[airmaster39]

Hello everyone,

I am a new beginner. I have always wanted to play an acoustic guitar and at 45 I am finely taking the time hmmm…I guess that would make me an old beginner!

I never owned a guitar before and just bought a new Taylor 210 acoustic guitar. I have had it about a week the fingers are starting to hurt I hear that is normal.

I have a question; I have really big hands and big fingers. Is this going to be a problem? When I try to play I seem to hit other strings besides the one I am pressing down on. I am also trying to learn how to read music as well, never learned.

Thank you for your time this site looks really cool I think I’m going to like it

Ken

[Bennett]

Welcome to the site, Ken!

You are quite right in what you've heard about fingers hurting. This is quite normal while the callouses build up on your fingertips. Just keep at it but dont' push them to the point of blistering otherwise you'll have to rest 'em for awhile.

As for big fingers, I don't have overly huge fingers myself but from all the threads I've seen on the topic, you will find that your fingers "shrink" over time ... or at least appear to shrink. Even when I've worked further up the neck and thought there's no chance I can fit my fingers into a fret space it's become quite possible with practice.

So keep at it; you'll find that as you practise more and more you'll fret more cleanly and fit your fingers more easily into the frets.

[6string]

Welcome Ken

I think it would be easier to play with hugh fingers than to play with your toes.

http://www.blogtelevision.net/p/Vide...,2,,23180.html

[Lcjones]

Welcome Big Fingers,

Glad to have you here. I think you'll see how well you compensate and your fingers adapt to playing. Of course, like anything it takes practice. I dare say by choosing a Taylor you don't plan on quitting!

Lots of folks here to help out and answer any questions you may have about playing guitar. Enjoy it!

Les

[Misty2u]

Hi Ken & welcome to the forum.

My problem is stretching to form certain chords as my fingers are quite small but have found that, with practice, it does get easier.

Good luck with your learning........you'll find loads of helpful info on this wonderful site..!!

Tracy

[joe_strummer]

hi and welcome to the forum big fingers, only a year of a difference in our age, i took the guitar up this year after a 25 year break, never too old to learn enjoy

[737blues]

Hello Airmaster. When I first started playing I used to think that it would be an advantage if one had smaller hands. Mine are pretty average but I soon found myself wishing they were bigger! A fair number of famous players do have very large hands, Jimi Hendrix being one very obvious example. Don't worry about it.

Interesting Avatar BTW, bit small for my poor old peepers. EA6B?

[allthumbs]

Time and practice will take care of the finger problem.

[airmaster39]

Hay 737blues,

Thats encouraging thanks.

Good job your peepers are better then you thought! yes it's the EA6B.

Ken

[coldethyl]

Hi Ken

Welcome to the forum buddy.
I know some guitarists who have large fingers but are now quite good guitarists. Like others have said, it's just something that you will overcome or adapt to with practise and time.
Post a pic of your Taylor when you get it, if you can.

Neil

[airmaster39]

Hay Les,

Thank you, and no I am not going to quit I have always wanted to play an acoustic. When I was in my teens all my friends had electric guitars, they told me not to waste my time on an acoustic get an electric. I couldn’t afford a guitar back then but I knew what I wanted.

I don’t have a disposable income and at this point I only see my self as buying one guitar so I better get the one I want! LOL

I appreciate all the supportive comments from everyone I know I will have lots of questions in the coming months, just nice to know your all out there willing to help.

[arachnoid]

i have huge hands aswell and have now been playing for nearly 2 months. I do find some chords quite hard, A-major on open strings being the first that springs to mind. It seemed to be almost impossible to get all three fingers down on the strings without either making the d string buzz or muting the top e. I am now at a stage where this is getting much easier, i think it'll be easy even at speed soon.

I've found when chords get on my nerves i swap to doing some fingerpicking or power chords and when i come back to the chords they seem magically easier.

Just keep trying and it'll start to come, most of all have fun,

Russ

[airmaster39]

Hay Russ,

Thanks for the reply it does seem imposible at times, and I have to stop for a while. I get the buzzing a lot when I am playing chords someone told me try pushing the string up with my finger to give more room. That just makes the string above buzz! I know in time it will get better I just want that time to be now! LOL

So how often do you practice, I try to practice twice a day 30 minutes each some times more. This past week has been hard though just couldn't find the time seems the kids need me to do somthing every minute.

Ken

[Hilch]

Hi and welcome

[guita_freak]

hey ken

When i started, i also suffered from not only my fingers not fitting, but them being too small. After time and alot of frustration, my hand seemed to grow and work better over the years of playing guitar! Just keep on it, and youll end up gettin the routine.

Chris