

2) When you play along with folk / country / bluegrass / etc., you can separate the right hand from the left. Instead of strum-i-t-y, strumity on every beat, you can play one chord per bar, for instance.

3) Also, when you join a jam and you don't have the chords down yet for a given song, strumming one chord per bar or once per chord change is an easy way to get the flavor of the the songs changes. If one of the chords is a mystery or a physical challenge, you can turn your back to the group or walk over to a corner of the room and (quietly) work it out.

4) I agree that a few easy, movable chord shapes will get you by. The barred A-2nd fret, barred D-2nd fret, barred E7-4th fret carried me for years. But a smallish set like that is a wall you will hit when you want to pass to the next level.

[Pasha Alden]

Must say, I did some of what one of our mandolin friends JazJune said. It works well for me and I really have such small hands.

Strengthening the hand, while really getting the hang of the chord shape helped me a great deal. In the beginning I struggled so much.

I know the odd three or two finger chord shape and sometimes I certainly use them to "cheat" and get me through difficult stretches, however, I do play the four finger shapes up the neck. repetition worked for me. However, I really hear you with regard to having small hands. It is a thing to become accustomed to.

I wish you all the best with this.

Pasha

[crisscross]

I don't play in a BG band or participate in BG sessions, but when recording with a flatpicked rhythm guitar, I find the sound of my mandolin's high e-string rather disturbing and reduce the chords to 3-note-chords on the lower three strings, for example a G major 4-5-5, a C-major 5-2-3 an a-minor 2-2-3, a d-minor 2-3-5 and so on. When playing with other instruments, the rhythm seems more important than which notes exactly are in your chord-voicings. As long as they belong to the chords.

[choctaw61]

I don't think small hands are really the problem.Imo.I see children playing full size guitars.Their hands are a lot smaller than ours.I couldn't do a three finger chord when i started a year ago.I started doing finger stretching exercises everyday i spend at least five mins.on this.I do the stretches slowly on each string.makes no sense t;o try and do them fast.They are stretch exercises.I've worked on this just under three months.I can now go first fret to seventh fret,stretching four fingers.It just takes daily work.I would also say,don't work on things that are easy but work on the things that are difficult.I can easily do four finger chop chords now. But double stops are tuff for me. I practise them daily now.so practise them.Don't just forget them.Good to have in ur arsenal.It gets easier.U will be glad u have them..

[David Lewis]

The chop, as mike Marshall said, should be on the bottom two strings. So stretch from that way. It worked for me.

[bigskygirl]

Make sure your fretting hand position is correct. This guy has a lesson series going over hand position...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1QtnYY...tion_638216013

Don't get all wrapped up in what you are "supposed to do" but make sure your technique is correct, perhaps a few lessons with a local teacher can help out.

[bradlaird]

Here are some suggestions for alternatives to the Big Bluegrass Chop.

[ampyjoe]

Another possible approach is to use the easier first position chords and damp using the little finger (pinky) of the left hand. I see many bluegrass players use this technique in YouTube videos, especially with the open A chord. I think timing is actually a little more difficult using this technique than damping by releasing with the left hand in the standard bluegrass chords, but the fingering is much easier, and the practice is, I think, very useful.

[Isaac Revard]

Here's a series of great videos by Pete Martin that offer lots of hand position and ergonomic-mandolin wisdom. You might benefit from them.

http://www.petimarpress.com/mandolin...%20videos.html