Short Fingers - Problem Freting


peaceiscoming
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Joined: 10/24/09
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peaceiscoming
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Joined: 10/24/09
Posts: 2
09/30/2013 4:35 am
Howdy, All my life I've wanted to play guitar. Finallly joined up here on GT and bought a Taylor Mini that Neal Walter on here recomended as a good beginner guitar for short fingers etc.

I have short fingers and they're apparently a bit fat or large on the tips because I have great difficulty trying to press individual strings without touching the open strings AND difficulty stretching my fingers to form notes/cords.

Have any of you had this problem? If so and you found a way to overcome that problem please give details about your solution and methods etc. Surely there must be a way for folks like me to play guitar.

Discouraged beginner, Andre
# 1
john of MT
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john of MT
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09/30/2013 12:49 pm
Hang in there, Andre. Virtually all of us had those problems at the start. And short fingers never grow. ;)

Start at the start...Guitar Fundamentals 1 in the Core Learning System gets you going and your reach WILL improve as you progress through the beginner lessons. Once you get into the lessons, take a look at this, http://www.justinguitar.com/en/TE-007-FingerStretch.php . It also will help with stretch (and flexibility/coordination). Don't be discouraged...listen to what Justin says about his short finger(s).

IMO, you should concentrate on the lessons first, then start up Justin's exercise if you feel the need.

Best of luck...stick with it!
"It takes a lot of devotion and work, or maybe I should say play, because if you love it, that's what it amounts to. I haven't found any shortcuts, and I've been looking for a long time."
-- Chet Atkins
# 2
Slipin Lizard
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Slipin Lizard
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09/30/2013 6:35 pm
Andre, John is right, its a problem pretty much all of us have at the start, regardless of how our fingers are shaped.

There is a lesson where Christopher explains how to learn new chords, and I think a lot of people miss the importance of what he says. In a nut shell, to learn a new chord:

-place one finger at a time. Start with just one, strum all the appropriate strings slowly, and listen for any bad notes or buzzing. When it sounds clean, add the next finger.

-After adding the second finger, strum slowly again. If you hear a bad note, or some buzzing, remove the finger you just added. Backup, and find where the problem is. Add the finger back, strum again. Repeat until you get the notes sounding cleanly.

-Repeat this procedure until you can slowly strum the chord and all the notes sound cleanly. Eventually, you'll find you can make tiny adjustments without removing your fingers from the fretboard, but the point is, GO SLOW and get each note right before attempting to add the next.

You may run into the same problem trying to switch between chords:

-first, make sure you can play all the chords cleanly.

-next, strum one chord, play it clean, then switch to the next chord. Take all the time you need before strumming. Do not worry about tempo at this point. Only strum the next chord when you believe you have it fretted properly. If you get bad notes or buzzing, trace it down like you did when learning the chord.

-you can add a metronome and try strumming & changing in time once you have the chord changes down, but don't try it before hand. If you try to force it, and just play through with bad notes and buzzing, it will take you a lot longer to get it sounding cleanly. Playing the notes, and then the chords, correctly every time, regardless of how slow you have to go, is the fastest way to learn them.

Good Luck!
# 3
guitarlessons1
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guitarlessons1
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10/07/2013 2:10 pm
Just take one day at a time, I always say use a capo on 5th fret to begin, so you are not stretching too much
http://guitarlessonsuk.co.uk find your local tutor here!
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# 4
BJCleage
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BJCleage
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10/15/2013 6:27 pm
Originally Posted by: guitarlessons1Just take one day at a time, I always say use a capo on 5th fret to begin, so you are not stretching too much
Hello don't mean to be stupid or any thing but what is a ( capo )
# 5
compart1
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compart1
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10/16/2013 2:02 pm
From wikipedia
A capo is a device used on the neck of a stringed (typically fretted) instrument to shorten the playable length of the strings, hence raising the pitch
# 6

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