Short fat fingers

[Ron]

Please help. I am 51 and just bought my first guitar. I did good on all the notes but I cant seem to get my first and second fingers to fret the 5th and 6th strings as I started to learn the chords. I have bent my wrist around so much that I am looking like a pretzel. My fingers are short so I need help, thank you very much.
Ron

[StoneDragon]

Hi Ron,

There's really no secret. You just have to work with the guitar until your hands find their own natural groove. Then everything will start to fall into place. The toughest part of learning to play is exactly where you are at... you will see very little progress and a whole lot of frustration, until out of nowhere everything you have struggled with just falls into place.

I used to teach a man who was in his 50's. He had very thick hands, short fingers and very little mobility. To make things even harder, he was a very large man and wore bifocals. This made it very difficult for him to see the strings correctly on the guitar.

We spent about two months of total frustration together while he struggled to get his left hand fingers into position to hold the strings down and hit the correct strings with the pick. One day he shows up for his lesson and everything falls into place. He was suddenly able to play all the chords we were working on and play through the scale that we were working on without making a single mistake.

He called me later that week and informed me that he was quiting... said he just didn't have time for learning to play the guitar.

That phone call broke my heart.

Stick with it. It's worth it.

[doughsstudio]

Hey Stonedragon,
New here, but been lurking around for a while. This post made me decide to register.

I have the same problem as Ron, but hearing all that you have said as well as all of the other knowledgable cats here, I am completely confident in my learning to play!

I started on my Birthday, like 2 weeks ago. I take each lesson very s-l-o-w to be sure I know all there is to know.

At any point in my training, if I feel frusterated or like I am ready to throw this danged instrument out the window, I will definately remember the wise words of you all.

IT TAKES TIME // YOU WILL BE THERE, HAVE FAITH!!!

Indeed stoneddragon, in the story you told here, I would feel such a loss at such a promising musician giving up, I never will.

[Ron]

Hi, I am Ron who wrote here over a year ago. I am happy to say that I had to practice a little more then the lucky guys with long fingers but I am so happy I stuck with it. With lots of practice it was no problem at all playing just about any chord at all. I had to sort of laugh when I reread my original post. I was making a big deal for nothing. Thanks to all again for all the help I got here on many things. Stay with it and practice, practice, practice.

[owwdatune]

hi ron...glad to see you return for such a timely update on your original post..you should drop by more often . LOL .
I'm sure you sticking with it will bring a smile to stonedragons weathered features (heh heh heh).(don't tell him i said that)- http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/unsure.gif LOL- its good to hear from some 1 that struggled thru the hard aggravating part of learning the guitar- http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/rotatesmilie.gif -its so rewarding when that day comes that everything just fits into place & you're actually making wondrous sounds with those same fingers that wouldn't work just a few days ago !!cool.
~T~ http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/cool.gif

[FINGERPICKINGOOD]

Originally Posted By: owwdatune
its so rewarding when that day comes that everything just fits into place & you're actually making wondrous sounds with those same fingers that wouldn't work just a few days ago !!cool.

It only took you a few days!?!?!?!?! http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by FINGERPICKINGOOD (edited January 06, 2002).]

[corky7]

hey guys, i don't know if stone suggested it (i couldn't be bothered reading it all) and he probably did, but i think you should try playing with your thumb just below the half way mark on the back of the neck, this will allow you to get the increased reach that you require for most chords. I also have small fingers but practice has allowed me to hold the guitar as you would when bending notes (you may not have gotten this far yet), with my thumb over the top of the guitar. keep practising and let us know how u get on.
http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/metalhead.gif

[metalicat]

doughstudio,

I'm going through the lessons too. I find a guitar copy helps a lot in taking down the important stuff and the excercises stone gives. You learn as you write.http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/smile.gif
Or you could just print the thing out!! I did for the first few lessons but then the ink went. http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/frown.gif

[rivergrl]

I had that problem, but overcame it by practicing my finger-stretching excercises, which was the police every breath you take, thats really difficult and agonising at first, but gets easier.

If you think you've got it bad, think about me, i have a bent little finger, which makes it difficult. It is bent at about 30 degrees towards my other fingers! Bizarre, i know! But also very awkward and a pain!

[TheDirt]

Hey, I'm a 17 year old guy, but I have the finger length of the average 14 year old girl (no joke, I've compared). I've been playing over 2 and 1/2 years now, and I can reach chords that some of my longer-fingered guitar playing buddies can't. I won't say that finger length doesn't mattter, but I can reach a full Gadd9 chord (bar 3rd fret... 3, 5, 7, 4, 3, 3) with no problem. btw, my middle finger is exactly 3 inches measured from where it hits my palm.

[enformer]

Mine is a little under 3 1/2 inches, but I'm also a short 16 year old (5' 4"), who hasn't hit a growth spurt since forever. I should be expecting one anytime soon.

[5stringer]

mid thirties and i am still waiting for a growth spurt

my pinky is just over 2 1/2 inches and my index finger is just over 3 inches - after hours and hours of exercise and practice I can do a 1st fret / 6th fret stretch fairly easily.

[Hypnotic]

I'm not sure if B.B. King has short fingers but they sure aren't skinny and boy can he play. So, just think of him and you'll be alright.