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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:19 pm
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-QFymoY328

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w1KsXg7 ... re=related

Those two vids ought to settle this!

Come on girls, shat up and practice!


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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:08 pm
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When I was a baby I had tiny baby hands. I don't seem to remember it being a problem.






That's why they make different size/scale guitars.

edit: Just thought of something, if you want to fulfill your giant hand fantasies go try one of the 7/8 size (or whatever their called) guitars. For every big handed guitar player you can name, there are just as many ,if not more, normal or small handed guitarist.

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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 3:41 am
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Find a dealer who has an Eric Clapton Strat on the wall and check it out. Let us know how that sizes up for you. In keeping with some of what Ceri has put into words, if you carefully watch Eric play, you'll find that he uses the second finger of his left hand at times to fret notes that most others would use a third finger for, and that's not always above the 12th fret. In other words, his playing style evolved in a self-taught fashion and is the foundation of his tone. Even his vibrato is unique. You try that parallell movement to the frets and see if you can keep the neck from moving the way he manages to. On the other hand, I never ceased to be amazed at Chuck Berry's monster hands. That neck always looked like a toothpick when he handled it, and the spread of his fingers, and what he could cover explained his double stop tones in more ways than just sound.

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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 6:35 am
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ZZDoc wrote:
I never ceased to be amazed at Chuck Berry's monster hands. That neck always looked like a toothpick when he handled it, and the spread of his fingers, and what he could cover explained his double stop tones in more ways than just sound.

As we know, Keith Richards is a gigantic admirer of Chuck Berry. He said there were things Chuck could do he just couldn't achieve, and he didn't know how or why. Then he finally met Chuck and saw the length of his fingers and suddenly he understood!

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 6:45 am
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Don't play any attention to that 'small hands can't play guitar' crap! When I first started I take two lessons, and the teacher told me that I shouldn't think about playing guitar 'because your hands are too small'.

This really messed up my mind for about my first year, I almost quit trying to learn guitar but didn't because I found playing to be fun.

A few years later at a show, this guy walks up to me; "I know you, you took a few lessons from me." It was the same teacher, he didn't play guitar anymore, and had to pay to watch me play.

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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 8:35 am
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thouston wrote:
Don't play any attention to that 'small hands can't play guitar' crap! When I first started I take two lessons, and the teacher told me that I shouldn't think about playing guitar 'because your hands are too small'.

This really messed up my mind for about my first year, I almost quit trying to learn guitar but didn't because I found playing to be fun.

A few years later at a show, this guy walks up to me; "I know you, you took a few lessons from me." It was the same teacher, he didn't play guitar anymore, and had to pay to watch me play.

True, but all things being equal those with larger hands have a greater potential i'd say. Rev Gary Davis is another example; huge hands and his thumb was so big he could chord and fret notes on the 6th 5th and 4th bass strings. This obviously gave him considerable advantage as he had all those fingers freed up to do other things. All of this on a Gibson J200 acoustic remember! no skinny neck electric.

You can be a great player with small hands but you'll have to work much harder at it whereas the person with big hands will find things easier usually.

Tal Farlow is another example, massive hands and not many people could reach a lot of the chords he could play.

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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:27 am
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tunez wrote:
dfrain wrote:
I agree with phreddybee.

I've watched my daughter, who has the smallest hands in the world,
execute some intricate feats on the fretboard,
especially when it comes to really tight chords whereas I (with normal sized hands/fingers) would otherwise fat-finger 'em.

She has a hard time stretching for some Fs, but wow, her tiny fretting hand looks like a tiny nimble spider running the length of the scale.

I don't know if this is the best place to ask, but do you think a 10year old should start on a half or three-quarter size guitar, or a full size?
And if I can ask, how old is your daughter and what size guitar does she play?


She's...gosh...I have to subtract...hold on a sec....24-years old.
She's just extremely petite.
Started playing on a full-sized acoustic at 18 and then got a MIM Strat at 20.

That's a good question about how to start off a ten-year-old. Lots of pros and cons.
Trying to reach all over a full-size might be discouraging, but then again,
can you imagine the stretch and agility that 10-year old would have at 18?


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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 10:32 am
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Quote:
Trying to reach all over a full-size might be discouraging, but then again, an you imagine the stretch and agility that 10-year old would have at 18?
You might ask that of Joe Bonamassa. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 10:16 pm
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Excuse me guys, if I'm not wrong mine would be a Fender 57' Reissue Stratocaster MIJ Since 1993 that has a 7.25" Radius C Shape Fat Maple neck. But I'm not too sure if it's a 25.5" scale or 24.75" scale length guitar, can anyone tell me judging from the pics below? or how do I find out? Please excuse me for the newbie question...

And judging from the pics below, do you guys think my small hands short fingers is alright on this fat neck, or do you guys think it looks like it would be easier if I change to a shorter scale length and slimmer neck? Or it doesn't look that bad maybe it's just my immature technique / perhaps wrong posture?


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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 10:27 pm
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Jimmy25, you have larger hands and longer fingers than I do and I tend to prefer necks about like the one pictured. And your technique looks fine, don't sweat it. :)

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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2012 11:17 pm
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I'm not sure if it's the angle of the camera or what, it does seems like my fingers isn't that short in the pics above, but my hands and fingers are still always shorter comparing to the boys and abt the same size as the girls, or sometimes even smaller! That stretch is done when I tried really really hard and it didn't feel comfortable at all, it's not like a stretch that I can easily make while playing. Here, maybe these pics makes more sense. My fingers are not only short but also quite stubby, maybe a wider neck would give more space for my stubby fingers, but then a slimmer neck would be easier for my short fingers and small hands. Seems like I'm stuck in the middle LOL.

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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 1:16 am
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Fender Strat neck scales are 25.5. Jags have a 24.75 scale. Try a Clapton neck. See what it does for ya.

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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 4:03 am
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My god as if we didn't have enough people worrying about enough inconsequential nonsense like wood, routing and paint. Now we've people worrying about their hands.

Everybody stop and get over yourselves. Your hands are fine, if their not, you'd have found out by the time you were 5.

This bloke never struggled

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CDoJFmd ... re=related

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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 5:18 am
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nikininja wrote:
My god as if we didn't have enough people worrying about enough inconsequential nonsense like wood, routing and paint. Now we've people worrying about their hands.

Haha - I suddenly have a lot of sympathy with that point of view!

Jimmy, judging by this photo, starting from the fourth fret you can reach one fret higher than I can. Stop sweating it, get on and play that guitar, is my advice. 8)

Jimmy25 wrote:
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Post subject: Re: Small Hands. Does It Effect Playing Guitar In A Bad Way?
Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 6:05 am
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When under normal playing would you need a 5 or even 6 fret stretch? Guitar is a modular instrument. Think up and down instead of just across. It's far faster, less messy and far more economic.

One finger one fret, it's the classic rule for a reason.

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