What To Do If Your HANDS Are Too SMALL To Play Guitar?

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  • Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
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    Are your hands too small to play guitar? Do you have any trouble playing those 'stretchy' scales and chords that other guitarist can play with ease?
    If you have small hands, I do really understand your plight. I have fairly small hands too (many of my female students have larger hands than mine LOL), so I know how frustrating it is to not have that extra hand reach that other players naturally have.
    At this point I would really like to tell you that there is a method to make your fingers longer - but sadly that method does not exist.
    There is good news, though: even if you have short fingers there is a technique that you can use that will give you much more reach that what you thought possible, so you too will be able to play those 'stretchy' positions.
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Комментарии • 710

  • @rinjihalfelf1
    @rinjihalfelf1 5 лет назад +758

    Finally, someone with small hands explaining small hands!
    Big handed folks just tell you to curl your fingers more. There's much more to it than that like dropping and relaxing the wrist, thumb position, guitar position, etc. Now, if a big handed person could follow all of these tips...

    • @cosmic_JAV
      @cosmic_JAV 4 года назад +39

      Yeah those are the same assholes who can play a note in the 3rd fret and the 11thfret at the same time lol

    • @generalawareness101
      @generalawareness101 3 года назад

      Oh, to use his measurements (I just did it because his fingers were very obviously longer than mine in the video). Middle finger to joint is 3.5in. Pinky to joint is 2.5in. Width like he measured is about 2.75in.

    • @generalawareness101
      @generalawareness101 3 года назад +6

      I am six months in and still stuck on module 1 with Justin Guitar at 15-20 mins per day of practising. My hands are so small that I have to bend my wrist in a bad way, so now I have 24x7 pain from tunnel carpal syndrome. Besides, I have yet to get any calluses as my fingertips are as sore as the first day. I purchased two Ibanez guitars with both having mild to SERIOUS flaws (serious as in the truss rod from the factory was tightened as far as it would go yet needed to be tighter to intonate it) that they had to be returned which means I am back on the Squire that has given me TCS. I am about to throw in the towel, and admit defeat as this is beyond ludicrous.

    • @krish5445
      @krish5445 2 года назад

      @@generalawareness101 How small are your fingers dude? Like in Inches. How tall are you btw? Are you a teen or older.

    • @generalawareness101
      @generalawareness101 2 года назад +1

      @@krish5445 6.5in the longest fingertip to wrist. 6.5-6.75in from thumb's tip to pinky's tip fully extended. Another factor is the palm of my hand. My sister has the same hand as I do, and my mother has about 1/8in shorter hand. What they have are slender fingers while I have my father's fingers of German heritage. Basically short sausages so the A chord I am so cramped I can't really ring it out as I should but I manage. I am 56.

  • @Pbnj1379
    @Pbnj1379 5 лет назад +175

    Thank you!! My tiny hands now have hope!

  • @donnar278
    @donnar278 2 года назад +44

    I do a lot of research regarding guitar playing, and hang around with guitar players, and NO ONE has ever mentioned this. I'm an adult with a hand size of the average 10 year old, from wrist to tip of fingers. The technique you show definitely works. But now I will have to retrain my muscles. Guess I'll be in pain for a little while. Thank you for this info.

    • @williamolsen20
      @williamolsen20 Год назад +1

      I have small fat sausage fingers, but I can pull some stuff off. I have a hard time stretching the pinky.

  • @veethorn
    @veethorn 9 месяцев назад +10

    This video is 4 years old but it is still so relevant. I gave up on guitar and learning my favorite songs and solos because I physically can't do it, this helped a lot actually and I immediately felt less strain on my wrist. It'll take a bit to be able to get used to playing hard chords like this, but I'm sure I can do it!!

  • @chillywilly9573
    @chillywilly9573 3 года назад +14

    Thankyou for the advice. I'm 52, new to playing a instrument and pick up my first electric guitar a couple of weeks ago and I'm running into the same issue with proper hand placement due to small size of my hand and little arthritis. None of the videos that I've watched to get started ever talked about hand placement and exercising of your hands they just jump into trying to play cords.

  • @mikeporter6786
    @mikeporter6786 3 года назад +28

    This lesson has given me some hope. Not only are my hands on the small size for a guitar player. Because of a birth defect I am missing half my pinky on both hands. I only have one joint per finger. They are exactly like a thumb. It can make playing guitar very challenging.

    • @Updog89
      @Updog89 2 года назад +5

      Apparently the legendary guitarist for Black Sabbath lost the tips of some of his fingers in an accident before they got famous. There is hope!

    • @bobtaylor170
      @bobtaylor170 2 года назад +4

      Django Reinhardt, the greatest of them all, couldn't use the pinky or ring finger on his fretting hand because they'd been severely damaged in a fire when he was 18. I know you have a serious handicap in learning to play guitar, but don't give up. There are several voicings for most if not all chords, and you should be able to find at least one of each which you can play.

    • @MatteMike2345
      @MatteMike2345 2 года назад +4

      Well, your situation makes me humble. I complain about my small hands but you are having a much bigger challange. Like Sarah and Bob Taylor says, nothing is impossible. The guitarists they refer to has acually developed their own technics and therefore also a uniqe sound. Find a way to play that suits you, not necessarily following tips that work for the average player and you will probably get there too. I will never more complain about my own hands but I will keep on saying that it really helps playing on a guitar with shorter scale like the Fender Jaguar with it's 24" scale length. Keep on rockin!

    • @bobtaylor170
      @bobtaylor170 2 года назад +1

      I will add this: I do think it's an advantage for a guitarist to have long fingers. I have a good friend who has perfect guitarist's fingers - and no interest in playing! But then, as weird as it may be, history tells us Stalin had a beautiful singing voice.
      It's always better to have the soul for something, even if your technical problems madden you.

    • @cosmicman621
      @cosmicman621 2 года назад

      @@bobtaylor170 🐝🌈💫

  • @phoebemoore1516
    @phoebemoore1516 5 лет назад +513

    my hands are even smaller than his though... my middle finger is just over 3 inches ;-; I feel like it is impossible aha

    • @mari-wj1mu
      @mari-wj1mu 5 лет назад +10

      Same

    • @NathanielBTM
      @NathanielBTM 5 лет назад +57

      I'm a Male, 21, 5'7 but my hands are tiny, I have stubby fat short fingers. My middle finger is 7cm. Around 2.7 inches. I measured up from the crease line at the base to the very tip.
      Been playing for close to 7 years. Primarily metal and dont really run into many problems to be honest... only have some problems with stretchy chords or riffs with big gaps between frets. which usually space between 4 frets apart. I've been playing 25.5 scaled electrics, but I might get a 24.75...
      or even a mini guitar Around a 23-24 and putting really heavy strings on. Like 16 - 75ish, switching stock pickups to something good. Maybe get a DigiTech drop pedal for changing tunings.
      The thing I worry about is how the guitar will handle those heavy strings, should be decent with adjustment's... It might have some intonation issues. I'm worried about fret buzz and tuning issues... But it'd be a neat experinent to see how it would sound. I'd dream to have weird like... 25.5 - 24 fan fret, 7 string guitar. That'd be interesting lol. I've only seen up to a 26.5 fanfret 7 string which Olly Steele uses from Monuments.

    • @K9Mako
      @K9Mako 5 лет назад +6

      I don't have any, but I'm still interested in how the tits come into play. Were they muting out the strings or what? Glad you got it figured out regardless. ; )

    • @controllerbird7460
      @controllerbird7460 5 лет назад +18

      mine are 2 and a half

    • @RatherGeekyStuff
      @RatherGeekyStuff 5 лет назад +2

      @@controllerbird7460 Many have even smaller tits than that.

  • @robharms1659
    @robharms1659 4 года назад +31

    I have known so many people who just gave up because they refused to believe their hands were big enough. This should be a VERY early lesson for all beginning guitar players. GREAT video

  • @alesbianhotmess
    @alesbianhotmess 2 года назад +21

    Something I'd recommend for anyone with super short finger is high quality childrens guitars or even just trying to find places that make them smaller. Youl have the same sound but it'll be smaller and a lot easier to play certain songs.

    • @MatteMike2345
      @MatteMike2345 2 года назад +7

      Short scale guitars like Fender/Squier Jaguar helps with their 24" scale length. A Stratocaster and Telecaster has a scale length of 25.5"

    • @M4R14H_H
      @M4R14H_H Год назад

      @@MatteMike2345 tysm! I got an acoustic guitar about 2 years ago, but had to give up because my hands are just too small and it would legit hurt to play (I would constantly get cuts from my skin scraping on the frets etc.), but I wanna try to relearn so I'll look into some smaller guitars

    • @MatteMike2345
      @MatteMike2345 Год назад

      @Mariah I don't know much about acoustic guitars. Sorry. If you want an electric guitar I recommend Fender or Squier. The Jaguar and Mustang has a short scale. They may need a little work on the frets if they develop frets that sticks out from the fretboard. It's an easy fix for a guitarshop. They probably fix it while you wait if they aren't very busy.

    • @Squier123
      @Squier123 6 месяцев назад

      ​@@MatteMike2345 I use Ibanez grgm21m with 22.2 scale length it's very nice guitar

  • @notfrnkiero725
    @notfrnkiero725 4 года назад +83

    Lol my middlefingers is 2.6 inch and im shook when u say urs is 4inch

    • @BrokenGodEnt
      @BrokenGodEnt 3 года назад +1

      @@justanaveragefighter2230 No he didn't. He measured from the top of the finger to his 3rd knuckle.

    • @justanaveragefighter2230
      @justanaveragefighter2230 3 года назад

      @@BrokenGodEnt oh ok

    • @greenlee5030
      @greenlee5030 3 года назад +1

      Okay @roy you’re profile pic of PERFECT!!

    • @aliengrey6052
      @aliengrey6052 3 года назад

      Mine are three inches. Size does matter. If you’re stretching you can’t play consistently fast due to your fingers being under stress.

    • @benbirkeciyim8620
      @benbirkeciyim8620 3 года назад

      My middle finger is 3.5inc but they are (my fingers) fluffy like candy floss so can't do bar chords. I'm total beginner. Maybe I should lose weight first :D

  • @ninacoded
    @ninacoded 4 года назад +4

    Thank you so so much ! This changed my guitar playing experience! I was struggling so much and I feel like everyone just expects you to hold your thumb in the right position but if you don't know about this middle finger- thumb positioning thing everything else is pointless... thank you so much !

  • @alZiiHardstylez
    @alZiiHardstylez 2 года назад +6

    I have stupid fat, small hands. Broken my pinky and ring finger I don't know how many times playing basketball when I was younger so they're all sorts of mangled. It's something I'm really self-conscious about. I'm glad I bit the bullet and decided to give it a go. Even just a few days of stretching has helped a lot.
    It seems like us small handed friends have to try harder than normal handed people but there's no growth without pain, struggling more and getting past it makes you stronger. Hope you all keep shredding! :)

  • @ImBeck
    @ImBeck 2 года назад +1

    Thanks, i started playing guitar a few weeks ago and have been struggling, this was a much needed video for me!

  • @bikamouse
    @bikamouse 2 года назад +10

    This is a brilliant lesson. my hands are slightly smaller than you and I was finding that working on a standard 4 fret spider walk at the 7th fret for finger independence that my little finger was always at a weird angle and I could not effectively control it. Moving the thumb as you suggested while initially seemed to add some stress to my forearm allowed me to get in a better position. Its still going to take some work and practice but it looks like a great tip.

    • @ally7253
      @ally7253 Год назад +1

      This is exactly what I'm dealing with... can you say there's been an improvement after almost a year?

  • @sillygooseenergy
    @sillygooseenergy 4 года назад +214

    As a sixteen year old girl with hands that haven't grown since fifth grade, I may not have hope.
    Edit: you're slowly changing my mind.
    Edit again: WHY DOES IT HURT SO BAD. MY BONES ARE BREAKING.
    Edit: I turn 19 in a few days and I'm still tiny

    • @Rosaisabellas
      @Rosaisabellas 4 года назад +20

      Pluto The Planet i’m literally in the exact same situation my wrist hurts so bad 😭😭😭😭😭

    • @Salmonella_18
      @Salmonella_18 3 года назад +2

      You are me , I am your . Our story is same🙂

    • @ZaraelsOldAccount
      @ZaraelsOldAccount 3 года назад +5

      *laughs in 2 inch fingers*

    • @aBunnyThatWillChewOnYourCables
      @aBunnyThatWillChewOnYourCables 3 года назад +2

      My 5cm pinky finger feels dead just from watching this 😭

    • @kozarervinkopi
      @kozarervinkopi 2 года назад +1

      At least it look hugeeeee in your hands 🤭😉

  • @mikelbt
    @mikelbt 5 лет назад +7

    Surprisingly, my middle finger is the same as yours and using your technique, I can make the stretch. My problem is my pinky which is about 3 inches and stops below the knuckle of the ring finger. Even though it gets to that fret, it's muting the adjacent string because I just can't get enough arch.
    But I'll keep trying these tips and hopefully can stretch things out a bit.

  • @cleverkev79
    @cleverkev79 Год назад +4

    You are now my guitar mentor. I'm an overweight person with hands small from being padded with human fluff. You helped me find a better way. My hero.

  • @rogerfairhurst
    @rogerfairhurst 4 года назад +1

    Thank you, it has made a small difference instantly. Well worth working on , great tutorial.

  •  5 лет назад +2

    Thank you, thank you. Our hands are the same size and I was having difficulty reaching to that fourth fret with my pinky while practicing scales. Now I get it.

  • @alexbuckenham1663
    @alexbuckenham1663 4 года назад +1

    Thank you so much, I've just started learning properly and you've helped me so much

  • @jdown79
    @jdown79 3 года назад +1

    You got my sub for "it is what it is" at the start.
    Some people don't want to work for their goals, good to see you not waste time on them

  • @d3thtr4p10
    @d3thtr4p10 3 года назад +5

    One thing I can definitely recommend is to do stretching exercises on each finger. Really worked wonders for me!

  • @GrantSchinto
    @GrantSchinto 5 лет назад +2

    Very helpful lesson. Thank you.

  • @Jamie_of_the_Glen
    @Jamie_of_the_Glen 9 месяцев назад +1

    An effective, mindful model for left hand position and relaxed technique. Thanks.

  • @StephanieJacobs604
    @StephanieJacobs604 Год назад +3

    THANK YOU for actually offering useful advice! Sooooo many people say "just practice". And it's like, uh no, 'practice' will not help you if you can't play it at all, even once. Tell me HOW to do it, the first time, and then I will have something to practice!! So. Yeah. Thank you for being the voice of actual reason.

  • @renejohnkerkdyk5006
    @renejohnkerkdyk5006 5 лет назад +1

    Great lesson! This looks like a miracle but works every time.

  • @dennywolfe8557
    @dennywolfe8557 4 года назад +3

    THANK YOU! During isolation, I decided to start learning how to play guitar. In just two weeks, I've grown frustrated, but knowing it's a fixable technique issue, I can start implementing these changes now!

  • @keithcourneyea1609
    @keithcourneyea1609 5 лет назад +1

    Thanks for sharing. This works great!

  • @jausher
    @jausher 2 года назад +1

    Grat video, very informative nuggets of technique. I appreciate it.

  • @iPervy
    @iPervy 5 лет назад +80

    My hands are much shorter, but usually don't have to much trouble stretching to reach far positions. I have much more trouble at times with my fingers being to fat though haha and end up having a hard time pressing a string down without effecting the adjacent string. (And I use a classical guitar)

    • @CharlieRootsMusic
      @CharlieRootsMusic 4 года назад +9

      U and I are in the same boat, short ,fat fingers.

    • @Rin-cj2de
      @Rin-cj2de 4 года назад

      oMG same

    • @theblytonian3906
      @theblytonian3906 4 года назад

      You are full of it. Zero cred. Those of us who can play credibly whilst recognising the disadvantage and limitations know it.

    • @mangoorange6683
      @mangoorange6683 4 года назад

      short sausage fingers

    • @Stanzafly
      @Stanzafly 4 года назад +2

      My hands are also smaller than this guy's. But I do finger stretches with my fretting hand and as a result, my fingers reach almost two inches farther than my other hand. You can do stretches and strength exercises and both will help with your finger flexibility and reach. Good luck.

  • @brycegorman2383
    @brycegorman2383 5 лет назад +1

    Good lesson for anyone of any hand size. Thanks Tommaso

  • @gadz8843
    @gadz8843 Год назад +1

    ur methods man are amazing.cant find anything similar.

  • @tas64
    @tas64 3 года назад +2

    I have a 3 inch middle finger and this worked for me! Thank you!

  • @volcomvane1
    @volcomvane1 4 года назад +2

    Thank you so much for showing and explaining this. I love playing guitar but some chords and finger stretching on triads is too difficult because of my short fingers. I envy people with the perfect guitar hand proportions lol!

  • @kristenlee4495
    @kristenlee4495 4 года назад +1

    Thank you! This helped me in literally 5 minutes with things I’ve been trying to work out since I started in fall. More practice didn’t help, but this did!

  • @seankenneally6369
    @seankenneally6369 Год назад +1

    amazing video, thanks man

  • @City2x
    @City2x 3 года назад +1

    Excellent video! Thank you!

  • @kanchandas3172
    @kanchandas3172 2 года назад +1

    Very interesting! Thank you!

  • @toto3544
    @toto3544 4 года назад +5

    thank you so much for this, my smalls are much smaller than yours i measured haha but this video has genuinely helped me get so much better since i watched it

  • @bobbys4327
    @bobbys4327 5 лет назад

    man, you have the best lessons I have seen! No nonsense and easy to understand. Thank You!

  • @Mightydoggo
    @Mightydoggo Год назад +3

    You can´t even imagine how encouraging this is. I got gifted an E-Guitar and kinda "promised" to learn something on it for next time, but I was really concerned that the guitar is just too big for me since I´m only 1.50m (guess that´s somewhere around 4´11" in fantasy numbers?) so you can imagine how small my hands are.
    It works *way* better this way, though I still have to kinda force the wrist around the neck and I´m muting the last string somehow. Still a lot better than before.

  • @ecbennyj8078
    @ecbennyj8078 3 года назад +10

    I have small hands, much smaller than yours. I used to complain about this all the time and even cursed in the air for been born this way. Then I realized Angus Young, one of the best guitarists in the world, is only 5’2 and has tiny hands. Also, Prince is only 5’3, has tiny thin hands, and is a legend as well. Now, people with small hands can feel better about themselves.

  • @digitalintent
    @digitalintent 4 года назад +14

    Thank you for this. My fingers are the same length as yours. So refreshing to not see a person with big hands giving advice to us small handed folk... like the vast majority of videos about this topic. It's like a very handsome guy giving dating/relationship advice to those men who are average to ugly. Those people, the big handed and gorgeous folk, are already 90% there.

  • @painfamilyband
    @painfamilyband 5 лет назад +1

    Excellent lesson!

  • @The_Devils_Eleven
    @The_Devils_Eleven 4 года назад +3

    Totally great technique, thank you, love guitar and do some basic chord songs for beginners on my channel, but will send them your way for vital lessons,,,thank you again.

  • @vtyw93
    @vtyw93 5 лет назад +66

    I thought that guitarists who claim that hand size doesn't matter at all simply have bigger hands and don't relate to the same struggle. I still think I was mostly right because they cite Andres Segovia and other people who supposedly have really small hands (but they don't!) and really those examples tend to show that they don't know what small hands are. My hand measurements are very similar to yours and I looked up the statistics: most of my measurements are in the shortest 5% for men, which roughly corresponds to the average measurements for women. So kudos to you, you've proven that I have no excuses where all the other online videos and guides and discussions have failed.

    • @MusicTheoryForGuitar
      @MusicTheoryForGuitar  5 лет назад +10

      Wow, I did not look at the actual statistics, I was using only my first hand experience (pun definitely intended)... thank you for doing that! It's very interesting to know.

    • @cosmic_JAV
      @cosmic_JAV 4 года назад +1

      With the research that you done, do you think that hand size plays a direct correlation in females that can truly shred in a guitar?? Since even the top % of women's hand sized are near average of a man's?

    • @cosmic_JAV
      @cosmic_JAV 4 года назад

      I know I did not ask my question in a very articulate manner and probably just seems like unintelligible jabber jaw. Sorry I'm pretty tired when writing that, but hopefully you get what I was trying to theorize.

    • @GuitarsAndSynths
      @GuitarsAndSynths 4 года назад

      Marty Friedman and Dave Mustaine have GIGANTIC HANDS and LONG SPIDER FINGERS that is why they can do a 12-19 fret stretch. Same with Kirk Hammett of Metallica.

  • @dash4800
    @dash4800 4 года назад +17

    yeah, a 3 1/2" pinky is only about 1 1/2" more than mine. You don't understand what small hands are. But this was far more helpful than most other videos.

  • @marietessier3534
    @marietessier3534 4 года назад +2

    Wow. Mind blown. Thank you so much!

  • @fortunatejeremy
    @fortunatejeremy 4 года назад +1

    Thanks for this insight into technique. For some dumb reason I never thought of moving my thumb. I can more easily stretch my picking to play blues riffs now. Still hurts a bit but it's way easier.

  • @NiechoBGC
    @NiechoBGC Год назад +1

    This was encouraging, gave me hope. I'm a guy, but I also have smaller hands than even many of my female friends. I'm sure some of the 3-finger position maneuvering along the neck leaves me looking much like a kid trying to scale a toddler gate. This video gives me hope. ❤

  • @bfitbcool1589
    @bfitbcool1589 4 года назад +1

    You solved my problem now i can reach my hands all teaching exercise but one tell this good work brother

  • @roycefaggotter6860
    @roycefaggotter6860 4 года назад

    Yes, thank you, for this video as I am having problems getting my index finger to low E without muting high E.

  • @neilkenn
    @neilkenn 3 года назад

    Thanks for the lesson ver reassuring as a starter !!

  • @AlfredEiji
    @AlfredEiji 4 года назад +3

    Damn. This was perfect!
    I’ve known my thumb was a big part of it, but I hadn’t seen anything to validate my speculations.
    My hand is about the same size as yours, but my pinky angles in and the second pinkie joint collapses whenever I press down, so playing a 4th finger is just at out painful.

  • @DRTyD
    @DRTyD 2 года назад +1

    Thank you for this.

  • @yeetspageet5679
    @yeetspageet5679 5 лет назад +3

    Sitting with my guitar in the classic position increases my stretch from 10-16 to 10-18. Difference between me ever playing the tornado of souls solo or not.

  • @greggsmith6043
    @greggsmith6043 3 года назад +1

    Thanks for this. I recently started trying to learn to play and have been struggling and getting frustrated. When I first saw this I thought this might be the help I needed. My hand is similar in size but my fingers are slightly shorter. Unfortunately several years ago my ring and pinky fingers were dislocated and suffered tendon damage so my hand is not physically capable of stretching like yours, no matter where I put my thumb or how I hold my wrist. ☹ I have been doing exercises to try strengthen my hand and forcing a ball between my fingers to try to stretch them out but no luck.

  • @216inka
    @216inka 3 года назад +1

    Your a life saver ! Thanks so much !

  • @cade5850
    @cade5850 4 года назад +118

    I
    CANT
    DO IT

  • @MrStickman666
    @MrStickman666 3 года назад +1

    thanks my friend im starting today with your theory.

  • @nickyt1050
    @nickyt1050 4 года назад +3

    OMG, Tommaso. SOMEONE on the internet who actually UNDERSTANDS and can EXPLAIN left hand technique! I never thought I'd see it outside of a classical guitar context.

  • @danielmoreira4981
    @danielmoreira4981 4 года назад +1

    Amazing! Helps me a lot... thanxs

  • @Tommi_D
    @Tommi_D 3 года назад

    this is invaluable thank you. I was struggling with my ring finger not curling enough and landing flat on the strings. I think this might solve it 😊

  • @MrHandsomeStudios
    @MrHandsomeStudios 5 лет назад +9

    He doesn't have small hands compared to me. My middle finger is 8.5 cm or 3.346 inches and I've always used this technics as shown to stretch farther. The problem is that it's much harder to do pull and pull offs because you don't have as much space to do so with short fingers. One other problem I find is that when fully stretched you can by misstake hit multiple notes at the same time rather than the desired, because the space between the note and fingers is less (the fingers are flater when stretched).
    This makes it much harder to play faster stuff. When playing Cowboys from hells solo you need to do a 20 to 12 pull off stretch and because of the note and finger distance that you can use is shorter, it's harder to hear the notes.That's a problem I have.
    If you look up guitarists, you will find that angus young is the only one with simmilair hands like me, maybe even shorter. But he also has always used sg's during his carrier that has smaller neckdimmentsions, (38-39 mm nuth widh, 17-19 mm at first fret thickness, and smaller distance between the frets).
    Personally I only can play absolut everthing with guitars having smaller distance between frets and thickness at first fret 18-20mm. I can play the same songs on a regullar guitar with 22mm thickness at first fret and regular tele or les paul fret distance but I can't do it with full speed. So I would say that yes, size of hands does matter.
    Hope this helped :)

    • @kaas7274
      @kaas7274 5 лет назад +2

      Damn, your fingers are still 1 cm longer than mine haha, I am envious.

    • @Mincraftia100
      @Mincraftia100 5 лет назад +1

      Still bigger then mine

    • @goodx_charlie4142
      @goodx_charlie4142 4 года назад

      Your hands are bigger than mine.... Bar chords can suck it!

    • @johnperry8081
      @johnperry8081 4 года назад

      8.5 is not small
      Closer to average

  • @AgnieRF
    @AgnieRF 4 года назад +1

    Really helped, there is hope now (especially for my pinky)

  • @nico3641
    @nico3641 2 года назад +2

    Finally a teacher with the same hand size as me. Thank you!

  • @Emilyatplay
    @Emilyatplay 4 года назад +2

    Thanks for the tips! I have really short fingers, inch shorter than yours. it's all about technique!

  • @stevenwarner9156
    @stevenwarner9156 3 года назад +4

    Wow, I really have small hands for an adult male, then. My middle finger is just about 8 cm/3.14 inches long. I am 185 cm tall, so my hands look even more out of place! Still doesn't stop me from playing most pieces, but I have found that I need to buy a shorter scale acoustic to play certain tunes by Tommy Emmanuel, especially with certain chords which use the thumb which then restricts the arch in your fingers. Even with my diminutive digits I managed to become a music graduate, so it doesn't need to be a big deal.

  • @Elucidator-
    @Elucidator- Год назад +2

    This was VERY helpful. It gives me some much needed confidence to pick up the guitar again, as I quit based on this excuse. @MusicTheoryForGuitar, thank you.

  • @Aristarkhos31
    @Aristarkhos31 4 года назад +1

    Thank you for this video! Every tutorial I have watched has somebody with fingers that look so long. Lol. Bar chords are challenging as it is.
    This has made me rethink the way I position my fingers on and behind the fretboard.
    Plus, I love your accent man! "Don't hold it against me" 🤭😆

  • @mrsfineanddandy
    @mrsfineanddandy Год назад +1

    Yaaaaaas! I found an adorable Italian to show me the right way to hold my new guitar and get my little fingers to move! I'm 52 and I've decided I'm going to unleash my inner teenager and finally learn how to play. Grazie mille!

  • @user-zm6qs9je4w
    @user-zm6qs9je4w 3 года назад +3

    Dude I'm thinking about learning guitar and have pretty small hands(I think similar measurements to yours?) I'm glad you made some tips ^^ Keep up the good work

  • @vidhantarora963
    @vidhantarora963 Год назад +1

    Thank you!

  • @JoshuaMRichard
    @JoshuaMRichard 5 лет назад +1

    Genius!!!! Thank you!!!

  • @gleek18
    @gleek18 4 года назад +8

    My fingers are short and my hands are small. My middle finger is only 2 and 1/2 inch barely. My pinky is 1 and 3/4 inch. I can do basic chord guitars and I always struggled with bar chords. I love playing but this physical limitation is depressing. Cause I really want to be good. I wanted to do some fingerstyle but I just can't reach the broken chords. And let me tell you, I tried. But just it's physically not possible for me. I've been playing for years. Sorry I ranted. Hahaha. How are you all's playing?

  • @MrAdamNTProtester
    @MrAdamNTProtester 7 месяцев назад

    This is an excellent & valuable technique video... not only are my hands smaller than Tommaso's I have an amputated thumb & my 4th finger can't straighten bcuz it got broke & never healed straight... so this is really going to improve my playing... I have been making gains in the past two weeks+... I am just a beginner >>> this video is really going to provide me with an important foundation to accelerate my talent development- Thanks Tommaso!

  • @DevinJuularValentine
    @DevinJuularValentine 3 года назад +2

    Some more tips from someone with smaller hands (3.5inch middle finger) who plays bass
    Angle the neck away from your body, this helps to keep the correct thumb position all the way up the neck. You can do this as you play. You know you are doing it right because your elbow will stay in the same position relative to your body, rather than stick out behind your body as your hand comes up the neck.
    Another tip is to take some time to think about the best places to play the notes and how to slide your hand position between them. So say you are playing on the 3rd fret, 5th fret three times, then the 9th, you will be changing hand position the third time you play the 5th fret so your pinky can get to the 9th in a shorter movement. This is an obvious example, but if there are some lines that are difficult, consider the route to get to them and where on the fretboard you are playing it. Extended range instruments, although larger in the fretboard, can also help because you get more access to notes horizontally on the fretboard, as can multi scale fretboards as they follow the ergonomics of your hand better.

  • @sal1305
    @sal1305 4 года назад +2

    SO helpful🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽✨ I noticed a difference immediately 😱😱😱🤯 thank you😊👐🏽✨🔥

    • @sal1305
      @sal1305 4 года назад +1

      The explaining of how you need enough mobility in wrist/shoulders and the ways to approach the gripping were 🗝for me. 💪🏽😁🤯🙉

  • @letthereberocknroll3870
    @letthereberocknroll3870 4 года назад +1

    Thank you for this video! I bought a guitar book that has scale patterns that have me going from the first to the third and then fifth fret of the 6th string and I couldn't get my fingers to reach the frets. Especially as I moved down to the 5th and 4th string.

  • @verganas
    @verganas 2 года назад

    Very nice explanation thank you! Have about same hands as you. Don't have an issue stretching but i am having wrist pain from having to angle my wrist a lot at some specific positions like 1-2 frets or 6th string at ~12+ frets. To some points up to like 90 deg. I'll try your hanging tip to see if it's muscle tension the cause of pain. I feel it's of the direction of the thumb on the neck. It feels more natural, less painful to point it towards the head of the guitar.

  • @johnletitia
    @johnletitia 3 года назад +1

    Wow, thank you

  • @carlosm3895
    @carlosm3895 4 года назад +1

    we have the exact same size pinky and palm! where i'm from people in general aren't particularly large. i played in a classical string ensemble and some the best guitar players there had small asian lady hands. good stuff

  • @chosenideahandle
    @chosenideahandle 3 года назад

    Your hands are the same size as mine, so it's nice to see this. I just found a video of a guy teaching to play with small hands and he has a 2 3/8" middle finger.

  • @jamesmaxwell5415
    @jamesmaxwell5415 5 лет назад +42

    Great video and now I have the measurements to buy you custom gloves for Christmas :)

    • @hardtopart3346
      @hardtopart3346 4 года назад

      You are not English or American.. why do You use inches to measure?

  • @mochafrappalicious
    @mochafrappalicious 4 года назад +1

    Thank you for this video! I'm a woman and my hands are even smaller than that by ca. 1 cm....I'm teaching myself on a full scale acoustic guitar. I feel like I'm getting better (been at it for a few months) but I have huge issues with my index finger curling inwards (so I end up fretting with the side of my fingertip) when I stretch over too many frets and my pinky locking at the middle joint at most angles, even at minimum pressure. Idk if this is a lack of practice/strength/dexterity issue or if my guitar simply is too big for my tiny hands :(

  • @netijen1535
    @netijen1535 5 лет назад +9

    I'm a girl and my hand width and length of middle finger is at 2.7 inch and I always thought that it's physically impossible for me to play barre chord. but well there's a man who played guitar with his feet, so why can't i. I've also been trying the technique you show here before for some time and i'll keep trying lol

    • @retronickmusic
      @retronickmusic 5 лет назад

      Check out TOMO-ZO, guitarist of Gacharic Spin / Doll$boxx. She is teeny tiny itty bitty...and absolutely SHREDS on full size Strats, PRS, and Explorer style guitars. If she can do it, you can too...And I have absolutely no excuse whatsoever😂

    • @trendpact1023
      @trendpact1023 5 лет назад

      My middle finger is 3 in and I’m a guy ...

  • @rockingrambo7340
    @rockingrambo7340 4 года назад +2

    After long search i found this video i love it

  • @addisonsteiner6473
    @addisonsteiner6473 4 года назад +1

    This helps me...thanks!

  • @CourtneyMarie-ep6ez
    @CourtneyMarie-ep6ez 4 года назад

    Thank you!!!! I was getting really frustrated because my fingers don’t want to stretch when I play certain chords.

  • @arielulloa4146
    @arielulloa4146 4 года назад +2

    i thought my hands were too small but they are almost exactly the same as yours

  • @jeanmichelgonthier8118
    @jeanmichelgonthier8118 4 года назад

    That helped me a LOT .... I have smaller hands than you so I often felt limited to short scale guitars and very thin neck, but now I feel a bit more confident. The only thing that still hurts me is a big neck heel joint for upper (24) frets access :P

  • @luigicannizzo2669
    @luigicannizzo2669 3 года назад +1

    Many Thank' s Tommaso for the Descriptive Lesson on Phisicaly Aspect Musician ... ☺😊😀/💙💙💙/👍👌👏

  • @Citizen_J
    @Citizen_J 5 лет назад +31

    Damn, my hands are abiut the same size, just sliiightly wider.
    I find my issue (not a big one) is the tips of my fingers are roundish, and that part sometimes brushes up against adjacent strings.
    Practice practice practice!

  • @manuelgonzales6483
    @manuelgonzales6483 10 месяцев назад +1

    You just won a new subscriber 😘❤️🎉🥳

  • @PurpleLightning6was9
    @PurpleLightning6was9 5 лет назад +12

    Damn, my hands seem to be the same size as yours and I've always thought they were slightly above average. My hand is wider though, so maybe that's why I never have problems stretching.

  • @ChristianCMC
    @ChristianCMC 3 года назад +2

    I have a real hard time getting any stretch between my middle and ring fingers. Frustrating. Also hard from me to get the 5th string to ring out when I am holding down the 6th string with my pinky. I have to readjust the neck of the guitar so that it's practically pointing at the ceiling. Thanks for the video.

  • @GuitarsAndSynths
    @GuitarsAndSynths 5 лет назад +3

    I do have trouble playing Mustaine type Friedman megadeth spider chords from 7th to 15th fret.

  • @2020heinsite
    @2020heinsite 5 лет назад +7

    The outtakes at the end were priceless, and a reminder to anyone listening to someone with an accent or struggling to speak in English. Remember, they most likely speak at least two languages. Most of us have all we can handle with just one. ;)

    • @enricobarbieri4463
      @enricobarbieri4463 4 года назад +1

      Yeah, I'm italian, and I'm currently learning portuguese, apparently my italian accent is rather strong when I speak portuguese, and thanks to that people usually end up mocking me. I usually end it quickly by showing off the fact that I can speak 4 languages already, along with lots of dialects. And seeing as my accent is flawless in those, that usually shuts them up rather quickly

  • @olyellah
    @olyellah 2 года назад +1

    I thought my hands were too small, I have really short pinky fingers so I was getting a little frustrated, but this video helps! Thanks :)

  • @Justafeller
    @Justafeller 4 года назад +71

    My hands are the same size as the guy's doing this video. Back when I first started playing in the early 80s I don't ever remember anyone talking about hand size so it wasn't a thought. Nowadays people want to compare everything and try to create obstacles for others. I can play anything on virtually any guitar. You can too. Never let hand/finger size get in your way. It's an excuse. It takes practice like anything else. I've seen a one handed guitarist play. You don't believe it? It's true. He's likely on RUclips. People are so obsessed with size of everything these days, it's ridiculous. Also, guitar manufacturers make so many different sizes and shapes these days you can find many many choices. Probably a 50s Gibson LP neck might not be a good choice as it's like a baseball bat, but even still I can play it. PRS makes a pattern thin neck that is super comfortable. I can play for 4-5 hours and my hand never gets sore. Good luck and don't buy into the bs people put out today. This guy is correct. Hand size will not stop you unless your hands are 1 inch long maybe.

    • @dash4800
      @dash4800 4 года назад +3

      more like nobody has every said to me how to hold the guitar so im just trying to figure it out with not guidance and when i did it the way he showed initially my pinky doesn't even reach the neck of the guitar. And the vast majority of "instructors" arent professional musicians. They are just people who did it themselves and happen to have long enough fingers to get away with doing it wrong. I've been trying to learn for 2 years with this problem holding me back and this is the first person I've come across that had anything helpful to say.

    • @dash4800
      @dash4800 4 года назад +2

      @@Justafeller Also I hate the kids argument because kids are naturally adaptable. They have incredible dexterity and flexibility and can do most physical activities far easier than adults can and without much physical pain associated with it. So learning how to do this as a kid vs as a 30 yr old adult is not really comparable.

    • @hadeskay6091
      @hadeskay6091 4 года назад +3

      @Classic Max This is such a good point. In fact while the original comment poster might be well meaning, it comes off as advice on persistence, which the other person lacks for the problem they have at hand, as opposed to an exploration of a solution.
      And the more I think of it, the whole paradigm of persistence and determination shoots itself in the foot because by itself, it gets nobody anywhere and the person is likely to get disheartened (for example if they kept persisting with their index and thumb grips as opposed to the middle finger and thumb grips).
      And I feel (I could be very wrong, as this can be confirmed or denied) but Id guess it's in some ways, "if I went through the trouble and pain to get here so SHOULD you."

    • @lalruotsangjoute1872
      @lalruotsangjoute1872 4 года назад +3

      I wish my finger was long as this comment😂😂

    • @danielleelizabeth9417
      @danielleelizabeth9417 3 года назад +1

      Yeah it’s not about making excuses about it is about being efficient and finding the right techniques. I think all kind of hand sixes should be addressed because it will provide you better techniques and habits in the long run. To just say “push through it.” with no technique nor taking the opportunity to listen to wisdom passed down by someone with a similar stature is like ignoring wisdom.
      I get what your saying in the sense that you still pursue what you need to. However everyone learns from others; many people get into playing instruments from listening to their idols jam out.
      If one of my idols had something to say where it could enrich my playing I would damn well listen. If I am passionate enough about learning I am seeking out guidance to better myself I don’t see what the down side is.