So you have decided to take guitar lessons. You are a beginner. You are finding yourself running into the problem that your fingers are too big for the strings. You are not sure how to address the problem. The good news is that this problem is not because your fingers are too big, it is usually because you are new.
The type of fingers you have do not matter. It does not matter if you have long slender fingers or short chubby ones. All newbies have a difficult time fretting notes. Most newbies are unable to do this without touching surrounding strings. It is a normal problem. Do not feel discouraged if this is something you are facing, because it is normal and everyone goes through it. Do not stop lessons because you feel like your fingers are “too fat to play”. Some people refer to this as “chubby finger syndrome”. This is not a real thing. The size of your fingers is fine.
The issue stems from newbies not having experience fretting the chords. There is not a lot of room between the strings of a guitar. “Chubby finger syndrome” commonly results from several other things and in reality have nothing at all to do with your fingers. One cause is that the neck of the guitar is positioned too far down throwing off the position of your hand. Another is that you are not curling and/or arching your fingers the right way. Finally, you may not have developed the ability to stretch your fingers yet.
If you are wondering if you have “chubby finger syndrome” and will never be able to play guitar, the answer is no because this syndrome does not exist. Your fingers are not too chubby to play. More than likely, you are still developing your playing technique. This takes practice, time, and patience and has absolutely nothing to do with the size of your fingers.
The Finger Diet
Many may be looking for advice on how to address “chubby finger syndrome”. Here are some basic things to make sure that your fingers are positioned correctly on the fretboard.
First, ensure you are holding your guitar correctly. If you are right-handed, the body of the guitar should be resting on your right lap. The back should be on your stomach and the neck should be tilted up very slightly in alignment with the body of your guitar. The guitar should not be aligned with your chest if you look down. The left side should be moved toward your fretting hand and the right side toward your plucking hand.
Next, look at the way that your hand is positioned. You do not want to grab the neck of the guitar with the palm of your hand. You want your thumb pressed against the backside of the neck. Your palm should not make any contact with the neck.
Finally, think about where your fingers are positioned. When you fret a string, you want your finger arched and pointing perpendicular on the fretboard. When you use it, the goal is to use the tip of the finger. Many beginners can fret one string. They begin to have problems when holding a chord. This is usually when surrounding chords accidentally get touched. This is because you can’t keep your finger in position. All new players struggle with this. As your fingers become stronger and begin stretching, the problem will fix itself.
How to Play with Chubby Fingers
So, you have the basics of holding your guitar down. How do you play with chubby fingers? Remember that the size of your fingers does not matter, it is the technique that you are using that matters. Here are some tips to help you as you learn to play.
First, ensure that the guitar is in the correct position. Next, ensure your hand is positioned correctly. Practice finger stretching exercises. This helps you as you begin having to stretch your fingers to play the guitar and develop the muscles. Over time, you will notice that your fingers have increased strength, muscle memory begins to develop and your fingers will have the ability to stretch the way that you need them to. Make sure that you continue to practice. This causes calluses to harden. Calluses allow you to press the strings softer, keeping your fingertips from spreading as wide. Finally, make sure that the headstock of the guitar is angled upward closer to your shoulder while keeping the body steady in the same position.
Should I Change Guitars?
Changing guitars should be the last resort. There is only about five percent of people that need to change the style of guitar they are playing to address the problems they are having. The only time you may want to consider changing instruments is if the tips listed above are not helping. In this case, finding a guitar with a fingerboard that is wider could be helpful. You more than likely do not need to change guitars. Try the above steps for two-three months before deciding to change instruments. Your lesson instructor can also help with tips and advice to ensure you are holding the instrument correctly. If nothing changes after trying the above tips, then you may consider a guitar with a wider neck.
Wide Neck Guitars
Many guitarists are aware that different instruments have various neck widths. The width of the neck is measured at the nut. The neck width is virtually the same for electric and acoustic style guitars, but the slightest difference in width may be all you need. If you decide you want to try a new instrument, go for it. Go to the guitar store and feel the difference in a Gibson and a Fender Strat. Here are some things to consider if you decide to look for a guitar that has a wider neck. First, ask the worker if you can look at guitars that have wider spacing between the strings. You want one with at least one and three quarters nut width. The spacing is also wider in guitars that have Floyd Rose Tremolo Systems. If you still struggle to play the guitar, you may consider learning to play the bass. There is more spacing on bass than a guitar. Check out Deviant noise Inc. for more information on learning to play guitar today!