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Small hands.


astrorainy
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Joined: 10/13/20
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astrorainy
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Joined: 10/13/20
Posts: 6
10/14/2020 3:49 am

I've wanted to play guitar forever. I own three guitars (one my husband's, one my late dad's and one my parents got me when I was 14). The one I got at 14 was my first attempt at guitar playing. It's a large acoustic and I felt very intimidated and had too much social anxiety to go to my lessons.

i decided at 35 it is time to actually learn to make this dream come true. I was under the misconception you had to start off learning an acoustic and whenever I picked up mine, I once again felt like it wasn't physically going to work. When I watched the intro and she said I could use ANY guitar to learn on and that it's easier to press the strings of an electric, I switched to that and it is immensely less intimidating.

I'm very much in the beginning and haven't progressed yet into any playing. My biggest concern is my hands are TINY. Like my fingers are short. I'm worried this is going to hinder my ability to learn. I'm losing confidence before I start and remember why at 14 I found the prospect of this too hard to even start.

Can I have tiny hands and still successfully play? My main interest is rock music and blues.


# 1
manXcat
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Joined: 02/17/18
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manXcat
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Posts: 1,476
10/14/2020 4:43 am

Yes.

Yamaha Pacifica electrics or Yamaha APX600 e-acoustics both have characteristics which facilitate smaller hands with proportional fingers.

[br]Don't make it any harder than it needs to be if you're not an ecto with hands the size of Chuck Berry's or digits which might be mistaken for tentacles of an octopus.


# 2
astrorainy
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Joined: 10/13/20
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astrorainy
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Joined: 10/13/20
Posts: 6
10/14/2020 10:32 am

I have no idea why I didn't think guitars would have options for smaller handed people, especially since so many kids play (and my hands are kid sized). Thanks for the advice! I'm going to start off right by getting the gear I need!


# 3
William MG
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William MG
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Joined: 03/08/19
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10/14/2020 11:07 am

Well this is interesting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DETAPMJC21I

Rob and Lee know what they are talking about. I have seen these 3/4 electrics from time to time and never paid much attention to them, but these are real guitars!

Squire also make a strat version of the 3/4. I am almost tempted now to see what these are all about, but for you they may be the ticket.

Good luck.


This year the diet is definitely gonna stick!

# 4
JeffS65
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Joined: 10/07/08
Posts: 1,602
JeffS65
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Posts: 1,602
10/14/2020 12:56 pm
Originally Posted by: astrorainy

I've wanted to play guitar forever. I own three guitars (one my husband's, one my late dad's and one my parents got me when I was 14). The one I got at 14 was my first attempt at guitar playing. It's a large acoustic and I felt very intimidated and had too much social anxiety to go to my lessons.

i decided at 35 it is time to actually learn to make this dream come true. I was under the misconception you had to start off learning an acoustic and whenever I picked up mine, I once again felt like it wasn't physically going to work. When I watched the intro and she said I could use ANY guitar to learn on and that it's easier to press the strings of an electric, I switched to that and it is immensely less intimidating.

I'm very much in the beginning and haven't progressed yet into any playing. My biggest concern is my hands are TINY. Like my fingers are short. I'm worried this is going to hinder my ability to learn. I'm losing confidence before I start and remember why at 14 I found the prospect of this too hard to even start.

Can I have tiny hands and still successfully play? My main interest is rock music and blues.

Something else you'll want to keep in mind on your guitar journey; don't spend a lot of time worrying about what you can't do but focus on what you are able to do.

I've been playing for decades and there are a few things that I just don't do well because my hands aren't configured in a way that makes it easy. That's a roundabout way of saying that I have average sized hands and for whatever reason, some stretches that other players can do as a matter of common ability, I can't do as easily.

Sure, I still work to improve upon those things but I know that it will only go so far. I don't hyper-focus on them. There is so much to learn and work on with guitar, you've got plenty of things that you will be able to do easily as you progress through learning.

It will take time to make past the first hurdle of just being able to fret chords comfortable and make chrod changes with some comfort. That is the first hurdle and is where most people give up. It seems insurmountable. It's not. It is the most awkward stage of learning. Know this going in and that, if you look through threads in this forum, almost universal to all players starting out.

The stature of your hands may create a hurdle but time, patience and practice, you'll find a way.


# 5
john of MT
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john of MT
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10/14/2020 2:32 pm

On his YouTube channel, Desi Serna has a video about playing with small hands. I haven't seen it and can't vouch for it but I like Serna. You might want to check out his advice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgnFoiqXA8s&ab_channel=DesiSernaGuitar

Good luck, have fun.


"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
# 6

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