I envy you guys with long fingers

[Mr. Jelly]

Originally Posted by robj144

Les Paul, BB King, Clapton, etc... have no problem fretting later on in their later years. If you keep playing and keeping your fingers loose, I think that helps.

Not true. But believe what you want.

[jojobean39]

Originally Posted by Long Jon

I’ve got some pretty long fingers.



If I knew where to put ‘em I could probably play good and stuff.

Wow. That’s a huge stretch. I’ve got a long stretch, I thought, and my finger spread measured over 9”.

The largest stretch I’ve ever needed was for a song I wrote years ago that had a stretch from the 2nd fret B with the first finger to the 7th fret B with the pinky. No problems making that stretch, but it’s not a position I could hold for hours.

Unless one is playing super tough classical pieces, I don’t find that you need really long fingers.

[Jambi]

This is turning into a... finger measuring contest. OP is sad about genetically short fingers and y'all are postin' long finger pix lol.

[Goat Mick]

Originally Posted by JimmerO

My fingers aren't short but my thumb is.

No matter how hard I try I can't wrap my thumb around the neck and fret the low E string.

I've got stubby little fingers too, I just measured and my stretch is about 8 1/2 inches, but it really doesn't hold me back. I can fully understand the thumb envy though. My stubby little thumbs won't even help fretting on the 6th string. My gigging partner has normal size hands but really long thumbs and can finger a chord while getting down to the "D" string with his thumb. Makes playing an F#m a breeze. I feel like I need to kick his shin the next time I see him.

[SouthpawJeff]

Well of course venting sometimes makes you feel a tiny bit better, but practice will make you feel much better. Just think of how good it will be when you can hit that same stretch without even trying hard! Like so many things in life someone’s always going to have longer fingers, thicker hair, better looks etc etc, and it’s ok to be envious occasionally, but also important to be happy with what you do have😉

May also help to watch some players who may have even shorter fingers like Ana Vidovic, or Yenne Lee. I’m trying to learn one of Yenne’s arrangements and this petite young women crushes my stretching ability😔. But Ill keep plugging away and hopefully gradually improving.

Good luck,
Jeff

[KenL]

You wanna see some fingers? Go to YouTube and find a Robert Cray video.

Holy cow! Them's some long fingers.

[mdshax]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

So shouldn't the man with no feet have a right to be a little envious???

No because he met a man who had no legs. And so on and so on.

[JohnW63]

I watched a guitar lesson video of Steve Howe ( of YES ) and he has some long, now boney, fingers !

if someone can play an Am7b5#9 or whatever?

Wait...looking that one up.... Couldn't find a #9 version, so the #9 in the bass will have to do...



Not horrible, but not a quick stretch ! ( You probably randomly thought of the chord so, I apologize for the smart alec post. )

[JohnW63]

How about a link to the transcription ? For those of us wishing to play along.

[Johnny K]

Originally Posted by KenL

You wanna see some fingers? Go to YouTube and find a Robert Cray video.

Holy cow! Them's some long fingers.

I was gonna suggest John 5. He has a video where he does prayer hands and the fingers on his left hand are significantly longer than the ones on his right. It's some freaky stuff.

[Sean1972]

This must be heaven! I have found my fellow short and fat fingered brethren. Mine are just more wide tipped and short. Can't hardly get them all to fit on an A chord. Do you guys feel that using a 1 3/4 nut helps?

[jwayne]

Originally Posted by KenL

You wanna see some fingers? Go to YouTube and find a Robert Cray video.

Holy cow! Them's some long fingers.

Let's add to the list of very large hands & fingers:

Tal Farlow
Jimi Hendrix
Buckethead
Steve Vai
Paul Gilbert
Yngwie Malmsteen
Tosin Abasi

On the other "size" of the aisle we have:

Segovia (legendary stubby fingers)
Phil Keaggy
Johnny Hiland
Most females
Django Reinhardt (cheating, sorry)

[Birdbrain]

When I shook hands with Pat Metheny, I was surprised how his hands were smaller, like mine. He doesn't consider himself a great technical player, and I can see less economy of motion in his fretwork compared to others with those "spider fingers." Still, Pat's always able to float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, and, above all, wring the melody and emotion out of a song.

[jwayne]

Originally Posted by Birdbrain

When I shook hands with Pat Metheny, I was surprised how his hands were smaller, like mine. He doesn't consider himself a great technical player, and I can see less economy of motion in his fretwork compared to others with those "spider fingers." Still, Pat's always able to float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, and, above all, wring the melody and emotion out of a song.

As a total Metheny fanboy I am curious what "technical player" means in this context.