D/F#

[jumpinjeff]

Great Question @JeffM.22 , fortunately the answer for this one is easy to execute. Let your middle finger holding down the low E string fall down a bit so that it is muting the open A string and you will have the desired chord. Same with the finger you are using on the B string, let it softly contact the high E string so that it too is muted.

[JeffM.22]

Thanks for this, @jumpinjeff 😀

[jumpinjeff]

👍

[N-lightMike]

It is also very easy to pluck these four strings with your thumb and index, middle and ring fingers.

The muting technique that @jumpinjeff explains is important for all kinds of jazz chords and other non-standard chords that will make your playing sound more interesting and more advanced.

MG 😀

[JeffM.22]

I appreciate your comment @MikeGaurnier . In this case it was a strumming song, not FP, hence my confusion.

[N-lightMike]

👍😊

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

Hi @JeffM.22!

I’m not sure what song/exercise this particular chord is in, so there may be a good reason they don’t want you to play the 5th string (or 1st string) at all, but the open 5th string being an “A”, makes it a very correct note in the Dmajor chord.

Dmajor is D-F#-A

D/F# is just the first inversion of the Dmajor chord F#-D-A

So the way Hal wants you to play it is 2x023x which is F#-D-A-D

If you play Dmajor the usual way and wrap your thumb around to hit the F# on the low E string 2nd fret, you could strum all 6 strings and you’d have

F#-A-D-A-D-F#

This is still a D/F#, much easier to fret and you can strum all 6 strings, they are all notes in the Dmajor and it’s still a D/F# chord.

Not sure if this is helpful, like I said, I don’t know what song/exercise the example came from. I know context is everything 🙂

[JeffM.22]

Thanks for this @Carol-3M-Stillhand

For reference, D/F# is used in “The A Team, by EdSheeran, and American Pie by Don McLean, only just two examples in Hal Leonard publication, “First 50 Songs You Should Strum.

I will try your suggestions