Finger placement issues

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I have a really FNG type question, so I hope I don't take too many face shots over this one.

I have exactly 3 weeks of lessons under my belt, and I have been diligent about practicing every day for at least 1.5 hours per day. I have a brand new Fender Player series Stratocaster.

That said... For the life of me, I simply cannot get three fingers on the same fret (to play an "A" chord for example), and it's difficult to get my middle finger on ANY string without it laying against and muting a neighboring string. I have actually sat there and tried to lay just my middle finger on a string and seeing if I can pluck that string without muting a neighboring string. No luck. Just not happening.

What I CAN do is cover two adjacent strings with my middle finger. So I'm wondering a number of things.

1. Is it acceptable to learn how to play certain chords by covering 2 strings with 1 finger vice 2?

2. Am I just expecting too much too fast because I'm too new? (I don't see my middle finger shrinking any time soon)

3. Is the width of the Strat neck simply too narrow for me to play properly?

4. Is there a different neck I can get with a wider gap between the strings?

5. Should I be learning on a different guitar?

6. Should I sell the guitar and take up bowling instead?!

Any helpful tips/tricks/suggestions you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

[antvas1963]

It is frustrating at first but with practice it does get easier.

[BuddyO]

Candlepin rules.

I was in your position a year ago after a few months of beginners practice.
I find the open A chord easier on my acoustic due the the wider neck, but it is a real challenge on my Comins.

My advice would be to keep at it and try rotating your wrist and pushing your elbow into your side. Don’t give up, you will eventually find your sweet spot.

When I started learning my first full barre chord (E shape), I struggled for weeks and thought I would never get it right, but it slowly got better. You just need to build the strength, dexterity, and muscle memory into your fretting hand.

[Jamolay]

Sounds like you are on track at 3 weeks. Keep going and it will come.

I have been playing 1.33 years roughly and if I had a dollar for everything that seemed impossible before, yet I can do now I could buy another guitar. If you include those things I still think are impossible and will be able to do 5 years from now, that guitar will be a Froggy Bottom.

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by Rick_In_Tampa

What I CAN do is cover two adjacent strings with my middle finger. So I'm wondering a number of things.

1. Is it acceptable to learn how to play certain chords by covering 2 strings with 1 finger vice 2?

Yes, absolutely. I cover 3, 4 strings with one finger sometimes. But my middle and top joints on my fingers are kind of double jointed - I can hold any finger at a right angle in the middle or bend my top joints backward.

Originally Posted by Rick_In_Tampa

2. Am I just expecting too much too fast because I'm too new? (I don't see my middle finger shrinking any time soon)

Possibly. Many of us did when starting out.

Originally Posted by Rick_In_Tampa

3. Is the width of the Strat neck simply too narrow for me to play properly?

This is possible. But there are always multiple ways to voice any chord. Try some variations.

Originally Posted by Rick_In_Tampa

4. Is there a different neck I can get with a wider gap between the strings?

I'm not an expert on Strats specifically or electric guitars generally. But with enough money, time, money, skill or money you can get anything done.

Originally Posted by Rick_In_Tampa

5. Should I be learning on a different guitar?

Maybe. But every guitar is a compromise - your strat is great for some thing, not great for others. I can say that about any guitar. I personally feel its best to start out on an acoustic.

Originally Posted by Rick_In_Tampa

6. Should I sell the guitar and take up bowling instead?!

Don't sell it yet. But you should take up bowling as well.

[warfrat73]

You think you're going to find a bowling ball that fits you with those fingers?

I have a hard time finding a bowling that fits my fingers (my thumb in particular), and I play a strat most of the time that I play electric.

It's important that you practice using your fingertips, not the pads of your finger.

If you're fingering the A chord with three fingers it's important to stack your fingers correctly, and it's a bit counterintuitive at first... (you may know this already) the index finger should be on the g string, and closest of the three to the nut, the ring finger on the b, and middle finger on the d (you'd think middle finger should go on the g... but that's a big squeeze). Ok, I'm sure there are other ways to do it, but that's how I do it with my fat fingers.

That said, it's pretty common to cover more than one string with a finger. And I bet I'm not the only one here that occasionally plays an A Chord with just my index finger smashed across three strings (more often on electric than acoustic).

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Originally Posted by warfrat73

You think you're going to find a bowling ball that fits you with those fingers?

I have a hard time finding a bowling that fits my fingers (my thumb in particular), and I play a strat most of the time that I play electric.

It's important that you practice using your fingertips, not the pads of your finger.

If you're fingering the A chord with three fingers it's important to stack your fingers correctly, and it's a bit counterintuitive at first... (you may know this already) the index finger should be on the g string, and closest of the three to the nut, the ring finger on the b, and middle finger on the d (you'd think middle finger should go on the g... but that's a big squeeze). Ok, I'm sure there are other ways to do it, but that's how I do it with my fat fingers.

That said, it's pretty common to cover more than one string with a finger. And I bet I'm not the only one here that occasionally plays an A Chord with just my index finger smashed across three strings (more often on electric than acoustic).

No Sir I did not know that! I was told to do 1-2-3 right down D, G, B. The way you describe makes more sense as far as fitting them all in, but I can see it's going to require some contortion to make it work. I'll try when I get home tonight! Thanks for the tip!!

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

Yes, absolutely. I cover 3, 4 strings with one finger sometimes. But my middle and top joints on my fingers are kind of double jointed - I can hold any finger at a right angle in the middle or bend my top joints backward.



Possibly. Many of us did when starting out.




This is possible. But there are always multiple ways to voice any chord. Try some variations.



I'm not an expert on Strats specifically or electric guitars generally. But with enough money, time, money, skill or money you can get anything done.



Maybe. But every guitar is a compromise - your strat is great for some thing, not great for others. I can say that about any guitar. I personally feel its best to start out on an acoustic.



Don't sell it yet. But you should take up bowling as well.

Lol... Somehow I knew money was going to play into this one way or another. If I added bowling without subtracting the guitar, the wife would take the bowling ball and well, you know....

Thanks for the reply. I was worried about learning bad habits that would bite me later on when trying to learn how to play other notes/songs. I don't have the same dexterity you possess, so I guess I'll just need to keep trying different methods until I find one that works.

[warfrat73]

Yeah, I can't play it all in a row like that, I do this...

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Originally Posted by BuddyO

Candlepin rules.

I was in your position a year ago after a few months of beginners practice.
I find the open A chord easier on my acoustic due the the wider neck, but it is a real challenge on my Comins.

My advice would be to keep at it and try rotating your wrist and pushing your elbow into your side. Don’t give up, you will eventually find your sweet spot.

When I started learning my first full barre chord (E shape), I struggled for weeks and thought I would never get it right, but it slowly got better. You just need to build the strength, dexterity, and muscle memory into your fretting hand.

My teacher has me doing E major and E7, and that's going okay. But on the E major I've been covering the A and D strings with my middle finger. Then he added A and the wheels fell off.

Looks like I just need to keep at it. Thanks for your tips. I'll give it a shot.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Originally Posted by warfrat73

Yeah, I can't play it all in a row like that, I do this...

That makes more sense. I will give that a shot and see what happens. Thanks!!

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by warfrat73

...It's important that you practice using your fingertips, not the pads of your finger...

That said, it's pretty common to cover more than one string with a finger. And I bet I'm not the only one here that occasionally plays an A chord with just my index finger smashed across three strings (more often on electric than acoustic).

I have nothing more to add - and that's the only way I've ever done a first-position A chord...

[Paleolith54]

Originally Posted by Rick_In_Tampa

That makes more sense. I will give that a shot and see what happens. Thanks!!

Fine to pick one that's easy for now, but you may find as time goes on you'll make many chords (and A is a prime example) with different fingerings depending on the chords or licks before and after it. There are at least 4 ways I can think of that I play that first-position A chord.

And be wary of fingerings that are too easy. I make my open E and Am chords with a goofy fingering that was easier to my 13-year-old brain back in the day, and I still make them that way. Not a disaster (I even saw James Taylor do the same thing while playing), but there are sure times when I wish I'd learned them the conventional way.

[Aspiring]

Originally Posted by Rick_In_Tampa

That makes more sense. I will give that a shot and see what happens. Thanks!!

I use this fingering a great deal as well. I also have larger hands and fingers.

On top of finding it easier I find I like how the index finger can then anchor a lot of chord changes from here.

It stays put for A to D major with open strings. It slides back one fret for E Major and E7 the shape of the fingers remains roughly the same to move to a three finger G major etc.

And like others have said I will also use multiple fingerings depending on what comes next in the song. I use the all three in one finger often.

for the A Barre chord shape I usually finger it with index Barre and then the ring finger across the b,g,d strings. From an a shape chord to the one finger A just comes like a natural transition for me but I also have the first joint that bends more backwards than most.

[rmp]

you may find it easier to use fingers 2,3,4 instead of 1,2,3