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Short fingers
Hello all, I am starting Tony’s program. I am 68 and have never played but always wanted to. My hands & fingers are small so I am having a hard time reaching the chords from the first instructional video so I am worried that I won’t be able to play. Help please? What is the normal finger placement? Can I use other fingers!
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2 Replies
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Hi @shellwishgmail-com, and welcome to TAC!
I too have short fingers, and I’m 75; started here about 2-3/4 years ago. At first I was despondent about learning because of my short fingers. I ended up trading my original guitar for a parlor size (23.5″ scale length, but only 12 frets to the body. There are other small guitars that have 14 frets to the body and even cutaway styles, if your funds permit.) A youth size guitar can also work, if the neck isn’t too narrow for you. My fingers tend to be fat, and will touch other strings. I have one but it needs restringing, and since it doesn’t really fit me it hasn’t been a priority.
There are also stretching exercises in the Skills section, which helps with the spread of your fingers; check it out. Also as you continue to practice, you will learn little ways of “jumping” your hand so as to reach single notes more easily. For chords, as you gain more understanding of the fret board, you can use triads to approximate some of the more difficult chords.
Good luck, and enjoy your guitar journey!
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Hi Shellwish, welcome. I am going to start with my standard joke that addresses this…..Everybody starts guitar with short fingers, even people with long fingers. Do not worry, short fingers will not prevent you from learning and playing guitar. Many short fingered guitarist have made fantastic careers inspite of short fingers. The biggest obstacle most of us face is finding a way to make playing a daily habit. Showing up 7days week in and week out regardless of circumstance is the key. If you do that you will find the way to make your fingers twice as long….(hint, it has every thing to do with your shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand position.) I meant that to be kinda humorous but strangely true as well. Try to keep the thumb on your fretting hand at the apex of the curve on the back of your guitar neck. This puts the flat of your fretting hand lower creating space for your hand to rotate forward, allowing you to extend your fingers higher on the fretboard so you can reach the bass notes or stretch laterally depending. If the top of your thumb is anywhere near the top of the back of the fretboard as in, your thumb could touch the Bass E string, move it back to the midline apex of the neck to give your fingers the superpower reach. My thumb often migrates there when I am not focused and then I must make that adjustment. It is as if it wants to rest there or something.
You can do this. Make a habit and play, play, play.
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