The first is stretching, as in “my fingers won’t stretch far enough to create the chord”, and the second is something like “my fingers are too fat to fit altogether”. Fingerboard diagrams can help you learn where to place your fingers. With that said, these are 3 very helpful finger stretching exercises for guitar. I have a bent pinky finger too and you don’t have to be worried about it. Guitar players with a developed left hand fingers stretch can easily play chords and melodies without struggling. ", my resounding answer is no. Play the 12th fret with your first finger (index), 15th fret with your third finger (ring) and 16th fret with your fourth finger (pinky). Find them online, or download a free mobile app. This guitar has nylon strings. If you've been asking "are my fingers too fat to play guitar? I never have a 90 degree angle between my arm and the guitar neck. Once you are cool with that it is time to try and stretch out your finger 4 to reach up an extra fret, Ex 2. In fact, I avoid such an angle because it causes me terrible icky pain and makes it so I can't play at all. I've been feeling completely discouraged lately while playing the guitar. How to Ease Finger Soreness when Learning to Play Guitar. Then onto Ex.3 where you will stretch your first finger back. When we fret notes on the guitar, the string is still being bent down at the bridge, but is now being bent at the desired fret as opposed to the nut, therefore shortening the string and making a higher note. You can use your index finger … If you feel pain, stop immediately. Oh buddy! When you learn how to play guitar, you might experience a dull pain in your fingertips because your fingers are forming calluses, which are areas of thick skin. Exceptions can, of course, be made for barre chords, in which you stretch out other fingers besides just the index finger, and also for finger rolls. Suggestions would be appreciated. Firstly, make sure you are doing some finger stretching exercises for 5 minutes before playing. Try and keep your fingers lined up with the frets, not at an angle. I always wanted to develop flexibility in my guitar playing. I’ve Got Blisters On My Fingers. Acoustic Guitar Exercise How to stretch your left hand fingers Beginner lesson. Index finger. How to Play Guitar with Arthritic Hands or Fingers My wife’s 90-year-old grandmother has been drinking a glass of black cherry juice every morning for several decades now. Now, when I see Lisa do that on her guitar (which she said was a Grand Concert sized guitar), all her fingers, including the pinky seem to cover the first four frets easily. I'm sure some of you can relate, but whenever I pick up my guitar, I play the same riffs and everything sounds uninspired. If you have small fingers you MUST move your wrist forward and under the guitar neck. It's created this way so that the fingers can get between the strings easier for picking with the right hand fingers, but some people with thick fingers find it easier to finger chords also. You should feel a stretch in your hand, but you should not feel pain. If you’re learning to play guitar, your hands are working overtime. These finger stretching exercise really help. There are many issues to struggle with when first learning guitar, but they can be divided into two camps. First, we need to stretch the joints in our individual fingers. There is no such thing as having ‘too-small’ hands to play guitar. I haven't given up yet...Is there any exercises other than just "keep trying" that I can do to train my fingers to seperate? Don’t have your wrist behind the neck with your fingers curving round to the front. Answer This is a common problem, especially for guitarists with shorter fingers. This guitar has a wider neck than the acoustic guitar and the strings are farther apart. Hey guys, today I am going to show you this acoustic guitar exercise that you can use to stretch your left hand fingers. Your fingers aren’t too fat for the guitar, you just haven’t developed your playing technique yet. 8 Excellent Guitar Stretch Exercises to Develop Flexibility. It sounds weird, but she swears it keeps the arthritis in her hands at bay. All at once, you’re training your fingers to form chord shapes, move from one chord to another quickly, eliminate muted strings and buzzing, and learn proper strumming patterns. I call them “The Worm”, “The Spider” and “The Slinky”. Even if you know how to read music, musical notation won't tell you where to place your fingers to play chords on a guitar. I am already using a small guitar. When I try on my guitar it's a real stretch. Simply place the tip of each finger on the edge of the table/desk, keeping your finger straight and in line with the top surface. If your finger is directly on the fret, the string won’t … Finger Stretching Exercises Without the Guitar. Once you play them, you will probably get an idea of where the names come from. However, when I bend my fingers to put them on the guitar strings, my two middle fingers close together and I cannot reach the frets.