Mangled Fret Finger Giving It Another Go

Hey all,

I just subscribed to GT. I am going to work on being patient and willing for things to come slow. I have tried off and on with guitar over the years (I'm 47 years old now - where'd the time go!) but have always given up or gone over to bass because it was "easier". I'd really love to play guitar at an intermediate level someday. I have time and time again let myself get frustrated due to my somewhat disabled fretting hand index finger. You think learning C and F are hard for you? Try it with a finger that doesn't bend all the way or straighten.

So, whining aside, what I'm here to do is kick some butt on guitar despite my difficulties and I think the investment in GT will help me stay motivated to press on.

I'm attaching a pic of my finger. Who knows maybe one of you will have some advice for me or will use it to motivate yourself.

Hope to get to know you all here and look forward to being a part of a community of like-minded folks.

Cheers,

Jason

Note: the finger is not locked in that position. That photo just shows maximum bend.

Have you considered starting from scratch and playing left handed? I know it sounds extreme and hopefully more experienced players may come up with less drastic advice but it is one option. Picking and strumming would certainly be easier than chord fretting.

I have considered it and I appreciate the suggestion. I will consider it some more but I know the one time I sat with a lefty guitar it sure felt odd. It’s be tough too to start over since I do know some chords and scales already.

EDIT: Hmmm... there’s a lefty MIM Tele at the GC and I have 5 more days of being able to return my righty MIM Tele.

EDIT 2: I’m going to press on as a righty. Thanks again though for the suggestion man!

Try using the middle index and pinky fingers for most chords. Also, there's the option of bar chord voicings, triads and so on.

For insparation for not having full function of the left hand listen to Django Reinhardt. He had the use of only two fingers after an accident with a campfire, and he sounds amazing.

Originally Posted by: jjab3531

Try using the middle index and pinky fingers for most chords. Also, there's the option of bar chord voicings, triads and so on.

For insparation for not having full function of the left hand listen to Django Reinhardt. He had the use of only two fingers after an accident with a campfire, and he sounds amazing.

Thanks man. Yeah, Django and Tony Iommi are two guys I look to for inspiration on this.

You mentioned using middle and ring finger for most of my chord gripping and that hits on what my big problem is and maybe you have some advice- as a beginner, all the lessons want to take you through the open chords and it seems that barre chords come later. So, as I go through beginner lessons such as what is on this site I have to go through the struggle of the open C and open F that are super difficult for me. I usually have to have my guitar neck cocked at a 45 degree angle to allow the index finger to get where it needs to. Even then it doesn’t always work so well. Is that something that will just take more practice? I just don’t know. Anyway, because of the teaching of these open chords that all the lessons push I tend to go down the road of frustration and giving up.

Long post. Hope it makes sense.

When you have a special circumstance like that, you end up creating your own path more than others might need to. And that’s just fine - another spritz of creativity into the mix! The guitar itself doesn’t mind a bit. It is happy to work with you to come up with workarounds when need be. And so while there are a pile of skills that your funky finger may not cooperate with, there are millions of wonderful ways of making music on the instrument, and you will find a whole bunch of them that open up the world of music for you.

Be well, Lisa

Originally Posted by: LisaMcC

When you have a special circumstance like that, you end up creating your own path more than others might need to. And that’s just fine - another spritz of creativity into the mix! The guitar itself doesn’t mind a bit. It is happy to work with you to come up with workarounds when need be. And so while there are a pile of skills that your funky finger may not cooperate with, there are millions of wonderful ways of making music on the instrument, and you will find a whole bunch of them that open up the world of music for you.

Be well, Lisa

Wow! Didn’t expect a reply from you Lisa! Thanks for the inspiring words!

Love your beginner lessons by the way. I’ve gone through a good portion of Fundamentals 1 and your teaching is one of the reasons I chose to upgrade after my free trial. :)

Do you have any quick suggestions regarding playing the C chord? Should I learn the barre version and play that instead? Should I play the simplified version from the earlier lesson? I know there’s also the CMaj7 where you only need 2 fingers. Again though, I am able to finger the standard open chord version but it is slow to get there due to my lack of finger range of motion. I run into the same issue with F. Perhaps more time pushing for the standard fingerings will smooth them out over time?

Thanks again for the great lessons and for the inspiring reply to my thread here. You really helped me press on and I am going to refer to your reply whenever I get discouraged.

-Jason

Hi again Jason,

So, I’m guessing from the picture that it is your index (first) finger that is slow to come in for a landing due to range of motion issues? Am I right on that?

if that is the case, I would set up a specialized little training exercise for your hand, in which you would place the slow finger into proper position for the C chord, all by itself, over and over.

Watch it with your eyes, watch the spot you are headed for on the neck of the guitar, and see if you can just let that finger succeed in finding that particular spot, very slowly, taking all the time it needs, over and over. The key word is SLOW. And repetitive. You are focusing on this ONE LITTLE MICRO-SKILL while you are doing this exercise, and nothing else.

There is no such thing as failing at it. It is simply a training exercise. Sometimes you’ll hit it well, other times it will be off kilter. All normal. No judgement allowed - just do, and observe.

In this way, you are creating a new neural pathway for that finger which has sustained an injury, and may feel it has ‘forgotten’ or ‘lost’ the ability to do certain things. Old comfortable neural pathways were disrupted by the injury and recovery, and now you can build some new ones!

I’d add this meditative exercise into your practice time every day if you can. Five minutes or so.

Ultimately, down the line, we hope that the slow finger will have learned some new nuances of angle, loosen up or stretch muscular impediments just a bit, learned to suspend any doubt or hesitation that is slowing it down, and it can bravely lead off the formation of a regular Open C chord, trusting that the other fingers in that chord are going to meet it and fall into place.

All my my best wishes to you and all your fine fingers, Lisa

Originally Posted by: LisaMcC

Hi again Jason,

So, I’m guessing from the picture that it is your index (first) finger that is slow to come in for a landing due to range of motion issues? Am I right on that?

if that is the case, I would set up a specialized little training exercise for your hand, in which you would place the slow finger into proper position for the C chord, all by itself, over and over.

Watch it with your eyes, watch the spot you are headed for on the neck of the guitar, and see if you can just let that finger succeed in finding that particular spot, very slowly, taking all the time it needs, over and over. The key word is SLOW. And repetitive. You are focusing on this ONE LITTLE MICRO-SKILL while you are doing this exercise, and nothing else.

There is no such thing as failing at it. It is simply a training exercise. Sometimes you’ll hit it well, other times it will be off kilter. All normal. No judgement allowed - just do, and observe.

In this way, you are creating a new neural pathway for that finger which has sustained an injury, and may feel it has ‘forgotten’ or ‘lost’ the ability to do certain things. Old comfortable neural pathways were disrupted by the injury and recovery, and now you can build some new ones!

I’d add this meditative exercise into your practice time every day if you can. Five minutes or so.

Ultimately, down the line, we hope that the slow finger will have learned some new nuances of angle, loosen up or stretch muscular impediments just a bit, learned to suspend any doubt or hesitation that is slowing it down, and it can bravely lead off the formation of a regular Open C chord, trusting that the other fingers in that chord are going to meet it and fall into place.

All my my best wishes to you and all your fine fingers, Lisa

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for the advice!

I have immediately implemented this into my practice and will PATIENTLY work at it each day (the all caps was me yelling at myself). Last night, while kicking off with the exercise, I thought it might be good to go along with a metronome to further simulate gripping the chord and then letting off and then regripping and so on. Just with the index finger as you prescribed. I don't know yet how well this will work but you gave me more practical advice already than I got from 3 months of live lessons I took a few years ago. Thank you again!

Nice to have a way to address this challenge of mine and I can already see how I can use this same meditative exercise that you prescribed for the F chord as well as full barre chords when I get to them.

Just a wonderful feeling to have some inspiration and practical suggestions all in just my first couple of days on GT! :)

Cheers,

Jason

Yes, that is wonderful!!

I am SO glad to hear you are finding the advice on mind-set and simplicity helpful, and even expanding on your own to use it in other circumstances, like the F.

With that mindset in your toolbox as you continue on as a musician, you will have a very very sold way of dealing with every new challenge that presents itself to you.

It may see counterintuitive - that the FASTEST way to improve a skill is to SLOW it way down, but now you know the secret secret.

Use it in good health, my friend!

-Lisa