I want to play guitar

[EKnight]

Just to give you an idea of my size; I am 4'10 about 102 lbs, I wear a size 4 1/2 shoe (they don't exist).  So you can imagine I have small hands.  I don't understand why, with such small hands, I can't keep my fingers from touching guitar strings that they are not supposed to touch!!!  How does a normal sized person do it???  I can barely stretch my fingers to reach the string and frets!!! 

For my birthday, I have asked for a small guitar (Little Martin?) and I am hoping this solves some of my problems.  In the meantime, my fingers are killing me!!!!

Eileen

[judith collier]

Eileen, you are about the tiniest woman I have ever heard of. I started singing when I was 45 and joined the choir, I loved it even though I was  terrified I would fail. I kept at it and was so proud of myself. Once I was the only one who hit the right note. That was my grand finale but I know I was making God happy, I could feel Him being happy with me. By the way I am 5'9" and weigh 170 lbs. strong as a bull and just as stubborn!

[indianabob]

5'9" Judy,

I know why women don't want to be compared with cows, but why do you describe yourself as being stubborn as a BULL, a male bovine.  I mean, we males aren't the only ones who are stubborn are we?   Your own words prove that stubborn is a human trait that we all share.

Just a comment from a "sensitive" male.  (smile)

[daywalker]

I want to learn to play guitar.  I have no knowledge of notes or anything and I am aging quickly.  Do you think its too late?  I just want to sing and play acoustic guitar.  One of my sons plays drums the other plays guitar (electric) and they both taught themselves. My daughter can sing.  All this musical talent does NOT come from my husband.  So maybe I have a chance? 

what do you think?

Eileen

You never know until you try. I play guitar and bass [though, i haven't been playing that often lately]. It takes awhile to get your fingers stretched out enough, and then the coordination takes practice, but once you get comfortable with it, it's pretty simple to play and sing. If you got smaller fingers, that's a plus. Me, I got "fat finger disorder"  , so that slows me down sometimes. haha [of course, if you want to get into doing Solos then that's a whole nother ballgame  ]

But it's a lot of fun, and a very relaxing hobby both physically and mentally. Stress reliever for sure!


Rock On Sister!

- Daywalker.

[EKnight]

Stubborn bull Judy?  Are you a taurus? (not that I really believe in that stuff) But I'm a taurus and just as stubborn. 

Daywalker, I have been practicing switching between Em and D chords.  It takes me a long time to "set up" my fingers on the strings.  I am getting better at reading the tabs though.  I can't wait for my "Little Martin".

Eileen

[Ninny]

Eileen,
I just happened to remember something! I haven't thought about this for a long time! I used to play the baritone ukulele. It tunes just like a guitar without the two bottom strings! That might be something you could do, too. of course the sound isn't as full as the guitar, but pretty close. Those two missing strings are those two little tiny strings that cut your fingers to death on the guitar! Ha! You chord the baritone uke just like a guitar (without those two bottom strings) 
I loved my baritone uke, my little niece and nephew got hold of it and broke it one day and it was not fixable        (I was going to buy one not too long ago, but it was very expensive) I still have my soprano uke, I play it occasionally, but I really loved that baritone!! When you think of the uke you always think of Hawaiian music, but the baritone doesn't have that same sound as the regular one. My baritone was about the size of that "Little Martin" you talked about! 
Kathy 

[roundbellygroove]

Daywalker, I have been practicing switching between Em and D chords.  It takes me a long time to "set up" my fingers on the strings.  I am getting better at reading the tabs though.  I can't wait for my "Little Martin".

Eileen the D chord happens to be one of the toughest open chords and the Em is probably the easiest. Take your time learning these chords. Its OK to "set up" you fingers at first. You want to use your finger tips when holding your chords not the fleshy part of your fingers.(there will be exceptions to this rule later) Keep your thumb firmly behind the roundest part of the guitar neck and make sure your fingers are arched when pressing a chord. Pretend that your have a golf ball inside your fretting hand to insure the best finger arch.

Another thing to watch for is you posture. Are you standing or sitting? If you are sitting and playing right handed(you strum with your right hand) then make sure your guitar sits on your left lap not on your right. Having it on your right will cause you to have bad posture along with developing awkward form to playing your guitar.

Now here is the encouragement part. Take your time working out these chords. You are working with motor skills that you have to develop. You don't want to waist your time practicing bad form that will later hold you back from progressing or having to relearn it. You have to work harder and longer to break bad form than it is to just do it right the first time. I still have a couple of bad habits that show up from time to time in my playing that I practiced 15yrs ago. So its OK to TAKE YOUR TIME!!! Now about that D chord. It took me about a months worth of practice at about 20 to 30min a day to move to and from the D chord. As you will notice your hand "shifts" a different position for every chord that you play. Practice going to and from these following chords, C, G, D,and Em. These four chords sound good together in any combination and have completely different shifting patterns that will help you step up to other chords later. Also practice A, Am, and E. Again all of these chord "shapes" will help you in the future when expanding to other keys.

So go get em.

roundbellygroove

[EKnight]

Roundbellygroove,

Your advice about putting the guitar on the left is priceless.  I have been doing the opposite and I have been playing totally hunched over.  My back was hurting.  Hopefully this will solve the problem. 

You've got me wondering if I am doing the D chord correctly because it's easier for me to switch from Em to D because two of the fingers remain on the same fret. 

Thanks for the encouragement and mini lesson.  I am on vacation this week while my bathroom is being re-done so I have a lot of time to practice.  I am anxious for my fingers to stop hurting though.

Kathy,

I will consider the uke.  I would like my daughter to play as well and maybe that would be enticing to her too.

Thanks again.

Eileen

[Ninny]

Hey Eileen,
I was reading what you said about your size..I am a shorty, too! I am just at 5' tall and (well I ain't gonna say what my weight is!)  BUT one of the things that I like about playing that smaller instrument is the size of it of course! I have played an acoustic guitar before and wow! It is kinda hard to get your arm around it and still be able to stretch to get the chords! My son has a big acoustic, well big for me! I think he has a Takamine kind of like this one here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wRkI8UXuc0&feature=related
My older son can play like this guy, but the younger one who has the Takamine can only play rhythm. My older son took guitar for several years and is quite accomplished, but he has carpal tunnel and doesn't play much any more. Note the expression on this guy's face! I know a lot of guitar players and every one of them has these funny facial expressions! I think it has to do with passion for the instrument, love of music, and maybe a little pain!!
Talking about size you know Dolly Parton is barely 5 feet tall and probably has the longest nails of any guitar player ever and she can do it! You'll notice when she plays she uses mainly bar chords!
Well, just have fun learning, if you get your little Martin, you're gonna love it!!
Kathy

[Amrhrasach]

Kathy,

I will consider the uke.  I would like my daughter to play as well and maybe that would be enticing to her too.

Thanks again.

Eileen

Eileen,

For that matter, you may want to consider the mandolin.   Much smaller neck (width/depth) and a much smaller fretboard to work with.     

Gary

[EKnight]

I watched that You tube video that Kathy just posted.  I am watching this guy and I notice three things.  First, his fret hand is moving like crazy (don't see myself ever getting there).  Two, he doesn't appear to be using his finger "tips" but rather that "fleshy" part.  Third, he isn't always strumming directly over the "hole" but more toward the bridge. 

Eileen

[daywalker]

Stubborn bull Judy?  Are you a taurus? (not that I really believe in that stuff) But I'm a taurus and just as stubborn. 

Daywalker, I have been practicing switching between Em and D chords.  It takes me a long time to "set up" my fingers on the strings.  I am getting better at reading the tabs though.  I can't wait for my "Little Martin".

Eileen

The best advice that I could give is when you play, try not to stop whenever you mess up or miss a chord. You [not literally you, just in general...] tend to want to stop and start over or pause, but if you're able to train yourself to continue playing rather than pausing, then that will help you flow better, and will actually cause you to 'miss chords' less. [it doesn't sound like it works, but it does...]

Anyways, as I said earlier:


ROCK ON SISTER! Hehe 

Soon, you'll be partying like a rockstar! 

Daywalker.

[Linny]

Eileen, you are a little taller than my daughter and she plays a small guitar that is perfect for her size.
I think you are right, you need a smaller one and that should solve your problems.
My daughter also has a small hand (and short fingers).
We got hers from my bro-in-law who bought a really nice one for my nephew who never ended up playing. What a blessing for us!
Anyway, I said this because you can still have a very nice guitar even though it is smaller!
No one would probably even notice unless they picked it up themselves!

[Roy Martin]

Eileen as you develop in playing, you'll see there are a lot of little tricks or technics with both hands.
I do a lot of finger picking and strumming at the same time. I have 3 guitars but play my acoustic most of the time on an amp with effects.
  Its not important if your not playing over the center or near the tail piece.The center gives a bolder sound.
I go back and forth for a mixed sound, but actually never really pay much attention to that. Its just where your comfortable at. It is important to use your finger tips in learning, otherwise you'll mute other strings.
  If your practicing right, your fingers will get very tender. Push through that, even if they blister. Soon they will calise and pushing on the strings gets easier.
Do you have a tuner? Get one if you don't.
Most of the mini guitars you mentioned have a lot of tuning problems. Hopefully yours will be OK. I suggest learning on a normal size guitar. You'll get use to it and be surprised what your little fingers can do. All guitars have different size necks, some thick, some thin, some round, some flat. Go to a music store and see what they have.
We guitar players have gone through a lot of guitars. They come and they go until we find the one that you just have to hang on to.
 

Peace
Roy

[Ninny]

Eileen,
that video I posted was just to show you the guitar and how it sounds, sorry I didn't mean for it to bum you out! It's like Roy says use your fingertips until you learn because you got to get them fingers toughened up!! Even seasoned guitar players when they don't play for awhile get tender fingertips for a little while. Just play!

Have fun and keep us all up to date on how it's going.
Kathy

[Dave in Tenn]

There are already too many guitar players in the world.  Take up the drums...every band needs a good drummer. 

Sounds like you are getting good advice if you really, really want to join this guitar overpopulation.  Just keep at it and you'll get there.  In some ways, it's among the easiest instruments to learn because you don't really need to learn 'notes' right off the bat, or any theory, because it's all in chords and where you put your fingers.  The initial learning has much more to do with 'technique' needed to get to that so-called instant music.

And it's more portable than a drum kit too, and at your size, I can't say I blame you for not wanting to haul drums around.



 

[EKnight]

Hi Dave,

My son already has a set of drums in his room and another electric set at his dorm which he will be bringing home to his room in a few weeks.  That will be some crowded room!!!!   I am not ambidextrous enough for drums not to mention the volume (headache).  Besides, you can't really sing along with the drums.  Although that might be better because no one will have to listen to me sing. 

So, I will keep on strumming. 

Eileen

[Dave in Tenn]

You CAN sing along with drums...they just usually make a poor accompaniment.   

You CAN'T sing along with a harmonica or a trumpet, so avoid those fer sure!   

[meee]

You CAN'T sing along with a harmonica or a trumpet, so avoid those fer sure!  

           Hey watch it there!        I love the harmonica!

[Roy Martin]

I hope I didnt say anything to discourage you.

Roy