Hey all, I am brand new, picked up the guitar just before the pandemic so been hacking away for a few. I have a crushed middle finger on my fretting hand and it doesn’t bend at the tip which causes a lot of challenges but I am all in. Here we go on learning from Justin and from you all. Looking forward to the community and glad it’s not on face place as I don’t have social media
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I get to be the first to say welcome. 
Hope you like minor chords. 
You’ll get that joke later!
Lots to read here, and good folks to answer questions.
Welcome again!
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Thanks a ton Michael! Nice to meet you. Just got done practicing, then noodling a bit. Now hiting the hay. Good night.
The old school folk guitar player Joni Mitchell had the virus Polio when she was a child and it caused a weak left fretting hand.
She had to play not only altered chords but she also came up with her own altered tuning. They were really cool and focused on her strengths. I saw a photo of the first time Davis Crosby saw her play and he was just staring at her freting hand dumbfounded on how she was getting the sounds.
So with 6 strings there are ton of options and plenty of examples of successful artists who have done well changing the guitar to what they needed personally.
Glad you found your way into the community. Keep at it and have fun.
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Hello James and welcome, wishing you all the best on your journey.
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Welcome to the forum james
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Welcome James! I have some issues with my ring and little fingers of the fretting hand but so far found workarounds to compensate. Wish you lots of fun with learning to play and also here in the community.
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Welcome
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Hello James.
Welcome to JustinGuitar and this fantastic community. Please take your time to look around and get to know the wider space.
https://community.justinguitar.com/categories
We are a supportive and encouraging group of students and guitarists from across the world. Essentially, we are all here for music and to improve as players. We truly are a ‘community’. Members help and support one another and a friendly, positive attitude underpins this. We hope that all - young or old, experienced or new players - adopt and foster the pay-it-forward ethos that Justin personifies and embedded all those years ago when he started the website and forum.
Also, please make sure to read the community etiquette announcement for some important information and guidance.
Richard
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Welcome!
In the days when “internetfora” were dying, this one only grew stronger.
it’s core of long time members, the willing mentality of the new people joining, the constructive tone of voice and positive attitude…and the occasional tweak by @DavidP @Richard_close2u and myself
You will benefit of picking up a bit of music theory. If you know how chords are made, you can create some alternative fingerings if te more standard ones give you too much trouble.
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Welcome, James!
Hey thanks brother for the support! I would love to be able to play with some folks and learn how to do that I’m usually by myself and my basement I do Jam along the songs and noodle around with some Pentatonix just having fun doing the best I can and trying to improve so I think I’ll fit right in. My attitude is good and I only want to encourage people and be encouraged so thank you for your kind comments
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Yeah you know what, I certainly want to learn some more about Theory and I’d like to learn to read music and tabs as well. But being able to form the chords with the good fingers I have would be awesome just understanding what I’m doing. I watch a guy on YouTube that doesn’t even look like he has hands but man he can shred. I don’t really care about shredding I’m more of a folky bluesy, Rocky kind of guy. Really want to play worship but I’d like to play it with a little Grit if you know what I mean. I could just see King David picking up an electric guitar and jamming for Jesus haha that’s what I want to do
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Ty Oleg!
That’s awesome man I’ll take encouragement anyway I can get it haha he can get frustrating trying to make things work when I hear dead strings LOL I want to play clean but if I can jam even if it’s a little dirty haha I just want to jam and make music
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Hey James – indeed, welcome to the Forum!
–with your special middle finger, you have also joined a hallowed company populated by the likes of Jerry Garcia and Django Reinhardt
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Welcome to the community James. Later on you might find open tunings helpful. Have fun!
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Welcome James!
Wishing you loads of fun and motivation!
The guitar learning will pay you back big time!
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Nice to meet you James and welcome to the community cheers Hec
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Ty, nice to meet you too, hope to get to jam with folk