Stretch

[mrkbrks]

I've been playing for almost 3 years now. My damn fingers won't stretch to do what I need them to. Any type of surgery or anything I can do to get them to stretch?

[chronowarp]

What kind of stretches are you trying to do? Usually by making sure your thumb is behind the neck and not hanging around it will give you more even pressure with all fingers, and ease of reach.

[Jeremy_Green]

Usually lack of flexibility has more to do with playing position / strap height etc. As chronowarp said your thumb placement on the back of the neck is very important. Maybe post some pics of your playing position / hand position. Kind of hard to help without seeing you in person.

I should also add "playing for 3 years" is of little help. One hour a week for 3 years is 156 hours. 2 hours a day for the same time frame is 2,190 hours - big difference. See what i mean? Have you been dedicated about practicing during that time frame?

[JonR]

I've been playing for almost 3 years now. My damn fingers won't stretch to do what I need them to. Any type of surgery or anything I can do to get them to stretch?
If your hands and fingers are normal size and shape (including the full spectrum of male/female hand size), and not physically deformed, injured or disabled in any way, surgery is not the answer. Correct position and practice is.

Django Reinhardt's hands were physically deformed by an accident, rendering 2 fingers almost useless. Look what he could do without surgery (but with plenty of practice...):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iJ7bs4mTUY
Do you really "need" to do any more than that? ;) (Define "need"...)

[dkaplowitz]

Check out the book Slur, Ornament and Reach Development (http://www.amazon.com/Technique-Supplement-Ornament-Development-Exercises/dp/0898987024) by Aaron Shearer as a starting point. Practice the stretching exercises faithfully without overdoing it and pushing yourself too hard and you will see results. You also might want to learn some songs or pieces that have some decent stretches in them (thinking of the add9 chords in "Every Breath You Take" and "Message in a Bottle" off the top of my head) and play them only as fast as you can play them perfectly. Rinse and repeat.

Good luck!

Dave

[stevel]

I've been playing for almost 3 years now. My damn fingers won't stretch to do what I need them to. Any type of surgery or anything I can do to get them to stretch?

Way back when, the composer Schumann invented a device to exercise pinky and ring finger independence (he was a pianist) - he ended up ruining his fingers and ending is performance career. Luckily (well, depending on if you like his music or not) he was still able to compose music.

I'd suggest following all of the good advice here, especially Jon's and Dave's before getting so drastic. If you're looking for a "quick fix" there isn't one. It's practice, and *directed* practice (meaning you don't just play a lot, you actually intentionally find things that need working on, and work on them) that will make you a better player (amongst other things).

Best,
Steve

[mrkbrks]

okay, I was kidding about the surgery. I practice at least 2 hours a day. I don't really know anyone that plays. I took lessons for 2 months and at my last lesson the guy says "your strumming hand is in the wrong position". Well that was my last lesson. He couldn't see that on the first lesson? Thanks, I will try and post some pics.

[buddastrat]

Fret hand position is very critical and a lot of times there is a quick fix if that's wrong. Don't hold the neck like a club. A few simple things, line up your 4 fingers around the 7th position and do the 1234 commone warm up drill. When you are able to keep all 4 fingers on as you complete a string, then move down a fret or two and do it again, until that's comfortable, then repeat until you get to the first positiona nd can do those 4 fingers comfortably on the low E string.

Another simple stretch is do the Chuck Berry rhythm style and gradually move down the neck working that stretch. If you can do that in the lower positions, you're stretch is fine.

[colorguard]

check your technique! you might be hurting yourself!

[GovernorSilver]

Relax your arm.

Try experimenting with the angle of your forearm in relation to the neck, the angle of the neck in relation to the ground, the angle of the neck in relation to your body, etc.

John Stowell claims to have short fingers, yet can play with extreme stretches on the fretboard. His guitar neck is supported at an unusual angle for a guitarist - almost vertical. One advice of his that helped me, however, is using the side of the index finger instead of the pad.

Allan Holdsworth does not use the near-vertical neck position - the neck is closer to parallel to the ground, though he does wear it high in typical jazz guitar fashion. When I shook his hand, it was average in size. However, he has long arms.

Relax your arm.

If you play with your thumb over the neck, you will restrict your ability to stretch your hand.

Relax your arm.

If your hand has excessive tension anywhere, your tense muscles will prevent you from stretching very far. Straining to reach a certain amount of stretch will over time build even more tension. Per Stowell, lower action and lighter gauge strings (Holdsworth goes as light as .008 gauge) will also help.

[mrkbrks]

thanks guys. I did have my thumb almost on top of the neck and dropped it down and raised my neck and it did improve quite a bit. I dont gig or anything just play for a hobby and sit a lot and get lazy sometimes. I do love to play though and want to improve over time. My index finger keeps pointing back towards my face and doesn't seem to be straight up and down like on most of the videos I see. Thanks again.

[Swain]

I'd suggest:

Keeping your Fret Hand Thumb behind your Middle Finger, and NOT behind your Index Finger. Make sure it is also Perpendicular to the Neck's Length, and NOT pointing at the Headstock.

Also, make sure your Thumb is about 1/2 Way up the back of the Guitar's Neck. Somewhere near the middle of the back of the Neck.

Make sure you are never letting your Fret Hand's Arm rest on your Leg or Side (or anything else, for that matter.). Your Shoulder and Elbow need COMPLETE freedom of movement.

Keep the Headstock of the Guitar at Shoulder-To-Head high.

If you get the Headstock into a good Height/Level, you should be able to place your Index Finger on the High E String/1st. Fret, and while keeping it there, place your Pinky on the High E String/5th. Fret.

If you can do this, you'll be okay. You'll be able to play a Chromatic Scale in basically one Position. That's all 12 Notes. Should be good to go, then.

HTH.