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#1
09-20-2021, 01:56 PM
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Introduction
Greeting fellow AGF members. I have been a member here for nearly 10 years and have just now summoned the courage to come forward, out of the shadows. Being what I call a perpetual beginner, late last year I decided again to learn how to play the guitar. This time I am determined to follow through. This has been a journey of twenty years, on and off.
 My hands are small and fingers VERY short.Exhibit A:  Yeah, I know. A co-worker once told me I had "hobbit hands."  Thanks to my dad and those pesky genetics. The rest of me is normal sized (whatever that is). My fretting hand nails must be filed to the quick. There will be no fretting of the low E with my thumb! For so long I believed that the narrower the nut width, the better for my impediment. Not so. A 1 3/4 nut width turns out to be, for me, more comfortable than narrower. I haven't had the opportunity to play even wider nut widths.So in my not nearly one year return I've bought all sorts of guitars. It's been fun, but I don't see the advantage, for me, of owning more than 3 or 4 (max). I have found I like small guitars best. 000s are almost too big. In a fairly recent thread an AGF member made a comment about "not more, but nicer." Yes. That comment resonated with me. That's my abbreviated story. Thank you for reading. 
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#2
09-20-2021, 01:59 PM
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Welcome aboard, Crescent Moon. Does your screen name refer to the crescent moon flag of South Carolina, or do you just like the image?
Wade Hampton Miller
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#3
09-20-2021, 02:16 PM
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Quote:
 Noel
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#4
09-20-2021, 02:22 PM
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Interesting first post. I like narrow necks on electrics and wider necks on acoustic and classical guitars. When you get a chance. play a classical. That very wide and fat neck, you may find. is decently playable. I have small medium fingers and a long palm.
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Neil M, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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#5
09-20-2021, 02:25 PM
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Welcome to the forum CM!
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Barry My SoundCloud page Avalon L-320C, Guild D-120, Martin D-16GT, McIlroy A20, Pellerin SJ CW Cordobas - C5, Fusion 12 Orchestra, C12, Stage Traditional Alvarez AP66SB, Seagull Folk Aria {Johann Logy}:
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#6
09-20-2021, 02:28 PM
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Quote:
__________________
'59 Gibson J-45 "Spot" '21 Gibson LG-2 - 50's Reissue '94 Taylor 710 '18 Martin 000-17E "Willie" ‘23 Taylor AD12e-SB '22 Taylor GTe Blacktop '15 Martin 000X1AE https://pandora.app.link/ysqc6ey22hb
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#7
09-20-2021, 02:40 PM
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Hi, Crescent Moon. I too have short fingers, but my saving grace is a wide palm so I can catch that low E with my thumb. I am about 6 feet tall (used to be taller, but age withers us all) but my arms are about 2" shorter than the average six-footer and all of the shortage is in my upper arm (humerus) so, I can't play dreadnaught size instruments comfortably. I've played since the 1960s but took a twenty year break and started up again about 5 years ago.
Stick with it. Look for a guitar with a narrow neck and the lowest radius fretboard you can find. No suggestions there, I don't have a wide enough knowledge base to make any suggestions. But keep at it and you will be rewarded. It will get easier.
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La Patrie Concert Lakewood M-1 (2003) Recording King R0S-06 000 Blueridge BR-142 Recording King R0-T16 Alvarez AP66SHB
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#8
09-20-2021, 02:48 PM
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Welcome CM!
I, too, appreciate smaller guitars, centering on 00 size. Decades ago it didn't matter, but now being in my late 60s 000/OM or larger just feel too big. Fortunately there are many nice small body guitars to choose from.
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#9
09-20-2021, 02:50 PM
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Howdy there Crescent
not sure what your musical interests are, but as a point of interest to you since you have smaller hands the following might be worth looking into. probably the greatest player who used minimal left hand (fretting hand positioning) would be the Master of Gypsy Jazz: Django Reinhardt. the belgian born french genius composer made jazz ultra cool in the 20's with his quartet ( self taught from what her heard by ear) he had a bad accident in 1928 that left his left hand severely burned and was only able to use 2 of the fingers on his left hand, therefore he recreated Jazz based on this and created the most revered form of gypsy jazz with his superb ability of melodic invention using his limited left hand. his alternate tunings laid the foundation for bringing lead jazz guitar to the forefront with ONLY 2 fingers. (as you can tell I LOVE what he did and his capitalization of his limited ability) this man could make music that sounded like he had 8 fingers on his left hand and his polyrhythm melodies have been mimicked by some of the greatest (imo) git players who also suffered limited use of left hand ( Joni Mitchell a fellow Canadian, due to her childhood affliction with polio I think, comes directly to my mind using her alt tunings and melody creation to give us some of the best folk music ever (again imo) ) worth checking out..look forward to more posts from ya ALT TUNINGS ROCK!!! double drop D, DADF#AD, etc etc etc
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Don 1929 SS Stewart Pro Archtop 1921 G Houghton Archtop Banjo 2007 George Rizsanyi Custom Maple Banjo Killer 2017 James Malejczuk Custom OM Black Limba 1980 Norman B50-12 Norman B-20 Recording King single 0 1996 Takamine 1967 Yam G-130 Melvina 1980s Seagull S6 Cedar 2003 Briarwood 1970s Eko Maple 1982 Ovation 2020 Fender Telecaster Mandolin Yam THR5A Sienna 35 Kustom
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#10
09-20-2021, 03:01 PM
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Quote:
Noel
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#11
09-20-2021, 03:04 PM
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Quote:
Noel
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#12
09-20-2021, 03:10 PM
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Quote:
-Mike "my friends from Tennessee tell me... "
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#13
09-20-2021, 03:10 PM
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Quote:
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#14
09-20-2021, 03:17 PM
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Quote:
Noel
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#15
09-20-2021, 03:24 PM
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Quote:
I'm in my early 60s, so I can relate to what you're saying. Thank you for reinforcing my intuition.Noel
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