I think I've found "THE" answer....

[JeremyG]

From this beginners perspective anyways....

If a person had 5 fingers on the left hand I think I'd be in business with all these finger gymnastics you have to do....

Geez!

Just sayin'!

[gh1]

Sorry to hear about your handicap -- tragic. But i have seen many people overcome physical limitations and still play the guitar. I have no idea what it takes, i have all five fingers, but there must be some inner resources to tap. Hang in there and good luck!

_____
gh1

[Neal]

Do you mean 5 fingers PLUS a thumb? Yeah, it would be easier...

[JeremyG]

Sorry to hear about your handicap -- tragic. But i have seen many people overcome physical limitations and still play the guitar. I have no idea what it takes, i have all five fingers, but there must be some inner resources to tap. Hang in there and good luck!

_____
gh1

gh1,

Thank you but....my post was "tongue-in-cheek"... :D

Neal's got it. What I'm letting off is a little bit of steam with all the new-to-me gymnastics you necessarily have to do in order to get a song to sound right.

Apologies if that didn't translate.

(I also need a dang good numbing solution!);)

Jeremy.

[mmmaak]

An extra finger is always welcome, but here are a few things you can learn (if you don't know already) to maximize the use of those you already have ;)

1. Fret with your thumb.
2. Fret two or more strings by bending other fingers backwards.
3. Fret two adjacent strings with a fingertip.

Come to think of it, an extra *hand* would be nice! :D

[lofapco]

An extra finger is always welcome, but here are a few things you can learn (if you don't know already) to maximize the use of those you already have ;)

1. Fret with your thumb.
2. Fret two or more strings by bending other fingers backwards.
3. Fret two adjacent strings with a fingertip.

Come to think of it, an extra *hand* would be nice! :D

Isn't that what a capo is for?!?!?! :D

Keep working at it Jeremy..... Soon they will all be working together. I do need to say that the pinky is a pretty worthless one but necessary all too often..... :)

[mmmaak]

Isn't that what a capo is for?!?!?! :D
WUSS!!! :lol:

[Allman_Fan]

If it was easier (or you had another finger) then you could "do it," right? But then so could everyone else and "doing it" wouldn't be so special, would it?

When you DO get "it" down, are you gonna stop there? This can be a life long puzzle or it can be something you used to do, back in your "Glory Days."

[Wolf]

HOund Dog Taylor.

[JeremyG]

I do need to say that the pinky is a pretty worthless one but necessary all too often..... :)

Paul, I'm finding that training that little retarded digit is kind of like bringing up my kids...it's going to take awhile. And I'm going to be just as diligent with it as I was with my two sons! Maybe more so!

Mak, thanks. I'm doing the thumb wrap and finding it's fairly good, very useful and something Stefan G. uses in his songs. I'm having difficulty not getting a good press on the low E though. I get a dull "thud" but I'm working on it but I can't see that getting much better. I'll keep at it though and hope for a miracle....

Thanks all. The more I play this box the more I wish I was 25 again and had more time!

Also, I'd give my left n(-ose) to be able to sing!!!!:D

Jeremy.

[BigRed51]

If a person had 5 fingers on the left hand I think I'd be in business with all these finger gymnastics you have to do....


Every time you have that thought, watch this video and pay special attention to the banjo player, Barry Abernathy. At about the 30 second point, you will be able to notice that he does not have ANY fingers on his left hand.

Mountain Heart (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzk8cR_tRt0)

I'll throw in a bonus video ... if you watch Josh Williams (who just won the IBMA Guitar PLayer of the Year for the second year in a row) you will notice that when he plays breaks, he does not use his pinky at all! If you just play what he does, you'll have plenty of fingers!

Carolina In The Pines (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgOKHMv-gQw)

[Guit Hacker]

An extra finger is always welcome, but here are a few things you can learn (if you don't know already) to maximize the use of those you already have ;)

1. Fret with your thumb.
2. Fret two or more strings by bending other fingers backwards.
3. Fret two adjacent strings with a fingertip.

Come to think of it, an extra *hand* would be nice! :D

I can't fret with my thumb. I see lots of guys go over the top of the fingerboard, but I physically can't do it:mad:. Believe me, I've tried, but my thumb just doesn't bend that way. It would definitely make several fingerings a lot simpler for me.

I played a friends weddings and the piece of music he chose used the thumb in every measure to play a bass line. I had to refinger the entire song.:sick:

If you can do what mmmaak suggested it will help immensely.

[mmmaak]

I played a friends weddings and the piece of music he chose used the thumb in every measure to play a bass line. I had to refinger the entire song.:sick:
Wow, that's brutal! :eek:

I can't really imagine it, though....are you saying that your thumb joints can't form a "C" (or "U") shape when bent, even without the guitar?

[Guit Hacker]

Wow, that's brutal! :eek:

I can't really imagine it, though....are you saying that your thumb joints can't form a "C" (or "U") shape when bent, even without the guitar?

Well.......I can bend the thumb backwards at a 90 degree angle, but forward I can only make a very "slight" C, actually more of an open parenthesis ( . When making an open D chord I can force my thumb onto the G or F#, in the bass, but it hurts (like it's trying to dislocate).

[mmmaak]

Well.......I can bend the thumb backwards at a 90 degree angle, but forward I can only make a very "slight" C, actually more of an open parenthesis
Sounds like a classical guitar teacher's ideal student (they frown upon thumb fretting/wrapping) :p