I know this is probably a little silly, but no matter what I do, I just can't get my fingers to stretch enough to play even simple chords! I've tried relaxing them but it doesn't affect it at all...Is this normal if I've only been playing for a couple of months? I'm hoping it will go away in time, it's getting rather frustrating. :?
Eventually you will be surprised at how far your fingers will stretch. For now all you can do is keep guiding them where you want them and find some stretching exercises for your fingers.
One thing that helped me was to place my hand flat on a table and use my other hand to stretch the fingers as far as they would go. Plus you can just keep stretching your hand when you are not playing by trying to separate the fingers as much as possible. From the tip of the pinkie to the tip of the thumb on my fretting hand is now about 1" to an 1 1/2" more than my other hand.
Thade
To overcome this frustration, I start playing everything with a capo on the 2nd or 3rd fret - because the frets are that little bit closer the further up the neck you get, this helps. But concentrate on really stretching on all chords, right up to the fret wire.
The other big benefit of using a capo like this, it lowers the action a tiny bit as well, which helps a lot.
But after a while, go back to uncapoed and see how you get on, at the end of the day, don't rely on it, use it as a tool.
Cheers
Matt
I just can't get my fingers to stretch enough to play even simple chords! I've tried relaxing them but it doesn't affect it at all... :?
Thade,
I'm having the same problem so it's not a silly question. When I started I couldn't do the "C" chord, I couldn't strech the 3 frets?
I can play it now, so that's improvement! I've been practicing going from AM to C - streching the index finger from 2'nd to 3 fret.
Like you, I'm hoping it will come in time....
BJ
BTW the pain in you r fingertips will go away too if your wondering. 8)
Stairway to Freebird!
