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Ginny
Aloha
43 Posts |
 Posted - 10/05/2006 : 4:59:56 PM
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Aloha kakou,
Just came off of Ray Sowders great beginning video sessions. Looks like his fingers hardly open and he is able to depress 2nd and 4th fret with what looks like 1st and 3rd finger. This is why more men play guitars isnt it! Gives them something to do with those big old man hands LOL.
I tried the same open and closed positions exercise and I look like I have a muscle spasing condition LOL. I have to use pinky and second finger and it still looks awkward. Should I be going back to the store and buying a junior size guitar? I have a Yamaha FG700s.
Thank you and enjoy the rest of this lovely fall weather!
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Julie H
Ha`aha`a
USA
1206 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 5:59:32 PM
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Hi, I can't tell from your profile whether you are a lady or a gentleman. I have small hands and am of short stature. (And female) I cannot play those big guitars without causing great bodily harm. For that reason, I went with a Baby Taylor which is a good size for me, but then Dennis Lake, Luthier Extraordinaire, made me a smaller guitar which is absolutely perfect. Reach him at www.pomahina.com. He makes fantastic instruments. Welcome to TaroPatch.
Julie |
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 7:16:00 PM
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| Go to a good dealer (not a "Guitar Center") or see a good teacher. As much as it seems as if any kid can pick up an axe and hack away, playing fingerstyle guitar (and most of what we go in slack key is a form of fingerstyle) is not nearly as easy as it looks. Also I can't see your hands, how your holding the guitar etc. Get some expert help at the beginning of your journey and you might save yourself a bunch a grief later on. |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 02:16:18 AM
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You have gotten good advice. I'll just add that there is a thing called "action" in a guitar. It is esentially: how high are the strings off the fretboard? Higher action, wherever it occurs (because of the guitar geometry, action is nautrally lower nearer the nut/headstock, but can still be high) requires greater force to depress the string. In addition, lots of people have a natural tendency to press harder than necessary. You only need to press until the string is touching the top of a fret. If everything else about the guitar is good for you, you can have action adjusted.
Julie's little guitar is easier for her to fret because the "scale length" (distance between nut and saddle=string length) is shorter than most other guitars, and because of that, the string tension is lower and the distance between frets is shorter. It is about the size of a tenor/baritone `ukulele (wish I had one:-).
The other issue that females face is that they have a different body conformation (how's that for avoiding words :-) than males. So if you have a guitar with a shape that crushes you in the wrong spots, you won't be holding the guitar properly. Sarah (my talented, lovely wife) can't play a dreadnought shaped guitar because of that.
So, there are lots of variables, and, as Raymond said, you need to have some personal attention from a person who has nothing to gain by selling you something inappropriate.
...Reid |
Edited by - Reid on 10/06/2006 02:17:29 AM |
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2168 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 03:51:49 AM
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| Something that I've done is judiciously using a capo to go up about 2 to 4 frets. The reach is closer and sometimes a sweeter sound can be found. It also depends if you sing and which keys are in your range. (As a public service, I sing very little, mostly harmony Bluegrass). |
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Sarah
`Olu`olu
571 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 05:33:42 AM
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I use 1st and 4th (pinkie) combination in a lot of instances when, for me, the 1st and 3rd is too much of a stretch. Down there on the 2nd and 4th frets is one of those places, as well as 5th and 7th fret lots of times. That would be my suggestion. Personally, I think that as long as you can play the notes smoothly, you can substitute fingers that are more comfortable to use.
In addition, as you get used to more playing, your fingers will adapt better. I still remember when I could not reach the 4th fret on the 1st string (F#) with my pinkie while still holding down the 1st fret on the 2nd string (C) with my index finger (for that D7 sound) -- but I just kept doing the best I could and gradually I got there. Now, it's no sweat. It really is little work-outs for your fingers, like at the gym, so it requires both persistence and patience to achieve a gradually increasing ability.
If it is just your finger spread that is the issue, I would suggest to give it some more time before buying a different guitar. While there are some nice smaller guitars out there, there are advantages in having a "regular" sized guitar, too -- you can play in G like everyone else is one thing. I would check your guitar's action, like Reid says, and thumbstruck's idea of capoing up could help you out when you get tired of working your fingers.
All that said, this is supposed to be fun, too, so if you are small like Julie, maybe what I do won't work for you!
aloha,
Sarah |
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Kapila Kane
Ha`aha`a
USA
1051 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 06:20:28 AM
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One of our Guitar-Gods stated, "your hands really will do that...but not unless you keep doing it."...
and capoing up 5 frets is a good place to start, then try going lower, one fret at a time.
Guitarists, pianists, and even violinists aren't born with incredible interval stretches, they develop them over time...
(Of course, the Paganini parrallel 10ths are INSANE, and in my case, not in tune, or even humane--to play, or listen to!)
But the normal Earthling stuff ain't that bad.
A smaller guitar is still legal, if it gets the sounds you are happy with...but local laws may vary.
AND, if your guitar has action like a HSG...forget it! Oh how I remember my first Stella! Thirty bucks down the drain.
Also, the thumb position on the back of the neck is critical to opening up our left hand domain...also, make sure the long nails are on the right hand!
(Unless you're Paul McCartney). |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 09:16:40 AM
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| Keola Beamer used to teach a good left hand exercise to build finger strength and to stretch the opposing fingers in a chord. It was called "the spider" because when you watch the hand move up the fretboard your fingers look like spider legs. I'm at a loss as to hoe to describe it but I have gained lots from practicing this. |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Ginny
Aloha
43 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 4:13:10 PM
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Thanks so much everyone. I just got nervous when I thought about how few women you see taking up the guitar...and Ray's fingers did not seem to stretch. I am 5 "4" and a quarter or 5"5", I forget.
I do find myself leaning towards laying the guitar on my lap instead of keeping on the side. How bad of a habit is that?
I bought my guitar at Manny's in Manhattan. It use to be a famous guitar store, probably a tourist trap now. The salesman who was encouraging me to buy this yamaha gave me a guilty look when I saw him tell someone that a lot of adults choose a junior style guitar. I would not have thought anything from the comment but that look, I got. Like oh jlsjfjksd I screwed up.
K thanks everyone, I guess without a professional opinion and more time at this I can't really judge. That is what I am getting from all your opinions.
I also noticed I have 2 nylon strings on this guitar not the 6 steel I thought I originally selected. Any problem in that?
Thanks again everyone, really appreciate your thoughtful answers. |
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Ginny
Aloha
43 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2006 : 4:18:39 PM
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| Sarah is that a junior guitar you are holding in your picture? Another reason for my post. |
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2006 : 02:23:23 AM
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I'll answer for Sarah, because she is still asleep :-) That is a Parlor guitar and used to be just smaller than the standard guitar size in the Old Days. Several companies and many luthiers make similar guitars. The one she is playing is a wonderful sounding guitar made by a luthier named David Flammang. Larivee is one such company that makes something similar - but lots of companies actually make an 0 sized guitar (in Martin ranking) that is larger, and used to be the standard guitar size in the Old Days, that they call a Parlor guitar, but really is not.
To answer your other 2 questions:
1. It *is* a bad idea to lay the guitar on your lap. Something is really wrong.
2. I don't know how you got nylon strings on a steel string guitar, but that is also really wrong. They have very low tension and will not produce the sound (if any at all) that a guitar braced for steel strings should produce. If it really is a steel string guitar. Somebody really screwed with you. You need help.
...Reid |
Edited by - Reid on 10/07/2006 02:25:07 AM |
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2006 : 7:02:15 PM
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| Or if it is a nylon string string (classical) you should not have steel strings on 1 - 3, and your wound strings on 4 - 6 should be nylon core. |
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Sarah
`Olu`olu
571 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2006 : 03:58:19 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Mea ho omaka
Thanks so much everyone. I just got nervous when I thought about how few women you see taking up the guitar...and Ray's fingers did not seem to stretch. I am 5 "4" and a quarter or 5"5", I forget.
Muriel Anderson is a tiny woman, who is a fabulous player and has won national championships. Of course, she started young, but it's one more small woman playing guitar.
quote:
I do find myself leaning towards laying the guitar on my lap instead of keeping on the side. How bad of a habit is that?
I can understand wanting to see the fretboard, so a little slope away from you is understandable. If seeing the fretboard is your goal here, try to keep the tilt "just enough" to see. As you get more familiar, try to get more vertical. Letting the guitar slide down towards flat will mess up your left hand: your wrist will have to be bent a lot and your fingers won't get the clean reach they'll need (could this be part of your fretting problem?). You risk getting wrist injuries.
You haven't said what sitting position you are using. The most ergonomically helpful sitting style is called the "classical Position", where you sit up comfortably straight, with the left foot is raised on a small stool (or guitar case, or pile of books)and the guitar's waist is rested on the left thigh. This raises the neck nicely so that your wrist can be straighter, your hand less twisted, and your right shoulder and arm can be lower -- in comparison to the "cowboy" position where the guitar is rested on the right thigh (and which can lead to right shoulder as well as wrist problems). You can do a google search and find online pictures of the classical position.
quote:
I also noticed I have 2 nylon strings on this guitar not the 6 steel I thought I originally selected. Any problem in that?
I don't know what's up with that. Who put on the strings?! Regardless, you want 6 metal strings! |
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Claudia
Lokahi
USA
152 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2006 : 07:21:25 AM
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| Hi there, Mea Ho Omaka. I live in New York too. I'm sure I can give you tips in person. Send me an email and we can get together and maybe I can answer some of your questions! |
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Podagee57
Lokahi
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2006 : 09:45:16 AM
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| Claudia, is that you on the Ukulele Caberet? |
What? You mean high "E" is the TOP string. No way dude! That changes everything! |
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Claudia
Lokahi
USA
152 Posts |
Posted - 10/10/2006 : 07:21:03 AM
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| Yup, that's me on Ukulele Cabaret - I've got about 5 clips on there. They haven't put up any of my Hawaiian songs yet, but they will! |
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