Hang in there!

someone told me that eventually  my fingers would stretch out but i am not sure i believe that.  i mean you fingers are only so long... right?

i can  make a G chord great, and a F chord most of the time, not perfectly, but recognizable,  but it is that **** C chord! and wouldn't you know  every song i want to play has the c chord. 

thanks again for the support and i am going to try the "up" angle.  i will let you know!

wannaplay

how long does it take for the "death grip" to go away?  i am learning from someone who has played 41 years and  i think forgets what is like for beginners. 

somedays i feel good about but others i am ready to give up.  i don't know if i will ever master anything on the guitar.. can you tell this is a "give up day"?

thanks for the advice and listening!

Hi Wannaplay, don't give up, when I had those days I played my acoustic on my lap and learned all the chords that I've been learning the conventual way, it may not be for all but it sure is fun. Hope you find a guitar that fits. Since learning to play scales thru Chordie my guitar playing has really improved and is a great joy to be able to play. Hang in there,things change.

  Badeye 

Wannaplay, I'v had more than a few give up days.  The thing that keeps me going,  is my love of the music and being able to play the stuff I love.

Hang in there.  It does get better.

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/1127 … osture.htm .

This means your arms have less of a stretch and you have less of a twist on your wrist to make the notes.

You can also raise the guitar high on your chest if you want to keep a horizontal neck.

If you are getting death grip - try breathing. We all stop breathing when we get anxious - and hitting a chord in public can make us all anxious. Note when you are breathing when you play difficult passages - and, if you are holding your breath, work in a breath pattern for the section you are playing. Make it at a chord change. 

Breathing will stop you physically cramping - otherwise you will need to see a shrink.

  41 years, that is a long time and certainly enough time to forget to remember what it was like to be starting out!  Some of us however put the thing away for a bit and got back into music after a little while off (not necessarily for good behavior).  And the suffering is just as bad the second time around as the first... except that you don't have that death grip thing to contend with, having gotten over it once before.  So to give you heart and perhaps a hint of a way to get around the cramping etc. I will have to go back to my old "classical" fix for everything that you might be doing "wrong" (even though there is no "wrong" way).

  First off that reaching across the neck to fret the upper strings (lower notes, but higher as you reach out for them), you might try settling your guitar a bit higher on the neck angle as it crosses your body.  That forces you to get your thumb behind the neck of the instrument and naturally allows more finger extension across the width of the fingerboard.  You might think that it wouldn't let you get as much pressure on the strings, but it actually lets you pinch the neck between your thumb and fingers in a more natural and stronger grasp without cramping up the palm of your hand.  The wrist and forearm will be in a straighter line which keeps the tendons running freely through the tunnels in your carpals and lessens fatigue as well as irritation.

  It doesn't look as cool as playing with the guitar below your belt buckle, but a lot easier on the body.

  Take Care;
  Doug

somedays i feel good about but others i am ready to give up.  i don't know if i will ever master anything on the guitar.. can you tell this is a "give up day"?

thanks for the advice and listening!

thank you all for the information... i keep trying and keep getting frustrated.  one thing that was mentioned was "tightening up" when making the chords.  that is a real possibility. i believe i am doing that. 

i still have trouble reaching across three frets to make  c or f chord which drives me crazy.  i am female if i didn't mention so imagine tiny tiny hands. 

i will check into the $$ of the guitars mentioned.   maybe after the holidays if i don't give up first!

thanks again for all the info!

My teacher has assured me that with practice and learning just the right amount of pressure to get the note, the "death grip" phase will pass.

There are some good smaller guitars that might suit you well!  My daughter got one for $180 that has a good sound and feels good for her.

Don't give up!

i still have trouble reaching across three frets to make  c or f chord which drives me crazy.  i am female if i didn't mention so imagine tiny tiny hands. 

i will check into the $$ of the guitars mentioned.   maybe after the holidays if i don't give up first!

thanks again for all the info!

DrewDruncan wrote:

How about a baby Taylor:
http://www.taylorguitars.com/Guitars/Baby-Taylor/BT1/

I would agree that a Baby Taylor might be a great choice...I have one that I gave my grandson and it is an excellent guitar and sounds great... Martin makes a similar model and I bet others have them too!

I also can't help but wonder if maybe you are trying too hard? Sometimes people will stress and the harder they try, the more frustrated they become...maybe gripping the fretboard too tightly causing your hands and fingers to stiffen and cramp...also wearing your fingertip callouses too much?

Nylon string guitars are often easy to fret for some, but then again the strings are typically set a bit wider ... having small hands that might not help much...

Sometimes tuning the guitar down a 1/2 step can make it easier to fret and play...especially using bar chords...

Please don't get frustrated and give up...I'm sure that it'll work out eventually....hmmmm, I have big hands and it drives me nuts playing mandolin....

I have the gripping the fretboard problem big time, I keep trying to relax my hand and only using enough pressure to get the notes, but, after a minute or so, it's back to the "death grip" and my hand cramps.  Not to mention that if I have a rapid chord change, Ex; from A to D to A during a tune, my fingers stiffen to the point I can't move them individually.  It's not too frustrating, but, when I'm in my group old time string band lesson.  I literally have to stop and flex them free again.

I agree with the nylon strings being easier to fret.  I have a packet of them and will try to see how they feel next time I change the strings.  I currently have steel ones.  I can always switch back if I don't like it.   we have three mandolin players in my group and I always marvel at their ability to play with such a small fret board.

How about a baby Taylor:
http://www.taylorguitars.com/Guitars/Baby-Taylor/BT1/

I would agree that a Baby Taylor might be a great choice...I have one that I gave my grandson and it is an excellent guitar and sounds great... Martin makes a similar model and I bet others have them too!

I also can't help but wonder if maybe you are trying too hard? Sometimes people will stress and the harder they try, the more frustrated they become...maybe gripping the fretboard too tightly causing your hands and fingers to stiffen and cramp...also wearing your fingertip callouses too much?

Nylon string guitars are often easy to fret for some, but then again the strings are typically set a bit wider ... having small hands that might not help much...

Sometimes tuning the guitar down a 1/2 step can make it easier to fret and play...especially using bar chords...

Please don't get frustrated and give up...I'm sure that it'll work out eventually....hmmmm, I have big hands and it drives me nuts playing mandolin....

  I can't remember exactly what scale length is "standard full size", but the trend has been to go to "short scale" guitars at least here in the States.  It has to do mostly with the string tension factor.  Reducing the length of the string allows you to not have to put as much pull on the string to get it to a 440 A reference note (for example).  In acoustic guitars that is a big advantage, to allow the Luthier lighter bracing in the body of the instrument and the additional volume and resonance that results.  From a "playability" viewpoint... easier fretting and bending.  You might find that manufacturers refer to their scale as " 3/4, or 5/8" or somesuch but there are variations from make and model.  I don't think that there is any set in stone rule about what length a guitar has to be, although one would think that it should be an even multiplier of the desired wave length of a frequency that relates to a particular note.  My guess would be the A note, string 5 open at 440Hz.  But considering that all fret locations are calculated from the bridge using the total scale length as the constant, you could make a guitar any length you wanted within the limits of practical tuning with common gauge strings.

  As to the buzzing, it is most likely not fretting close enough to the wire or not being able to get the string fully depressed.  The other variable is excessive bridge height.  Assuming that the guitar is set up properly, and you said that it doesn't happen when others play it.  It's probably you and something you are doing.  It could be that your finger strength is not up there yet and especially if you are using barre chording, it takes awhile.  You do practice a lot and that will get you physically conditioned fairly rapidly in that area, but don't over do it in one sitting.  Break your playing time into many short periods, and don't, like sit and try to go four hours straight.  Take breaks and stretch your hands and wrists or your tendons will let you know about having overdone.  They heal real slow and come back to haunt you again and again!

Take Care;
  Doug

Was that like too much information?  PS: Did a little research and the Baby Taylor is considered 3/4 scale at 22 3/4".  Martin, Alvarez, and Yamaha also build in that 22 to 23 inch scale on some models, mostly "travel" sizes.

are you saying different brands make different scales (lengths)  like the youth size is 20" long just right for me... the parlor is 25" long too long for me.  i understand a full size adult might be even longer.

however, say for instance, a fender or gibson, could you get different lengths?  say for isntance, maybe a 1.75 but maybe a 23" length?

the frets are just too wide on this one.  also, the other problem is i am making a buzzing noise.. is that because i am not holding the string down tight enough?  it doesn't make it when other's play it. 

i am so frustrated. 

thanks again.