Chords

Yeah.. You might have REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY small hands but more than likely your fingers will get used to making the C (and other chords). I have average hands and I had trouble at first... but it just gets easier with practice.

Keep it up..

Jim

Yeah.. You might have REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY small hands but more than likely your fingers will get used to making the C (and other chords). I have average hands and I had trouble at first... but it just gets easier with practice.

Keep it up..

Jim
My hands aren't even that small, it's just my fingers aren't that long. My index finger is only 3.5 inches (tip of finger to start of knuckle).

Ah well, I'll improvise, ya know? :)

Ah well, I'll improvise, ya know? :)

You bet you will. Man, someone posted a clip of an Asian girl playing a pretty wide neck nylon acoustic guitar and she had NO problem with it. It just takes practice. You stick with it.. YOU will get it.

I promise.

Jim

Ah well, I'll improvise, ya know? :)

You bet you will. Man, someone posted a clip of an Asian girl playing a pretty wide neck nylon acoustic guitar and she had NO problem with it. It just takes practice. You stick with it.. YOU will get it.

I promise.

Jim
Thanks. I don't even know why I made this topic now, when I have really yet to move on to chords. Maybe because mentally I'm ready to learn it (physically I'm not, I still wanna get better at single notes). But hey, that's the great thing about this board, someone could need to know the same thing and see this topic. ;)

Thanks geo.

My hands aren't even that small, it's just my fingers aren't that long. My index finger is only 3.5 inches (tip of finger to start of knuckle).

After reading this it got me wondering, so I had to go and measure my index finger.....its only 3.25 inches long from knuckle to tip, but after lots of practice I can play open chords and barres (including C shape which is a real stretch!) on a classical wide necked giutar, so with practice your 3.5 should be of very good use to you! :)

Pete

I am only young and i experiance that feeling myself. Well that is that i can't seem to reach the chords properly. Even though i have never thought about it like that i am sure that with time you will just have to experiment with hand postures and see wich one fits u the best and give that hand posture a go. :D :idea:

Hi Kevin
It's a common problem when first getting to grips with the C chord. Fingers 1 & 2 are well placed but finger 3 is in the middle of the fret. And if you try to push finger 3 up to the fret, finger 1 suddenly finds itself sliding over to the second fret. I have my students approach it from the other direction. First, place finger 3 on the third fret and press firmly enough to anchor it while you stretch fingers 1 & 2 over to their frets. Most (but not all) find that the 5th string, being wire-wound, offers more grip than the second string and resists sliding better while they stretch towards the first fret. Try it, it might work for you.

Another point is that it might not be a problem (it will certainly fix itself in future, anyway, as Geoo says). It's not exactly right to say that placing your finger next to the fret gives the best sound. What it does do is ensure the best possible chance of a good note, because the closer it is to the fret, the less pressure is required to hold it down. If you play in the middle of a fret you can get exactly the same sound but you need to make sure you're applying enough pressure to ensure a good note or else risk buzzes and bad notes. Look at how most people play an E chord. Their third finger is perfectly placed but their second finger is forced back a bit, but it's no problem provided they apply enough pressure to make a clear note.

As everyone is saying, it really is a matter of practice, time and simply getting your fingers used to something they've never done before in their lives. Size doesn't really factor in for most people. My index finger clocks in at almost exactly three inches (less than a sixteenth of an inch longer) and it hasn't kept me from playing a C chord for over thirty years. But when I started out it did take a week of solid practice to get my fingers used to where they needed to be.

Keep at it and before much longer you'll be helping other people with this same question. :wink:

Peace

As everyone is saying, it really is a matter of practice, time and simply getting your fingers used to something they've never done before in their lives. Size doesn't really factor in for most people. My index finger clocks in at almost exactly three inches (less than a sixteenth of an inch longer) and it hasn't kept me from playing a C chord for over thirty years. But when I started out it did take a week of solid practice to get my fingers used to where they needed to be.

Keep at it and before much longer you'll be helping other people with this same question. :wink:

Peace

My fingers are about the same size as David's. With practice, the span will increase. Another aid is to get the palm of the hand off the neck, using your thumb as the brace.

IMO one does not have to fret perfectly by the book to get the proper sound. many many times my finger is half way between the frets yet I can sound the note just fine.
of course Ive had lots and lots of practice. decades.
strive to play the chord so it sounds right. where your fingers end up?; there is leeway.

i had this same exact problem when i first started playing chords. I just measured my index finger and it is about 3.5 inches so around your length. The C chord was hardest for me at first, but like everyone else has said practice and it will come to you. At first i couldnt span my fingers more than a couple frets no i can easily cover atleast 7.

My hands aren't even that small, it's just my fingers aren't that long. My index finger is only 3.5 inches (tip of finger to start of knuckle).

After reading this it got me wondering, so I had to go and measure my index finger.....its only 3.25 inches long from knuckle to tip, but after lots of practice I can play open chords and barres (including C shape which is a real stretch!) on a classical wide necked giutar, so with practice your 3.5 should be of very good use to you! :)

Pete

That's something I never had to worry about - my LITTLE finger is 3.25 ins from knuckle to tip......

The main thing to remember, when fretting chords, is that as long as the string is pressing down on the fret above the finger, the note will ring true, so anywhere from about half-way between should be fine.

Here's a little experiment to try....at the first fret, press down on any string as near to the fret as you can just hard enough to make the note ring out clearly when plucked. As it's ringing, press down harder....notice the note change ever so slightly? Doesn't matter so much if the finger pressing down is farther back....but if it's right behind the fret, if you press hard the note will be slightly sharp.

:D :D :D

Vic

Maybe because mentally I'm ready to learn it (physically I'm not, I still wanna get better at single notes)
The only way to become 'physically ready' is practice.