Hi everyone!

I picked up the guitar about a month ago and have made fairly good progress with it. I can play songs by plucking all 6 strings, but there is a problem. I have small hands and am having trouble reaching for some of the chords. Are there any tips or techniques i can try to help me out with this? I know this is kinda a weird topic but i`d appreciate any help!!

thanks

I can`t help but I also have small hands and it is a problem isn`t it I`ve been playing only about a year, but if you get an electric, the neck (?) is smaller so it`s easier for me to reach stuff. But maybe you don`t want to play electric, which would be fair enough...

There is no magic cure and it hurts like hell for the first few months but you just have to keep stretching your fingers until it no longer hurts. it is true that an electric is slightly easier to make those long reaches but then you are limited to electric only.
Play through the pain!!

I TOTALLY know what u mean, my fingers ache after playin` but I don`t really think there`s much u can do about it, you`ve just gotta carry on and it won`t be so bad when u get older coz ur fingers grow longer

i have this problem too and its painful only thing is my hands wont get bigger and they are extremely small as i am an oriental girl lol

I also have small hands which is why I did a search on google to find this post. The cure that I was looking for is an electric guitar with a thin neck. Does anyone know of a make/model that would be good for this. I know that I have seen Ibanez models in the past that had very thin necks which made it alot easier to play. Does anyone know if all Ibanez models have small necks? Thank you.

Nice idea Kirby*
May I ask, does anyone know what chord, if any is being played when all strings are being played open?

We were in a similar predicament...
I checked out 3/4th size guitars for my 9yr old.

You can check out:
http://www.playguitarmagazine.com/PG2content/KidsGtrs.html

After some research I checked out the folowing makes:
. Hohner
. Amada (Classical)
. Fender
. Taylor Baby
. Oscar Schmidt (Washburn)
and settled down for the Oscar Scmidt OG1 - 3/4th size. Its a
great value, low action, narrow neck for ~$75. My 9yr old daughter has no problem learning and playing it.

HTH,
/venkat

RE: Open string chord. My chord-thingie program says EADGBA is G6add9, or D7-suspended-4add9. I dont know if that means anything to you.

Oh that wasn`t meant to sound that condescending. I meant that I have no idea what it means, but it might mean something to you.

dont worrie bout it! wen i started 2 play it really hurt my fingers, but now there ok they just kindda strech, just keep workin at it!

I believe that most Ibanez`s have very thin necks. Just make sure that the neck is called a "Wizard" in the specifications.

Guitars come in a variety of scale lengths (distance between frets) I believe the Jacksons come with a fairly short scale length.

Also there are a lot of exercises you can do to improve your playing ability.

Geoff

Okay, I am a guitar teacher and I have VERY small hands, so let me share a bit.
First, don`t buy a gripmaster -- I have been told for years that they cause injuries. Personally, I think they should be illegal. If you want to increase your grip, carry around a tennis ball and squeeze on it for a few minutes at a time.
Second, DO NOT play through the pain. If you have sharp pain, STOP. You will only injure yourself if you continue. If you can reach something with a bit of effort, but not cramps or strain, then its okay. Otherwise, you`ll have to work on slowly increasing your span with stretches and exercises.

However, no matter how much stretching you do, you will have to eventually learn to live within your limits (We can`t all be EVH). You will just have to learn how to rewrite the music to fit your hand or drop a few notes to make the whole sound good (Learning to read music and theory will help immensely in this.) You will also have to accept that there will be certain things you will just not be able to play, but there is so much else available that you will always have great choices to keep you interested.

Great approaches for small hands are opening tunings and slide playing (which can also be done together).

Scale length is very important in selecting a guitar. Most acoustics and electrics (like Fender) are 25 1/2" from nut to bridge. (Yes, you can get out a yard stick and measure it.) Epiphone and Gibson are 24 3/4". PRS, which I love (check out the mid-level Santana SE!) is 25", which plays great!

STRETCHES FOR ALL HANDS

After pushing my small hands way too hard for way to long on some quite challenging material, I developed tendonitis in both wrists. Believe me, you don`t want this kind of pain! Not to mention that I couldn`t play guitar or piano for 3 months!

Tendons slide back and forth in a sheath. If you don`t give your hands a break for 10 minutes every hour or so, then you tendons do not have a chance to relubricate and eventually it`s like running an engine without any oil. OUCH!!! This goes for typing, surfing with a mouse, writing, or any other repetitive stuff you may do at school or work. So make sure you take a break!

Stretching helps warm up the muscles and tendons before a workout and cool them down after. If you don`t think playing guitar is a major workout on your hands, think again. I now make all my student do the following exercises. Please share them with everyone you know! They are good for everyone!

Stretches
1) Clasp hands with arms straight over head for several seconds, then lean to each side for several seconds. I prefer palms up for this as it is an extra extension that readies the wrists for all the flexion they do during playing.

2)Wrists flexed down (fingers pointing to floor), push the back of your hands against a table for 10 seconds. Keep elbows straight.

3)Wrists extended (finger pointing to the ceiling) push fingertips again a table and hold for 10 seconds. Keep elbows straight.

4)One finger at a time, do as in #3, letting the rest hang down. This will stretch tendons you didn`t even know you had.

5)Place right hand on top of left and interlace fingers so that the right pinkie is between the thumb and the index finger. Squeeze hands and hold. Believe it or note, this stretches the tendon of the thumb. Reverse postions and repeat.

Hope this helps.