Stretching the fingers for wide chords??

[dtpolk]

I've always had problems stretching my fingers out for chords with notes four or more frets apart. For instance, Tommy Emmanuel's "Those Who Wait" starts with Dmaj9+11 then F6+9 and finally a sort of G7. The first chord is easy but the next two require quite a stretch (even though it's just 4 frets)!!

Now, I've seen players with hands apparently smaller then mine who can play this like it's nothing.

So, are there any stretching exercizes aimed specifically at this problem? Or, what have players here done?? Thanks!

[rick-slo]

Probably just playing the chords is the best and most direct approach. For example I find the C chord with the pinky on and off the second string fourth fret (as in for example "Freight Train") a stretch for me. Warming up on it usually does it.


You could capo up say on fret three for a smaller chord stretch and the work your way down with the capo position.

[Gordon Currie]

There may be safe hand/finger exercises for this, I'm sure someone will post them.
Just be very careful so you don't create a problem like tendinitis.
When you feel strain or pain, rest.

I used to find patterns that would challenge my ability to stretch. For example, finding a pattern where there is a big jump between index and middle finger.
Then do one between index and ring finger. One between index and pinky. Then permutate through the combinations that are left.

I advocate a lot of practice. Isolated exercises might be helpful, but nothing is going to increase your stretch like struggling to form a chord cleanly.

I also like yoga for it's low-impact nature - harder to injure yourself through over-enthusiasm.
I particularly like Baddha Guliasana (Bound Fingers Pose) as it gently stretches fingers, wrists and shoulders all in one pose.

Finally, if you haven't had this guitar setup, consider it. I struggled for years trying to play complex chords when first starting out, and found that a large factor was action set a little too high.

[piper_L]

In the violin world, we sometimes play twelfths, which are quite a stretch (index to pinky). Traditional advice, which works for me, is to place the pinky and relax to open the hand and let the index fall backwards, rather than stretching under tension.

It's tricky, and still requires training to relax, so to speak, but was more effective for me than straining to stretch.

You might look for, or invent, exercises that stretch out the fingers mildly (be careful not to overdo!).

[dtpolk]

piper_L yea, I've read about that The problem with the tune I gave as an example is that most of the chords are already played before the bass notes (played by the stretched fingers) are sounded. So laying the stretched fingers out first doesn't seem to function well here.

Rick and Gordon, yes just playing the chords seems to make sense, but I don't want to continue to do it wrong, and embed bad habits.

I'll work on what everyone here has said and see if there is improvement.

[Mr. Jelly]

Sometimes I find a note of a chord that doesn't need to be played and work around it. Or after one note is played on one string of the chord I let it go and finger another note of the chord to be played next. All six or four stings of a chord are not technically played at the same time. It's a work around.

[Sonics]

Oh boy, here we go again. My favorite technique videos...

[dtpolk]

Not bad videos. The first one...well, if you know this kind of music, the thumb is mandatory to some of the chord notes, not substitutions. The second video addressed my problem...a tad. But at least it's something to try!

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by dtpolk

I've always had problems stretching my fingers out for chords with notes four or more frets apart. For instance, Tommy Emmanuel's "Those Who Wait" starts with Dmaj9+11 then F6+9 and finally a sort of G7. The first chord is easy but the next two require quite a stretch (even though it's just 4 frets)!!

Now, I've seen players with hands apparently smaller then mine who can play this like it's nothing.

So, are there any stretching exercizes aimed specifically at this problem? Or, what have players here done?? Thanks!

The position of the thumb is critical. (That second video addresses it to some extent, but in unnecessary detail IMO.)

Essentially, you place your thumb on the back of neck (plenty of air between neck and palm), and stretch the index and pinky in opposite directions away from it - so the thumb is midway between index and pinky. Alternatively, place the pinky first (supporting it with the thumb), then stretch the index back.

I.e., you need to break the habit of always having the thumb opposite the index (as you normally do when barring chords). If I pinch the neck between thumb and index - say on fret 5 - I find I can stretch my pinky up to fret 9. If I now move the thumb up the neck - keeping index on 5 - so the thumb is opposite fret 7 or 8, my pinky will now stretch easily to fret 10; and that's still barring fret 5! If I don't need to barre fret 5, just fret one string with the index, then my pinky will go to 11; my thumb is then behind fret 8.
If I place my pinky first (on 11), then the index will easily go back to 5. In fact I can stretch from 12 back to 5, although not comfortably enough to actually play anything like that. Again, the thumb is roughly midway between both fingertips.

I'd say my hands are average for an adult male, maybe with thinner fingers than most, but not longer.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by dtpolk

…So, are there any stretching exercizes aimed specifically at this problem? Or, what have players here done?? Thanks!

Hi dtpolk

Reaching challenging spans of notes is not a stretching issue. Long stretches are a matter of relaxing into them, not 'stretching' into them. There is no forcing involved. To stretch implies working something, whereas relaxing is the opposite maneuver.

I once saw Tuck Andress reach underneath and around the neck and very easily fret two notes on the fingerboard 5 frets apart with his thumb and pinky (simultaneously), and the notes were on different strings. When asked why, he said because it was the only way he could reach the notes.

Since then I've written this move into challenging arrangements several times.

There's no official rules for this stuff.

[dtpolk]

ljguitar, regardless of what actually takes place, the fingers are only so long. And even if it comes down to just getting everything to relax, there must be a best method of doing that. There are indeed some aids available, one of which is guitarists preferring shorter scale necks.

My interest here is in positive methods in approaching the problem.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by dtpolk

ljguitar, regardless of what actually takes place, the fingers are only so long. And even if it comes down to just getting everything to relax, there must be a best method of doing that. There are indeed some aids available, one of which is guitarists preferring shorter scale necks.

My interest here is in positive methods in approaching the problem.

Hi dt

Well, I certainly agree, and hopefully was not suggesting you use negative methods.

There are songs where I deploy Dropped D tuning so I can accomplish certain fretted bass notes with single notes, parallel 6ths/3rds or chord-inversions on the treble strings (Dropped D raises the fingering point of the bass by 2 frets).

I have average to slightly small hands, so I've been dedicated to working around issues in novel ways to accommodate arrangements.

[dtpolk]

Yea, the particular song I'm working on is in drop D. It's a Tommy Emmanuel tune called Those Who Wait. Tommy, who's hands seem unusually flexible, comes up with these weird inversions that, well...if he wants another note, he just grabs it regardless of where it is. That makes finding a work-around tough sometimes.

Nice guitars!

[piper_L]

dtpolk,

I found that some of the excercises in Scott Tennant's "Pumping Nylon" book helped me in "opening up" my hand, making the fingers a little more willing and able to span some distances.

Pg.s 14/15 (in my copy) have some exercises that alternate fingers across strings 5-2, then 6-1. Pg 17 then does a gradual expansion from string 4-3, to 4-2, 5-2, 5-1, 6-1. Although these are spans across strings, I found it added to the flexibility of my hands/fingers over time.

Pg 21 continues this idea. Pg 22 has a "spider exercise" that takes you up and down the fingerboard on strings 5 and 2. You can also do it on strings 4-1, and I've come up with some 6-3 versions as well.

Pg 18-19 is an exercise that works on spanning wider intervals on a single string, with different pairs of fingers. Easy to overdo and hurt your hand, so be cautious!

These may or may not be your cup of tea, but I found them helpful. Maybe you can find a copy of the book at a library, or a cheap copy online, to see if they help.

Good luck!

[SprintBob]

Originally Posted by piper_L

dtpolk,

I found that some of the excercises in Scott Tennant's "Pumping Nylon" book helped me in "opening up" my hand, making the fingers a little more willing and able to span some distances.

Pg.s 14/15 (in my copy) have some exercises that alternate fingers across strings 5-2, then 6-1. Pg 17 then does a gradual expansion from string 4-3, to 4-2, 5-2, 5-1, 6-1. Although these are spans across strings, I found it added to the flexibility of my hands/fingers over time.

Pg 21 continues this idea. Pg 2 has a "spider exercise" that takes you up and down the fingerboard on strings 5 and 2. You can also do it on strings 4-1, and I've come up with some 6-3 versions as well.

Pg 18-19 is an exercise that works on spanning wider intervals on a single string, with different pairs of fingers. Easy to overdo and hurt your hand, so be cautious!

These may or may not be your cup of tea, but I found them helpful. Maybe you can find a copy of the book at a library, or a cheap copy online, to see if they help.

Good luck!

+1 on Pumping Nylon. Great left hand exercises.