| | | Hey Friend,
Many thanks to you that have responded to the Chord Course Survey request!
Based on the responses, the biggest challenge many people have are chord changes. But another recurring issue I've seen is getting the chords to sound clean, which is all a function of how your fingers are placed on the strings when you play the chords. Let's look deeper into that today.
I regularly get emails from folks that believe their fingers are the hold-up for nice clean notes and chords. Either their fingers are too short and stubby, or they're too fat to be able to finger only one string at a time.
Before I get to addressing that, just let me say - even if your hands are the "perfect size" for playing guitar, it doesn't mean guitar will be easy for you. You will have many of the same problems someone with "short" or "stubby" fingers.
So no special pass will be given here for any guitarist... We can all do it! Remember, our fingers aren't used to doing any of the shapes we're forcing them to do at first.
While I agree that physical challenges can be frustrating, they shouldn't keep you from pursuing your goals as a guitar player. Heck, there are very well-known artists that are perfect examples of people that didn't let physical finger issues stop them.
Here are a few...
Johnny Hiland is a big guy. When you look at the size of his fingers, you can imagine how easily he could mash down multiple strings, causing chords to be muffled, not to mention individual notes. Add to that the fact that he's legally blind, he has no problem finding his way around a fingerboard. Watch this video showing just how precisely he plays. You might not appreciate the "chicken pickin'" guitar style, but you have to admit it requires a high amount of skill and precision.
Tony Iommi, the guitarist from the band Black Sabbath, lost his middle and third fingertips in a factory accident, literally right before he was to go on his first tour. They were chopped off by an industrial machine. Watch the video, which focuses on his fingering and shows the prosthetic "fingertips" he re-learned to play guitar with. - Listen to the amazing tone he gets from those fingers...
As you can see from this video, Angus Young is not only short (5 foot 2 inches), he also has very small hands. But that hasn't affected his ability to completely rock a stadium. I had the opportunity to see AC/DC live back in the early 80s, and I can tell you I didn't notice how tall or short he is - he puts on a hell of a show!
Django Reinhardt was an amazing jazz guitarist whose third and fourth finger were paralyzed in an accident when he was eighteen. He was badly burned and these two fingers were permanently damaged beyond use. Didn't stop him at all from ripping up the fingerboard. In fact, he continues to inspire guitar players around the world with his speed and skill.
I point these guys out not to minimize your challenges, but to say "hey, these guys found a way to get past what others saw as limitations."
What can you do about the technical issues of playing chords and overcoming the physical finger aspect? Here are some thoughts...
Muted strings occur for a number of different reasons. When you start out, you have no callouses on your finger tips. Callouses is a thickening of your skin through repeated use. You'll notice many times the bottom of your feet have developed a very thick layer of skin. You need to do this to your fingertips not only to minimize the pain from pressing the strings, but also for better precision and tone in your playing. Calloused fingertips can only be achieved through pressing your fingertips on the strings, which means practicing.
When your fingers and hands are not properly stretched to increase flexibility, the finger stiffness can slow down chord changes until your hand is warmed up. The Chord Course will have an en entire section devoted to exercises you can do to not only increase and maintain your flexibility, but to extend it and give you better reach.
Another issue I've seen particularly with new guitar players is hand position. Many people grip the guitar neck like a baseball bat instead of using the thumb and fingers, like you would an apple. When you are learning and building strength in you fretting hand, you need to make sure your fingers can arch properly so they don't press down the wrong strings. As you place your finger on a string, you want the string pressed down with your fingertip, not the flat pad of your finger.
The only way to ensure your fingers have enough arch to prevent them from muting strings accidentally is to keep your thumb placed on the back of the neck under the fingerboard. Proper thumb position not only helps with playing chords clearly, but it also allows for faster chord changes. It's good to get into the habit of having your thumb placed correctly because it's a good foundation for playing riffs and solos.
Let's not forget about muscle memory - the muscles in our fingers and hands have much more range of motion than we typically use. As your fingers become more flexible and can quickly move between shapes, that muscle memory will continue to expand. A lot like our brains...
Oh, and a thing about fingernails... It's definitely better to keep them shorter on your fretting hand. They can get in the way. Having longer fingernails can cause you to angle the fingers in such a way that mutes the string next door. So just get in the habit of keeping them trimmed up.
Lastly, and it should go without saying, but practice is key to getting past any finger challenges. I understand it can be frustrating to work hard at something and have it be an ongoing problem. It might take some time to tame your fingers so they do your bidding on guitar, but it is entirely possible, regardless what your challenge happens to be.
I'll be providing tools and training to help stretch and strengthen your hands in the Chord Course. In fact, it's fun coming up with new ways to torture... I mean teach you... efficient ways to grow your guitar skills.
But in the end, it's all up to you - I can't practice for you.
However, I'll definitely work to give you the guidance you need to wrangle those chords in the upcoming Chord Course. Have a great weekend!
Peace~
Dave |
| |
|
