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Old 05-12-2010, 10:07 AM
Badfrog Badfrog is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Ohio
Posts: 404
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I'm 6'4" and have some pretty big paws but I play just fine on a 1 11/16" Martin (though I don't dare fingerpick). I recall trying to play D7 or B7 chords and thinking there was no way this was going to happen but it didn't take long till I got comfortable with it. As for the A major chord I actually just use my index and middle finger to get those three strings (works pretty well but I need to work on doing a mini barre on those three with just my index). I can't imagine people with regular or bigger sized digits getting all three fingers to play the 2/3/4 strings on the same fret.

I think chords are certainly difficult for most any true beginner and you're gonig to bump strings and make mistakes. Sometimes it just makes us feel better if we believe it's happening because our finger tips are too big.

I think two things that are more important than the width of the nut are the setup and the type of strings being used. I started out with a cheap Fender using medium strings and a high action. Once I switched to light strings and got the action lowered, I was much better and made fewer mistakes.

Good luck. I hope he finds a guitar that makes him happy and it would be cool for you two to be able to play together in the future.
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