Fat Fingers

OffHeGoes29

Well I have been playing with my acustic guitar for a couple of weeks now, about an hour or two a day, and I still have problems playing chords. My fingers are all over the place, and half the notes sound flat or buzz due to my fat fingering the notes. I have no problem playing one note at a time, but when it calls for something like a couple of notes at once, forget it. I don't know how someone can hit all the notes at once with out hitting other strings.

(My fingers are not actually fat, just clumsy)

Jooooosh

Practice.
There's really no secret to it, beginner players often have trouble forming chords -- I did too.

sennin

Ask Warren Haynes.

I'm sure he'll say about a century of practice.

lucylespian

I'm LMAO at the line "my fat fingering the chords" !!

Seriously, you've only been playing a couple of weeks. it takes a long time to get really good at guitar. If it was too easy everyone could do it, and it would be boring.

Thumb on the back of the neck, stand your fingers up vertical , takes PRACTICE !!!

DOSW

Yeah, don't worry about it. I've been playing for over a year and a lot of my chord progressions still aren't silky smooth like they should be.

Novawind

I can say confidently that no matter how many years you play, you'll always be critical of yourself and think "Jeez, that sucks, I could sound better than this." Everyone has it. There are good days and bad days for playing, so you've just got to keep practicing. I too have been playing for a year and a half and frankly I think my chord changes sound about as smooth as sandpaper. I get fret buzz all the time; hell, I don't even know all my chords/scales the way I probably should by now. Just get lessons or a really good practice book and stick with it.

xtremehardy388

Everyone's right. I've been playing for a little while now and I don't know my chords or sclaes for shit. Just keep practicing. I have SMALL fingers which means I can forget barring chords. I think Lucy said something like putting your thumb on the neck and your fingers vertical. As you're doing this, just squeeze the neck and the buzz will go away. As your doing this, your fingers will get stronger but sore. It's also true that you're your hardest critic. You'll have good days and bad days but those good days will kick ass. You may play a chord or just a single note and it'll be the higlight of your day! I know SOMEONE on this board can back me up on that!

All Those Yesterdays

Out of know where you will start playing chords and you won't know what you did different. it just happens. I have boney small hands, and it was always tuff to do bar chords with buzzing notes out. Out of know where that goes away.

Drew263

OffHeGoes29 wrote:

Well I have been playing with my acustic guitar for a couple of weeks now, about an hour or two a day, and I still have problems playing chords. My fingers are all over the place, and half the notes sound flat or buzz due to my fat fingering the notes. I have no problem playing one note at a time, but when it calls for something like a couple of notes at once, forget it. I don't know how someone can hit all the notes at once with out hitting other strings.

(My fingers are not actually fat, just clumsy)

Play everyday and most importantly...BE PATIENT.

One day you'll be playing and think "holy shit, I just did that"

And that keeps happening. It's great. I'm going on a year and a half and every once in awhile I still fuck up a F barre chord. Keep practicing..

OffHeGoes29

Yeah, I guess you guys are right, if it was so easy then every one would play. I always had a lot of respect for guitar players out there, but now that I see how difficult it is, guys like Mr. McCready are fucking unreal.

Any one from Phoenix AZ ever see Carvin Jones play?

Hitch-Hiker

I remember being at that stage. I just practiced loads. Patience young padawan. Let the force flow etc.

keeponrockin

It's just practice, one day you'll get it.

DeLukin

Everyone struggles. Just keep practicing. The more you learn, the better you'll be so patience is definitely the key.

I think I read an Ed quote somewhere that said something like 'I really fought with the guitar for a long time, and then one day it felt like an old friend.' That really is true - with practice comes familiarity, and that's the key to longevity with any instrument...

lucylespian

and no matter how long you play, there will always be another hill to climb. just this week i finally nailed some stuff i've been at for yonks, and some othert stuff was suddenly like swimming is to a fish, whereas before it felt like a bicycle.
next week will bring me a new challenge.
practice i short bursts so your hands don't get too tired.
if you can practice for an hour a day, you will be awesome in no time.
play songs with lots of quick transitions to get teh hang of that.

OffHeGoes29

I picked up an acustic just to see if I would even like it (and its a whole lot cheaper then an electric set up). Now I want to get an electric, but I don't want to get into that untill I get a little better with the one I bought.

keeponrockin

OffHeGoes29 wrote:

I picked up an acustic just to see if I would even like it (and its a whole lot cheaper then an electric set up). Now I want to get an electric, but I don't want to get into that untill I get a little better with the one I bought.

Oh no, he's already got G.A.S.

ianvomsaal

- One of the biggest things I can tell you is . . .
"KEEP YOUR THUMB DOWN ON THE BACK OF THE NECK."
- Almost beginners start playing with their thumb up way to high.
- Just because you see people like Hendrix and Clapton play with their
thumb up high or wrapped over the neck doesn't mean that you should.
- Most people with good technique keep their thumb down because it's a
much more efficient way to play.
- Make sure there's space between the bottom of your neck and hand.
- Use the Pad of your thumb (not the tip, end, or edge) as the counter
pressure point for pushing down.
- Try to keep the thumb close to the middle of the neck - most Fender
Stratocasters have a skunk stripe
on the back of the neck - this is about where your thumb should be.
- Take a look at one sometime and you'll get the idea.
- When your thumb is vertical and kept down on the back of the neck, it
allows you to attack the strings better and more efficiently from the front.
Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

xtremehardy388

I learned with my thumb...and I'm fine. It is though, one of the WORST things you can do. It's the only way I can hold the Low E down on the lower frets though since my fingers are tiny. I wish I would have learned differently though. It's a terrible habit and now, when I play or learn new songs, I basically tape my thumb down. Ian's right. Use your thumb as support on the back of the neck as opposed to up high.

keeponrockin

xtremehardy388 wrote:

I learned with my thumb...and I'm fine. It is though, one of the WORST things you can do. It's the only way I can hold the Low E down on the lower frets though since my fingers are tiny. I wish I would have learned differently though. It's a terrible habit and now, when I play or learn new songs, I basically tape my thumb down. Ian's right. Use your thumb as support on the back of the neck as opposed to up high.

I agree. It's a terrible habbit. I'm about 50/50 thumb over/back.

DOSW

I find chords to be a lot more comfortable with the thumb up high on the neck. Maybe it's because I learned that way? I'm not sure. And for technical single note runs I'm usually 50/50, sometimes with the thumb up high and sometimes with it in the middle of the neck.

Doesn't it all come down to finger strength and flexibility though? Almost all professionals have their thumb up high, and they can't all have bad technique, right? I always thought the idea of keeping the thumb in the middle of the neck was just to help beginners with their flexibility and strength.

Novawind

I only do thumb-over Jimi Style if I'm playing open chords, and at that it's only to mute the low E. I do have a bad habit of sticking my thumb just straight up though on barre chords and I get a sore wrist after a few minutes of playing like that. Ian's right, thumb straight across is more comfortable but hell, I'm just not used to playing like that!

Also, acoustic will hold you back a little bit with certain things. Acoustics generally have a little tighter tension and higher action (strings farther away from the fretboard) so you have to press a little harder, and it's much harder to bend the strings. Once you get your some scales and chords under your belt I'd say take a look at some electrics but do that first.

ianvomsaal

DOSW wrote:

Almost all professionals have their thumb up high, and they can't all have bad technique, right?

YES - thay ALL have bad technique - that's the point!!!
True there are tons of players that can't read a note, don't know much music theory,
and have less than perfect technique and form.
But some of these players are "Good IN SPITE of it, NOT because of it".
Just imagine how good they'd be if these techniques were emphasized more
when they were learning the instrument.
Remember, when you're able to play your instrument with ease and understanding,
you develop more confidence & higher esteem about your own playing.
Therefore the overall benefit is that you have more fun.
Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

DOSW

ianvomsaal wrote:

YES - thay ALL have bad technique - that's the point!!!
True there are tons of players that can't read a note, don't know much music theory,
and have less than perfect technique and form.
But some of these players are "Good IN SPITE of it, NOT because of it".
Just imagine how good they'd be if these techniques were emphasized more
when they were learning the instrument.
Remember, when you're able to play your instrument with ease and understanding,
you develop more confidence & higher esteem about your own playing.
Therefore the overall benefit is that you have more fun.
Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

I see... interesting, thanks. So the optimal technique would be to always have your thumb on the bottom-middle of the neck on chords as well as scales?

lucylespian

ianvomsaal wrote:

YES - thay ALL have bad technique - that's the point!!!
True there are tons of players that can't read a note, don't know much music theory,
and have less than perfect technique and form.
But some of these players are "Good IN SPITE of it, NOT because of it".
Just imagine how good they'd be if these techniques were emphasized more
when they were learning the instrument.
Remember, when you're able to play your instrument with ease and understanding,
you develop more confidence & higher esteem about your own playing.
Therefore the overall benefit is that you have more fun.
Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

I'm gonna suggest it depends on teh style you are playing. Classical is defintely thumb on back of neck, as well as fretting chords, esp barre chords, but for playign electric, esp power chords, there is a need to mute a lot of notes, and that wrapped around thumb does come in handy for that, as do fingers laying on strings muting them, rather than letting them ring cleanly. I find my hand moves around a lot on the neck , with my thumb going to the best position for the job at hand, and depends a bit on teh neck size too. Having the same set of rules for a classical and a strat tsknny neck is not always gonna work.

Having said that, I did say from teh get-go for this poster, "thumb on the back of the neck, gets those fingers straight up for clean chord sounds", so in thios case, thumb on the back of the neck it is !!

ianvomsaal

DOSW wrote:

I see... interesting, thanks. So the optimal technique would be to always have your thumb on the bottom-middle of the neck on chords as well as scales?

It's a general rule of thumb, though sometimes your thumb will need to come up a bit depending on where you're playing.
Having your thumb "near" the top is okay sometimes, but try not to keep it up there or wrap it around if you can help it.
Your thumb basically works in sync with your fretting fingers.

Here's a little something to try . . .
Create a U with your fretting hand (not on the guitar, but basically like you're about to hold the neck) - NOW FREEZE IT!
As you rotate the wrist to bring your fretting fingers higher up on the fretboard (near the E,A,D strings) your thumb drops.
Now as you rotate the wrist the other way to bring your fretting fingers lower (near the G, B, e) strings) your thumb raises higher.
Hope this analogy helps . . .
Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

Drew263

ianvomsaal wrote:

YES - thay ALL have bad technique - that's the point!!!
True there are tons of players that can't read a note, don't know much music theory,
and have less than perfect technique and form.
But some of these players are "Good IN SPITE of it, NOT because of it".
Just imagine how good they'd be if these techniques were emphasized more
when they were learning the instrument.
Remember, when you're able to play your instrument with ease and understanding,
you develop more confidence & higher esteem about your own playing.
Therefore the overall benefit is that you have more fun.
Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

Two things I heard a lot from my instructor when I first started.

1. Lower your wrist!!
2. Keep your thumb on the back of the neck!

Eventually it becomes natural.