Beginner Finger Stretches

[edward777123]

to althenob. my hands are also very small and even thou i can make chords my fingers are miles away from stretching over 4 frets, is so annoying,

[SteveL_G99]

Edward, I have very small hands also. Even though I am starting grade 4, I still have problems with stretching 4 frets at the first position sometimes. So I will probably add this beginning finger stretching exercise to my practice. It helps to start at the 5th or 7th fret. Sometimes when my hand is not very stretchy, I will cheat and move my fretting hand slightly to reach the 4th fret note when I playing in the first position. Keep practicing and it will get a little easier.

[beckiarndt2003]

I’m struggling to make the notes ring out. Every time I try to play a note, it is really muted or buzzy. I try to keep my thumb down in the back, play up by the frets, and curl my fingers. How can I troubleshoot. I made a video but don’t see a place to upload it.

[judi]

Hi Becki, welcome to the community! Hopefully this will you get your video posted so folks can provide feedback. While you’re here, consider heading over to the Introduce Yourself topic to say hello to the broader community!

@Majik

The common approach is to upload to YouTube (you need an account for this). You have a choice to mark the video as public or “unlisted”. In the latter case, the video isn’t promoted by YouTube or discoverable via search. The only way to discover it is via the link you post to it (for instance, in this community).

But you can also upload video to other video services, such as Vimeo or Peertube.

And you can upload to file sharing services like Dropbox or Google Drive and share a link from there.

[Brewie]

are muting neighboring strings allowed when doing finger stretches? Justin dosent say so.

[GrumpyMac]

If you mute on purpose its good you know what you re doing
If you do not mute on purpose so its a bad thing and you should practice to have a clear sound

[Bor_MS]

Hi! I have the same problem as Ellis2010. How and where can I upload my photo so that you can give me advice?

[sequences]

photos can be uploaded right here into your reply. See the tools above the text box when you are typing your reply.

[Bor_MS]

Hi! Also, when doing finger stretching exercises, I feel tension in the muscles of my forearm. Am I doing everything right?

[sequences]

photos?

Some tension where you are stretching or fighting against a stretch is normal. If it turns into chronic or high tension, then something is not right.

[stitch]

@Bor_MS

I feel tension in the muscles of my forearm.

How straight is your wrist? If it’s bent more than a 4deg angle lift the neck of your guitar up more.
Look at Justin’s wrist, yours should be about the same.

[Bor_MS]

The tension is felt when I try to reach the string with my little finger, when the little finger touches the string, it is difficult for me to keep the other fingers in the right place and they move apart. And I didn’t quite understand you about the angle of the wrist? I try to keep my wrist parallel to the neck.

[stitch]

Does your wrist look like this? If it does that’s what is causing you pain and tention.

[Bor_MS]

In the photo, 3 fingers stand confidently, but then when I try to put my little finger, my third and first fingers part and it’s difficult for me to hold this position and I feel tension in my forearm.

[LadyOfTheCastle]

You’re working on allowing your fingers to spread further than what has been asked of them in all your life. This needs adaptation of the structures and tissues in your hand. It’s normal that during those exercises, you feel tension. Tension as such is no problem, but you have to be careful not to overdo it. Two important things to keep in mind:

1. Tension is one thing, pain is another. If you feel that the stretch you are asking of your fingers is too much and you can’t get there without pain, try the same exercise a few frets closer to the body of your guitar. The lower distance between the frets will make it easier. Find out where on the neck you start to get into trouble and start there. When you can manage to make the required stretch without too much tension and effort, move one fret down. Don’t rush things, make sure your hand and arm are ready to move on.
2. Don’t overdo it. This exercise is very taxing on your hand and arm, and you could easily cause injuries by overdoing it. No matter how well or badly the exercise goes, don’t do this for more than just a couple of minutes. If you don’t keep this in mind, you will hurt yourself.

[stitch]

Lady of the Castle nailed it. People don’t realize what playing guitar is asking of your body. To add to her comments the neck of your guitar looks like it is either level or slanted down towards the floor, it shoud be angled up a little not level.

[judi]

To add to the good advice from @LadyOfTheCastle and @stitch, it appears from the photos that you may be leaning to the left…almost as if you’re resting your left elbow on your left leg. Focus on sitting up straight as you do these exercises, and if you’re not using a strap, I’d suggest getting one. You’re not alone in this…I’ve been learning for about three years now and I still have to correct my posture and guitar position. It’s a journey!!!

[TheMadman_tobyjenner]

Do I need to dust down those old pictures ?

[Bor_MS]

Thank you all for your advice. I changed the angle of the neck and it became easier and more convenient.

[Bor_MS]

Thanks, I try to sit straight, but I still look at the chords when I play, so I lean over a little. I also realized that I needed a bigger guitar, this one is too small for me.