Thumb Over Minor Chords

[J.acoustic]

I was curious if anyone could help me out with the following technique.

From time to time I do thumb "bar" chords. It is primarily the major ones, but sometimes I'll do m7 chords just partial bar on DGB and thumb over on E. I can then hammer on DBG strings if needed (on D string for regular minor). This chord is similar to inverted A form bar chords (using ring finger for the 3rd on A string).

Anyway, I was watching John Mayer play the song Dear Marie and saw he played what I believe is a F#m chord but he doesn't seem to be using a partial bar with his index at all? It's at 3:45 in the link below, hopefully it works to put you on the right time.

http://youtu.be/eZHBH1MoT3g?t=3m45s

I'm stumped as to how he is playing the chord that way. Does he just have big fingers and can catch two adjacent strings together with a partial bar? Is that a technique any of you use? It would seem useful since sometimes the position of barring my finger isn't as efficient. However, I'm just not sure my strings are close enough / fingers are large enough. Still, I was wondering if there is a technique behind this I'm not aware of.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by J.acoustic

Anyway, I was watching John Mayer play the song Dear Marie and saw he played what I believe is a F#m chord but he doesn't seem to be using a partial bar with his index at all? It's at 3:45 in the link below, hopefully it works to put you on the right time.

http://youtu.be/eZHBH1MoT3g?t=3m45s

I'm stumped as to how he is playing the chord that way. Does he just have big fingers and can catch two adjacent strings together with a partial bar? Is that a technique any of you use? It would seem useful since sometimes the position of barring my finger isn't as efficient. However, I'm just not sure my strings are close enough / fingers are large enough. Still, I was wondering if there is a technique behind this I'm not aware of.

I think he's playing it as follows:
-x- mute with index
-2- index (or possibly muted)
-2- index
-4- ring
-4- middle (fretting or muting?)
-2- thumb

I don't have big fingers, and can do that easily. The tip of my index sits on 3rd string, flattening towards a barre, enough to fret 2nd string but not first string. IOW, the pad of my index, rather than the tip itself, squashes on to the G-B strings. That looks like what JM is doing (he's also lifting his ring off the 5th, as if alternating fretting and muting it).

However, it doesn't really matter if you only fret strings 6-5-4-3 - or strings 6-5-4-2, or 6-4-3-2, or even only 4-3-2 - that's still a complete F#m chord, with all 3 notes present.

An alternative (if pinky is not being used for something else) is this:
-x- mute with index
-2- index (or possibly muted)
-2- index
-4- pinky
-4- ring
-2- thumb
...which I find easier.