finger stretching

[mike]

 :-?
Hi everyone,
really enjoying the bbg course Griff;s made it really simple and fun to learn,
i have just finished fast walking blues slow version can get to tempo 90 before going wrong,
the problem im having  is stretching my fingers i have to use 1st and 4th fingers and not 1-3 fingers,
when doing blues in E etc,  i have small hands, and have been playing since last Christmas  and the
course from august, whats the best way stretch my fingers, any help will be  very welcome,
talk soon,
Mike.  

 

[560sdl]

Mike,

I have learned that the relationship of your wrist angle relative to the fretboard can make a huge difference.  I have a 12 bar blues that I am working on the requires a 6 fret stretch and at first I simply could not reach that far.  By adjusting the angle of the wrist (this may require raising the guitar neck toward your left shoulder) it will help you reach.

 

[IrishRover]

In addition to raising the neck (which is the first thing you should do - if someone is facing you the guitar neck should be pointing to about 1 o'clock)  an exercise you can do to stretch your fingers is to play each string up the first four frets  - for example the low  E (#6) index finger on first fret, middle finger on second fret, ring finger on third fret and pinky on fourth fret.  The point of the exercise though is to keep all your fingers in place until all notes have been played then move to the #5, #4, #3, #2 and #1 strings.  You won't be able to do it at first without lifting another finger but keep at it and eventually it will come.

 

[johnc]

You should be fine Mike, just keep playing the lessons and do your best to maintain your finger positions. It does seem impossible at first but you should be able to do it in time.

I'll just add that if you do have smaller hands and it is still a problem, just bare in mind there are shorter scale guitars around.  A lot of guys like the Gibsons for that reason. Angus Young from ACDC is well known for his preference for the Gibson SG.

If you you play a Gibson style guitar already then you just have to stretch them and i am sure you will get it OK. I do know of a local guy who plays a 3/4 guitar because it suits his fingers but that would be a last resort I think.

 

[GRUMPY]

Hey Mike; I totally agree with the other guys. One of the things I do is , I will play the blues scale, but I will start on the 7th or 9th fret and work my way to the first fret, more stretching as you go. I have a cheap Jay Turser semi hollow and the frets are smaller than a Fender. I play that sometimes if my hands are sore,(old age). Good luck, and keep playing, you will get there.

 

[Griff]

In general, stretching the hands is never the problem, and I can almost always fix it with posture. Getting the neck up, adjusting the way you sit so your left hand doesn't have to hold the guitar and can concentrate on playing - those are almost always the fixes.

I actually have small hands for my size, but I can still reach 5-7 frets comfortably if I need to. I assure you that your hand size is not the issue. Try different chairs, footrests, even using a strap when you are sitting down to get the guitar up higher and the neck closer to your own head.

Griff

 

[mike]

Hi
just like to thank all that sent me help with my stretching,
i find the best way is walking my fingers up and down the strings starting 5 fret
then up to 1 fret, good way to practice your alternate picking,
only takes 5 min, i also lift the neck a bit,
all it take's is a bit more be leave,
i ve  just got back home from seeing the master of blues  Joe Bonamassa playing
at Llandudno Wales, really good show, i was up against the barrier, so close if we stretched
we could shack hands bet i don't get that close again.  
thanks to all
Mike.    

 

[GRUMPY]

Hey Mike: Just takes a little practice, Go slow and you will nail it.

 

[Cyberthrasher_706]

but I can still reach 5-7 frets comfortably if I need to.

That's insane Griff. People tell me I have Clapton hands or piano hands all the time and I can hardly make 6 frets (I just tried). I don't think fingers were meant to protrude that far out to the side.

 

[GRUMPY]

I can only do 5 frets, I haven't been able to do up to 6 yet.