2 lessons and not doing so great

Sorry it would have helped if I had mentioned I'm a girl and am dealing with small hands :oops:

You worry too much. A lot of what we've said can be applied to learners of any size because when you're just starting out everything's difficult.

Even more reason for your hands to move around and for fingers to pop up, methinks.

A :wink:

You worry too much.

A :wink:

Yeah I do :lol: classic type A personality

I'm a girl, too.

Give it time. I know that probably sounds a bit trite, but really, give it time. You've been playing for what a week and a half? Two weeks now? Really, give it time.

And learning to use your pinky - many guitarists never bother doing this. It is a bit difficult at first, but it's a lot easier to learn to do as a rank beginner than try to add into your playing later, once habits have formed. You'll get used to using it, and will reap the benefits, so stick with it )and I say that as a gurl with the tiniest pinky you can possibly imagine, and I've learn/trained it over the years to play both guitar and bass....it is possible with time). The pinky is the hardest finger to develop on your left hand tho, so it's nothing unusual.

Again, I say give it time. :wink:
I'm a girl, too.

Nice to meet you scrybe. This week has been much better for me. I'm staying more relaxed and not stressing over it, after all I didn't want to learn to play guitar to stress I wanted and enjoyable pass time :) I've been trying different things to help stretch my hand while not playing. One thing that's really easy and seems to be working is using coke bottle caps and placing them between my fingers while watching tv at night. Sounds silly but its seems to be working.I'm also using my right hand to stretch the left fingers while squeezing my fingers together to make them stronger. Once I stopped stressing about where my fingers where and moving my hand it's gotta easier to stretch them more, I'm guessing I was tensing up. I also stopped trying to practice long sessions and have been just picking up the guitar a few times through the day 10-15 minutes at a time.

Here's an exercise to help with finger dexterity. Remember to start high up the fretboard - it's best where your fingers are straight (i.e. the 4 frets are, altogether, about as wide as your hand).
Do it slowly and conscientiously. Remember to relax, as well.

When you feel able to do the exercise, albeit slowly, sit in front of a mirror and learn to watch your fingers through the mirror rather than by tipping the guitar.

You could also do worse than to learn from one of Britain's greatest heroes - Percy Veerance. 8)

Thanks for the exercises I'm adding them to my practices

I've never learned a single scale in my life

Neither have I but I've only been playing a bit over 2 1/2 years. When I say not learning scales, I mean not learning to play them up and down the fretboard. I've learned keys, scales and chord triads and inversions.
Lead guitar's a bit tougher - that's where the scales come in. Still don't know any scales (or at least, if I do, I don't know what they're called!)

Same here. Most everyone knows I'm a rhythm guy, not lead. After the first box of the pentatonic, I'm way lost.
How many notes per string are you playing?

If you are playing 3 notes on the 5th string (C at 3rd fret, D at 5th fret, and E at 7th fret) you should be using your first finger, then your middle finger (not the ring finger), then the pinky.

You wouldn't leave your index finger down and try to stretch for the 7th fret E at the same time though, would you, and it sounds to me like that's what khayes is trying to do. Your index finger would come up and your hand would pivot around the middle finger to make that an easy reach. I think your index finger would be trying to part company with the neck as you got your middle finger down (because that 3rd to 5th fret stretch isn't particularly easy either and it's easier to get a wider angle between ring and pinky than it is between index and middle) - mine does.

A

I can't make a 4 fret stretch for love or money. If a chord calls for that, I find another voicing. When I do a shuffle that has frets 2 4 5, my index finger usually comes up when my pinky goes down. My fingers especially "bounce" back and forth on bass. A 3 fret stretch on bass is a challenge for me!

Minotaur - with practice, you'll find 4 fret stretches no problem. It's mainly a matter of perservering in small daily amounts until your hands get used to it.

Minotaur - with practice, you'll find 4 fret stretches no problem. It's mainly a matter of perservering in small daily amounts until your hands get used to it.

I can definitely confirm that! I had issues with powerchords, because my fingers wouldn't come apart. Now I can do stretches from the second to the 8th fret, and I don't have big hands either. Only thing I can suggest is practicing, and eventually a way will present itself :D

Minotaur - with practice, you'll find 4 fret stretches no problem. It's mainly a matter of perservering in small daily amounts until your hands get used to it.

I have short fingers for a guy, yet I wear XL gloves. I can get to the 4th fret, just not close enough because of the length (or lack thereof) of my fingers. :?

I f you want to teach dexterity, show a mixolydian type shape....that is the biggest pain in the butt.

Oh ya, from the 1st fret

All it takes is a bit of practice, and then you too will be able to do this...

:wink:

Khayes, I think you´ve already realized the most important thing - and that is to have fun while learning! I started out somewhat late (i was 29) and at the beginning I sucked so badly, it was ridiculous but I was determined to learn how to play guitar and I was able to actually laugh at how crappy it all sounded :)

One small tip: Try to find a couple of songs you really like, easy ones with just a few open chords (there are hundreds of them). Ask your teacher to help you find some and to show you how to play them. Once you learn to play one or two, I think you´ll find that practising and playing will be so much more fun!

Otherwise I can just agree with everyone else - just give it time and practise and you´ll get there! Very few people are talented or gifted as guitar players and for the rest of us; it´s hard work and many, many hours of practise that´s required.

So the most important thing is to have fun while you´re learning, so that you don´t loose interest and come to see it as just a chore.

Best of luck to you! :note1: :note2: :note2: :note1: