Fingering

[Parafox]

Yes, I know.

The thread title is deliberately double-entendre.

I'm trying to learn to play acoustic/electric guitar. I have quite short fingers and I find it quite difficult to get my fingers on the frets and press down enough to get the chords. I've sometimes made my fingertips bleed trying to get the required pressure on the strings and I just can't seem to be able to reach my fingers right across the fret board (guitar neck) with enough pressure on the strings to generate the chords. 

Any advice?

[Jattdogg]

Lol sorry had to laugh.

 

...You know what they say about men with short fingers...

 

Jattdogg, you  childish idiot.

 

Ok feel better now. I don't have any advice.  

 

YouTube it???

 

 

 

 

[Alf Bentley]

Get some tuition from Paul Konchesky? 

 

 

[Oxfordfox83]

29 minutes ago, Parafox said:

Yes, I know.

The thread title is deliberately double-entendre.

I'm trying to learn to play acoustic/electric guitar. I have quite short fingers and I find it quite difficult to get my fingers on the frets and press down enough to get the chords. I've sometimes made my fingertips bleed trying to get the required pressure on the strings and I just can't seem to be able to reach my fingers right across the fret board (guitar neck) with enough pressure on the strings to generate the chords. 

Any advice?

Cliched and tedious, but the answer is unfortunately practice.

 

Can’t say I ever bled, but if you play fairly regularly then before long you’ll get calluses on the end of your fingers, which should make everything much more comfortable (I think you should probably let things heal a bit first, but maybe ask a paramedic…)

 

In terms of stretch, again, as you become more precise in your movements you’ll be able to cover more frets without discomfort, and your fingers will find a way to form barre chords without pressing down so hard. Boring advice is start on the electric which has a narrower neck, buy a capo and then learn songs with one or two barre chords so your wrist gets a bit of rest. It will get easier and easier the more you do it, but there’s no short cut…

[Jon the Hat]

You can also get lighter weight strings which are easier to press onto the frets!  Flipside is you are more likely to bend them out of tune... 

[Flamey]

Bleeding fingers is just part of the journey when learning guitar, they soon toughen up. Although lighter strings / low action will help.

[Milo]

There’s a couple of good apps/online lessons available that have good exercises in them which might help. 
 

Justinguitar.com is probably one of the most used. 
 

He’s also recently created a site where he teaches himself (using his own app) to play left handed, which is pretty good. He mainly monad about the pain his fingers are in for the first few weeks! 

[LVFox]

Practice is the main thing, although my old guitar teacher also used to recommend using a tennis ball a little bit like a stress ball with your left hand.

 

That was more to build up strength for barre chords but in theory could also help with grip width and strength.

 

But yeah, if you’re just starting off, you’ll be surprised how quickly your fingers can stretch wider and get hardened just by playing.

[Nick]

Yeah, it’ll get better keep playing your fingers will toughen. That said if your fingers really are not just sore but actually bleeding changing your strings to some less heavier gauge might be helpful.

[SecretPro]

Fingers will kill you for a good while, until you develop the callus fingertips that allow you to play on, its just part and parcel. 

 

You could try taking up concert, tennor or baritone Ukulele if size is an issue, I love playing 'proper ukulele' - they have a bad rep for being kids toys and yes, most of the small Ukuleles are a bag of shit and sound/tone shit to boot, but pic up a decent quality, properly built ukulele in one of the bigger sizes and it becomes a very serious, joyful and melodic piece of kit with some fantastic deep tone. If you don't believe me have a look on YouTube at the sound and style you can get out of an ukulele, Look up the young lad Feng E on YouTube for what IS possible with an ukulele, especially his version of Sia, Chandelier and have a look at Vance Joy playing riptide to see how you can play proper indi-rock music. 

 

If you go far with them they can be incredibly difficult and intricate to play just like a guitar, but to get to a good standard, especially picking, on a ukulele is infinitely easier and quicker than guitar. 

Edited 12 January 2022 by SecretPro

[SpacedX]

4 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

You can also get lighter weight strings which are easier to press onto the frets!  Flipside is you are more likely to bend them out of tune... 

Not as a beginner.

 

1 hour ago, Flamey said:

Bleeding fingers is just part of the journey when learning guitar, they soon toughen up. Although lighter strings / low action will help.

^

 

What are you playing? People often advise getting an 'entry level instrument' but in the old days these were so shite that they were often near unplayable so people trying to learn simply gave up. Today, if you're prudent you can get a decent quality guitar for £150 - £200.

 

"No Pain, no gain", as Jane Fonda used to say, so I suggest immediately starting with this...

 

Or PM me, I'll sort it. £125 per hour. 

 

47 minutes ago, SecretPro said:

You could try taking up concert, tennor or baritone Ukulele 

 Fffs - Mods, please. 

[VLC86]

9 hours ago, Parafox said:

Yes, I know.

The thread title is deliberately double-entendre.

I'm trying to learn to play acoustic/electric guitar. I have quite short fingers and I find it quite difficult to get my fingers on the frets and press down enough to get the chords. I've sometimes made my fingertips bleed trying to get the required pressure on the strings and I just can't seem to be able to reach my fingers right across the fret board (guitar neck) with enough pressure on the strings to generate the chords. 

Any advice?

Get yourself lessons mate. I think everyone who starts playing guitar thinks they have small hands (not me, I’ve got a huge cock) which will hamper them but in reality it’s all about the technique.

 

There are exercises you can do which will help yours fingers be more flexible as well. I think it’s called the spider but you play the first fret, then second/third/fourth but while still holding the other fingers in position and only move on when you have played them all. Then move onto the next string etc etc. If you spend 10 mins on this every day it should help.

 

And yeah as others have said, your fingers will hurt like **** until a few months in.

Edited 12 January 2022 by Costock_Fox

[Raj]

Fingering!!!🤭🤭🤭

[weller54]

[Saxondale]

9 hours ago, Parafox said:

Yes, I know.

The thread title is deliberately double-entendre.

I'm trying to learn to play acoustic/electric guitar. I have quite short fingers and I find it quite difficult to get my fingers on the frets and press down enough to get the chords. I've sometimes made my fingertips bleed trying to get the required pressure on the strings and I just can't seem to be able to reach my fingers right across the fret board (guitar neck) with enough pressure on the strings to generate the chords. 

Any advice?

Your fingertips will toughen up with practice, simple with that. 

[Fox92]

Could have picked a better thread title.

 

It'll come, just need training of your fingers over time. Eventually get there.

[KrefelderFox666]

I remember being told that learning on an Acoustic guitar will make you a better player on the electric. Acoustic strings are much tougher and it is harder to learn with your hand movements, but once you master that, playing electric becomes "easy". It can be painful for a while but your fingertips will toughen up. Good luck.

[RoboFox]

You could try getting a guitar with a smaller neck radius and fret width.

 

There's a consensus in the guitar community that Gibsons feel "easier" to play than Fenders for example. Most Gibsons are 1 11/16" wide at the nut. Most Fenders are 1 5/8" or 1 21/32".

 

Also check the neck profile. "U", "V", "C" and "D" shapes can all differ on how comfortable a guitar is to play.

 

Edited 12 January 2022 by RoboFox

[Scotch]

As others have said, it really is a case of the skin on your finger tips hardening. It's painful at the start but does get better. You could go with a nylon string/classical style guitar were the strings are softer but the neck is usually wider so it 6 and half a dozen unfortunately. 

 

In terms of your fingers not stretching accross the threat board, try looking at your thumb placement. I've got quite big hands so I could always get away with being lazy and having my hand wrapped right around the neck with my thumb at the top but the proper technique is to have your thumb pretty low on the back of the neck with your wrist bent more towards the threatboard. This should give you a better reach. Again though, it takes a while for your wrist to get used to being held in that position so practise really is the only way around it. 

 

I suggest persevering with the acoustic. The neck width and steel strings are tougher but once you get used to that, going to an electric with a smaller width and softer strings will be a dream but doing it the opposite way will feel like twice the work. 

[Scotch]

....alternatively, pick up a Uke. After about 20 years of playing guitar I picked up my step daughters Ukelele and have to day, they are just far more fun. I don't know... maybe it's because I'm getting fatter, I'm automatically drawn to it. 

[Bellend Sebastian]

Your fingers will get stronger with practice and the ends of your fingers get harder so less pressure is needed to sound a note.  When you start out your squidgy soft fingers spread when you press on the fret board, meaning you tend to accidentally touch other strings and end end up muting them.

 

How long have you been playing for? I reckon it takes 6-8 weeks to notice a real difference but obviously that'll depend on how much you're practicing.

 

I always say to people learning to play to mix up really concentrating on what you're doing e.g. attempt to hold a chord down and play each note individually, and working out the reason for any not ringing out properly, and just sitting with your guitar on your lap while watching telly and just getting a feel for it without paying too much attention to what you're doing. 

 

Too much of the former and you'll just get furious with it

 

 

 

 

[boots60]

Take up air guitar, far easier.

[fuchsntf]

1 hour ago, Scotch said:

....alternatively, pick up a Uke. After about 20 years of playing guitar I picked up my step daughters Ukelele and have to day, they are just far more fun. I don't know... maybe it's because I'm getting fatter, I'm automatically drawn to it. 

I started with a ukelele..(ca  10-11yrs old) tried then banjo,then Acoustic...Never mastered any really.

I decided to Play Drums for awhile...Then Early 20s just let any music ambition drift...Other priority interests took over..

Over the years lost the supplety of my fingers, couldnt string now any decent notes together....

A little envious but happy to see/hear any wanna-be music Instrument maestro....

Enjoyed my travels  in Spain/Mexicio/S.American going to Cantinas & churches & Local Fiesta listening to some Great Guitar music...

[Sly]

Well ….. this thread wasn’t what I’d assumed. 
 

 

[oakman]

Me after clicking the post and then finding out what it was about.