[Falstaff66]

I started off on this forum asking for adivce on what to buy, ending up with a Fender Acoustic. Now I've been practicing as much as real life allows. I love the beginner lessons here and look forward to progressing to the fingertsyle stuff someday.

I'm beginning to memorize the G, C, D, Em, Am, Dm, E and A chords. However, I consistently have a problem with the fleshy part of my fingertip (pad) deadening the string below it. Mostly my ring and middle finger actually. Sometimes it's all but impossible for me to fret a string and not have this happen. I'm arching my fingers as much as possible (given a particular stretch). Changing to custom-light strings helped, but it is still happening. Is there a technique for avoiding this or do I just need better calluses and more practice?

[allthumbs]

"I just need better calluses and more practice" You got it.

[Falstaff66]

That's as I suspected, but there's a hidden fear that you're just doing it wrong, even when it seems that you aren't. I'll keep plugging away and hope these finger tips toughen up a bit. I find that learning to play guitar is like weight loss, there's no magic pill.

[__tsidewinder__]

"That's as I suspected, but there's a hidden fear that you're just doing it wrong, even when it seems that you aren't."

I know that feeling! Thats whats great about this forum, if you're unsure on something, you can be completely comfortable asking whatever's on your mind.

[Robert Firestone]

Originally Posted by Falstaff66

I started off on this forum asking for adivce on what to buy, ending up with a Fender Acoustic. Now I've been practicing as much as real life allows. I love the beginner lessons here and look forward to progressing to the fingertsyle stuff someday.

I'm beginning to memorize the G, C, D, Em, Am, Dm, E and A chords. However, I consistently have a problem with the fleshy part of my fingertip (pad) deadening the string below it. Mostly my ring and middle finger actually. Sometimes it's all but impossible for me to fret a string and not have this happen. I'm arching my fingers as much as possible (given a particular stretch). Changing to custom-light strings helped, but it is still happening. Is there a technique for avoiding this or do I just need better calluses and more practice?

I would suggest that perhaps you would do better with a wider neck. You probably don't have really long skinny fingers, right. It is also possible that your hand is not in an advantageous position. It could be that you simply need to develop moreflexibility, the ability to stretch more. It's really hard to diagnose it from an internet post, though. BTW, callouses have more to do with exerting pressure on the strings, not so much positioning, in fact some students press WAY too hard.....

[Falstaff66]

Originally Posted by Robert Firestone

I would suggest that perhaps you would do better with a wider neck. You probably don't have really long skinny fingers, right. It is also possible that your hand is not in an advantageous position. It could be that you simply need to develop moreflexibility, the ability to stretch more. It's really hard to diagnose it from an internet post, though. BTW, callouses have more to do with exerting pressure on the strings, not so much positioning, in fact some students press WAY too hard.....

Oddly enough, my lack of long skinny fingers lead me to a narrow neck (normal for a steel string anyway). I had an old classical and couldn't begin to get my fingers around it. I considered a Seagull with the slightly wider neck. I think callouses may help...due to simple physics. I DO push down too hard, but also, the string pushes well into the meat of my finger, and displaces it to the pad of the finger, which gets wider, and contacts the next string. I'm hoping callouses will mitigate that effect. I'm sure stretching will help as well, and hand positioning could be a problem, I'm not sure. You're right, that's not something you guys could tell me.

[Chris C]

Hi,

I can only speak from my own experience but I found that the biggest factor was actually very tiny differences in finger placement.

When I started out my fingers seemed way too big and fleshy, but they just seemed to get smaller with practice. Calluses and a lighter touch certainly help, but if I press down really hard now the strings still mostly ring accurately.

What seems to have changed over the months was a series of very tiny subconscious adjustments until my fingers could feel exactly the best spot for the string to be touching the tip. Eventually both the brain and the fingers seemed to work out the right spots and angles, and also actually be able to reproduce them again next time around.

An interesting trick is to try playing a mandolin for a while. They have fretboards about the size of a toothpick and appear to be made only for elves to play.... But after a while you can even get them to work. Then when you go back to guitar the neck seems as wide as a freeway!

Cheers,

Chris

[coldethyl]

Originally Posted by Falstaff66

I find that learning to play guitar is like weight loss, there's no magic pill.

You got that right! Just like dieting, it takes hard work and effort but it pays off in the long run, but equally important is to have fun along the way.

[chammon]

One other thing, make sure the fingernails on your fretting hand have been clipped, chewed, or sanded down short. This will allow you to press down on the strings from a more vertical angle.

[Robert Firestone]

Originally Posted by Falstaff66

Oddly enough, my lack of long skinny fingers lead me to a narrow neck (normal for a steel string anyway). I had an old classical and couldn't begin to get my fingers around it. I considered a Seagull with the slightly wider neck. I think callouses may help...due to simple physics. I DO push down too hard, but also, the string pushes well into the meat of my finger, and displaces it to the pad of the finger, which gets wider, and contacts the next string. I'm hoping callouses will mitigate that effect. I'm sure stretching will help as well, and hand positioning could be a problem, I'm not sure. You're right, that's not something you guys could tell me.

Your overpressing to develop callouses will slow your technique down big time. That's like running in the mud- it takes longer to release tension the more that there is......

[Falstaff66]

Originally Posted by Robert Firestone

Your overpressing to develop callouses will slow your technique down big time. That's like running in the mud- it takes longer to release tension the more that there is......

I'm not overpressing on purpose...I just realize that I'm doing it. I have little trouble with a G chord, or even D, but on C, my 3rd finger always kills the 3rd string. I'm going to work on a lighter press, and see if it helps. But anytime I need to stretch, my other fingers tend to lift off the strings unless I concentrate on pressing them down. I think that's where my hard pressing came from.

[Robert Firestone]

Originally Posted by Falstaff66

I'm not overpressing on purpose...I just realize that I'm doing it. I have little trouble with a G chord, or even D, but on C, my 3rd finger always kills the 3rd string. I'm going to work on a lighter press, and see if it helps. But anytime I need to stretch, my other fingers tend to lift off the strings unless I concentrate on pressing them down. I think that's where my hard pressing came from.

How close is your 1st finger to the first fret on c?

[Falstaff66]

Originally Posted by Robert Firestone

How close is your 1st finger to the first fret on c?

Pretty much on top of the fret wire. That's the only way I can come close to stretching my ring finger into the third fret at all (and it's towards the back...closer to the 2nd fret wire). Three fret chords are murder for me. I can get a good strecth between my 1st and 2nd fingers, but I simply can't put much distance bewteen the
2nd and 3rd. Are there exercises to work on that?

[agent0064life]

Originally Posted by Falstaff66

Pretty much on top of the fret wire. That's the only way I can come close to stretching my ring finger into the third fret at all (and it's towards the back...closer to the 2nd fret wire). Three fret chords are murder for me. I can get a good strecth between my 1st and 2nd fingers, but I simply can't put much distance bewteen the
2nd and 3rd. Are there exercises to work on that?

Put a rubber band right around the finger you want to strengthen on both hands with your hands up against each other and pull back on the finger repeatedly.

[Chris C]

Originally Posted by Falstaff66

Three fret chords are murder for me. I can get a good strecth between my 1st and 2nd fingers, but I simply can't put much distance bewteen the
2nd and 3rd. Are there exercises to work on that?

Hi,

Your fingers will naturally gain the ability to stretch further as you practice. When I started playing (in my late 50s) my left hand was so stiff I had to literally use my right hand to put some of the left hand fingers in place for some chords. No problems now though.

A good general exercise for warming up, finger strength, stretch and general accuracy is to assign each finger to a different fret in line along the same string (say the low E) and then walk them across, one by one, onto the next string until you get to the other side of the neck. then walk them back. Play as you go, so you can hear how accurate you are. Start down near the body where the frets are closer together if you have trouble with reach.

So - for instance - put the index finger on the 7th fret of the low E string, play the note. Next, put the middle finger on the 8th fret and play, put the ring finger on the 9th and play, then use the pinky on the 10th. Then move the index across to the 7th fret on the A string and work your way up again, and so on across the neck.

Try to put one finger down at a time but keep the other three hovering just above their own fret. Try not to wave them about too much, or rock the whole hand about. Try to maintain a nice even height and position. It won't work at first of course, so don't worry if the fingers won't cooperate immediately. But take it slow and do it every day and they soon will. Then work up to the wider frets. Later you can do the same thing but play scales instead. But to start with just use every finger on every fret. After a while you'll have 4 stronger fingers that will do what they're told.

With your C chord, you could try pushing the ring finger across until it touches the low E string (usually referred to as the 6th string. String 1 is the thinnest). Usually you want to begin a chord on the root note, so skip the open low E and start playing at the C (which is that ring finger at the third fret on the A string). If you're going to mute a string it's better to mute the E than the D string on the other side of the finger. Later on you'll be able to miss both.

Hope all that makes sense. Good luck.

Cheers,

Chris