TAC Family Forums

I am so excited someone else asked about this issue. I had posted a question about hypermobility a few months back as well.

My middle and index finger on my left have the most issues with my knuckles dipping when I’m holding chords.

A few things that have helped me:

* Don’t press hard – the harder I push the more likely it is for my knuckle to slip. Stressing the joint if it is weak won’t (in my experience) get it stronger – it can cause your body to guard against the slippage by stiffening other areas of the body (I have really bad issues with hypermobility my lower body & hip)
*My PT always reminds me that other people want more flexibility & stretch – but for me, it is better to think about finding stability. This leads me to thinking about chords where I can have stability while playing.
*Think about different versions of this chord shape – there are some chords that I cannot do with my hypermobility (yet at least). You can look up different variations of that chord up and down the guitar neck. There is a G chord that triggers my hypermobility badly, but a different G that has less of a stretch and more support.

*Speed – some chords I can do with stability at .5x of a song. If I try to play it quickly I don’t focus on stability and then my knuckle sags. I find playing slower with light pressure to be a great way to build strength, muscle memory, and security in my body. I’ve been working on a Tom Petty song that caused a lot of hypermobility a few months back. I want to play it faster, but the slow speed has helped me gain confidence with a few chords that used to feel impossible.
*I second Carol’s suggestion of a Capo. The frets are closer and can reduce your stretch. My fingers slip the most as I try to stretch without strength.
*If my left hand is not doing well one day I will switch to practicing fingerstyle with my right hand with super simple close chords.

Feel free to try these, or if they don’t work for you that is totally ok as well. Listen to your body.

I’m excited to hear about any tips you find as you progress in your guitar journey. It has already been really helpful for me reading through the tips from other folks.

Cheers, Kay