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New with fretting Question
Hi all, the new guy here, already have questions… Starting the 30 Days to Play program and I’ve always thought my hands are too small to play. Just trying out the 12 Bar Blues and I’m already seeing that rear its head. It’s very hard for me to fret with my 1st and 3rd finger from the second to the fourth fret, am I hurting myself by using my !st and 4th finger instead? I realize my pinkie isn’t very strong yet but I can at least get it near the 4th fret whereas my 3rd finger only gets about a quarter of the way into the 4th fret box.
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7 Replies
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@subsailor731 , you can play however it’s comfortable for you. You might just need to do some stretching exercises to get your fingers limbered out. give it a little time. You could get a smaller guitar to practice on? A shorter scale guitar can be a regular workhorse for you. I actually was using a Cordoba 1/2 size for my main guitar for a long time. What are you playing now?
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@Cadgirl I have a second hand Ibanez GT10, which at first I thought was unplayable, but then I visited my local guitar shop. The tech looked at it a said “Holy cow I would have a hard time playing that!” They were able to do their magic on it with a saddle height adjustment, a truss rod adjustment, and restring it. It cost me more than I paid for it, however it now seems like a keeper to learn on. I’m hoping that my hand loosens up, just not a spring chicken anymore. 😁
Okay, so I don’t feel like I’m cheating somehow after your reply so that’s a good thing!
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Hi @subsailor731 , we all adapt our playing to our physical (and perceived) capabilities. IMO there is nothing wrong with using both techniques as you are learning in addition to building your fretting hand dexterity and strength. That said, I have found that when I am attempting something that is “new” to my fretting hand it does sometimes feel as though my hand just doesn’t want to cooperate. When this happens I slow down and then deliberately use different fingerings and approaches to explore what is possible. It takes some work and patience however before too long I find that my fretting hand adjusts. For me this evolution takes less time the longer I have been playing every day (even for short periods)
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@Kitman My biggest hangup will be my very robotic learning personality, i.e. the instructions say to do it this way so there are no deviations allowed. I’m like a computer program line by line don’t pass go and don’t collect $200.
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Good that you recognize that in yourself @subsailor731 ! Maybe you need to write yourself a couple of alternative “sub routines” that allow you to implement some hacks! 😃.
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Hiya @subsailor731 Welcome to the TAC community!! You are not alone in your thoughts that your fingers are too small to accomplish certain fretboard feats!! My advice to you mirrors what was already very nicely said, and it’s to keep doing the finger stretching exercises to maximize your reach, and also to do whatever works best for you to accomplish the drills.
A few other things I could add would be, to pay close attention to your form. Improving your hand position can automatically extend your fret reach well beyond your expectations. If you search YouTube and watch the players with small hands (Muriel Anderson comes to mind) you will see what I’m talking about. Also good is to use your capo and try the exercises on a higher fret where the distances are shorter. Once you have it, start lowering your capo one fret at a time. It’s like training wheels for your guitar.
Best wishes with this, keep at it and remember to warm up and stretch before playing. Keep it fun!!!!
Carol
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@Carol-3M-Stillhand Hi Carol, thanks for the advice! I’ll look up your suggestion on YouTube. I also found a very nice older gentleman from England who has the smallest hands I’ve seen playing guitar, his channel is I am Morrison, only has a few videos but he is very funny about his difficulties he faced on guitar.
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