Subject: Big Fingers and Cramped Spaces...
You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com. If you don't want to receive these e-mails any longer, go to the bottom of this message and click on "unsubscribe." Hey there Friend, Hope you are well. I got to work on our broken dishwasher over the weekend - aren't you jealous?Not exactly my favorite thing to do... (I hate working on home repair issues!) Inevitably, I either don't have the right tool for the job, or I end up getting myself into small, closed-in places with just enough room to get a tool in there, but next to no room to actually "work the tool." So what the H-E-double-hockey-sticks does this have to do with guitar? Well, I'm glad you asked! Gary sent me an email, and he's a bit frustrated. Seems he's got larger fingers and is having a tough time keeping his fingers from muting strings. He writes… Fingers keep hitting the strings. not enough room between strings or frets. Getting fed up with people saying "practice", like my fingers will suddenly get smaller! If I can't learn a few power chords in drop d I'm gonna sell the guitar! Whoa, Gary, let's not do anything rash! Quick reminder: Don't forget to check out the Berklee College of Music Intro to Guitar Course at Coursera.org. It got pushed back a week until April 29 due to the bombings in Boston, so there's still time to enroll if you're interested - it's free! Now as far as playing Dropped D power chords Gary, there shouldn't be any problems, big fingers or not. In fact, I would think larger fingers would help with Dropped D power chords. You can use your index finger to barre the lower three strings: low E (dropped down to D) , A and D. The strings played open will give you the D5 chord (D power chord), second fret is E5, third is F5 and so on. When it comes to standard tuning, the string-muting finger issue becomes a little more "pressing" (Hah)! First off, take a look at anything Johnny Hiland (here's a vid to start you out). He's a big guy with big fingers, but makes the guitar sing… I believe what we have here is not so much a problem with finger size, but with technique. While it is frustrating at best, this problem can actually be a benefit once you get the technique mastered (as you get better at playing, you actually want to be able to mute strings). With guitar strings less than a centimeter apart from each other, this can be a real challenge for people with bigger fingers. It's interesting, though, that even people with smaller fingers have the challenge of muting the strings starting out. What I have found with many of my beginner students is that they tend to press the strings with the wrong part of their fingers. Part of the reason for this is because they haven't built up the calluses on their finger tips. When you press your finger on the string, it creates a nice groove in your skin as the rest of your finger presses down to the wood of the fingerboard. The fingers tips get sore very quickly and the notes aren't playing clearly, so you try to compensate by pressing with the finger pads rather than the tips. With the fingers at less than a 75-90 degree angle, there's much more finger covering the strings and fingerboard. Once your finger tips have toughened up, it will take less force to press the string down and get a clear tone. There won't be as much surface area of the fingers interfering with the adjoining strings, and you should begin to hear the improvement as the individual string notes can ring out. There really isn't any shortcut to building up the calluses on our fingers. Sorry to say it, but it will take some time and practice. And just so you know, your fingers will always get a little sore after playing - it's just an occupational hazard. But by that time, you're pretty used to it, so it doesn't bother you anymore. Here's an exercise to help build the calluses. It's kind of mindless, so you can do it while you're watching TV. Just play chromatic scales. Chromatic means you're just playing each successive pitch up a scale. What I mean is, starting on the sixth string (the fattest one), put your index finger on the first fret and play it. Then put your middle finger on the second fret and play that. Ring finger on the third fret, play, and pinky finger on the fourth fret, play. Then move up to the fifth string, first fret, index finger. Repeat on all strings, then reverse and go back down to the sixth string. So on the first string (the thinnest), you would play the fourth fret with your pinky, then the third fret with your ring finger, etc. Once you get back to the sixth string, first fret, slide your index finger up one fret to the second fret. Rinse and repeat the exercise and keep going until you've worked your way up to the twelfth fret. Then work your way back down, one fret at a time. Mwahahaha, sweet evilness! Download exercise diagrams here... In the span of a half-hour sitcom, you can have these exercises done AND raw fingertips. I guarantee after a couple weeks of this punishment, you'll have fingertips of steel! Another issue could be the angle that your fingers are approaching the strings. If they are not perpendicular to the strings, you're not using the finger tips and you need to focus on correcting that technique. The exercise above will help. Make sure you pay attention to where your thumb is on the guitar neck. You may need to slide your thumb more underneath the neck to allow you to reach the sixth string comfortably. The thumb acts as a sort of anchor to give you the leverage you need to play the notes correctly. An additional benefit is you will be creating some good habits for your finger muscles, and you will be developing good form with your fingers. When you play individual notes or leads, it's fairly important to have "good arch," as I call it. What I mean is your fingers have a nice curve to them as they approach the fingerboard. So to sum it up, 1. Toughen the finger tips - build up the calluses using the exercise 2. Focus on the finger approach - adjust your thumb if necessary 3. Make sure you have good form - arch those fingers Cheers! Let me know if you have questions… Peace~ Dave Dave "Eddie" Vance is a rock guitar enthusiast and gear nut. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years and enjoys tormenting the neighbors every chance he gets. When he's not slaving for the man, you can find him rocking out with his B.C. Rich Bich guitar, a cold beer and some sweet tunes. He also runs Learn-To-Play-Rock-Guitar.com, but you knew that already! Follow Learn To Play Rock Guitar:I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? Please let me know at: dave@learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com As always, please feel free to forward this email to a friend! I review products before recommending them. If you buy a product based on my recommendation, I will receive a commission. However, my emails also contain links that don’t require any investment on your part and are jam-packed with "juicy, guitar learnin' tastiness". We don't rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to forward this issue to any friends you think would enjoy its contents. They will thank you. So will I.
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