Using the thumb to actually do the work of fretting guitar chords allows you to use your first or second left hand finger to fret notes that you could not have reached otherwise. As you research this guitar playing technique you are going to find that it is a very controversial area of the guitar world. Some guitar players say that they use their thumb all the time to fret bass notes, others say they use it occasionally, while some guitarists call the use of the thumb “poor technique”. Your attitude to the use of your left hand thumb will be guided by the style of music you play and how adventurous you are in your exploration of guitar techniques.

So, basically, your thumb can be used to fret notes on the fifth and sixth strings of your guitar. Before you read any further, pick up your guitar, adopt the playing position and then try moving your left hand so that your thumb will bend over the top of the guitar neck and press down on the sixth string hard enough to give you a clean sound when you pick the string. You might decide to forget about it right now. Some people find it absolutely impossible to do. I should also mention that many guitarists feel that if you can’t execute this technique comfortably, then you are risking serious injury to your hand and arm if you try it for any length of time.

Let’s go a bit further into this technique. Fret a first position G major chord with your second finger on the G on the sixth string, your first finger playing the B on the fifth string, and your fourth finger playing the G on the first string. Now take your second finger off the sixth string G and put your thumb in its place. Quite possibly you will have to take your finger off the fifth string, leaving the thumb fretting the sixth string and your pinky fretting the first string. Your left hand palm is going to be flat against the back of the guitar neck.

Many guitar players who have trained their hands to use the thumb for fingering chords, love the fact that the little finger is now free to play extra notes that wold not have been available to them using the conventional chord technique. Jimi Hendrix made good use of this way of playing. Cat Stevens was another player who made use of the thumb to fret chords. If you are interested in blues guitar, you will find that many of the blues innovators like Robert Johnson and Mississippi John Hurt used their thumbs for playing bar chords.

So the case is clear. Whether or not you use your thumb to fret bar chords is entirely up to you. Everybody’s hands are different, and if it is too painful for you to use this left hand technique then don’t do it. The degree of versatility you might gain is small compared to the damage you could do if you keep trying while your arm and hand are hurting.

Here’s a video lesson on using the thumb to fret notes . . .

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