Members nuke_diver Posted July 26, 2006 Members Share Posted July 26, 2006 I have big problems with stretches like a fret 3 to 7 stretch. What is the best way to improve this? Currently I can barely reach and it can be quite painful Note I am late to guitar, so I do not have the flexibility of a 16 year old and have an arthritic wrist. Or should I just go back to first position chords? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gennation Posted July 26, 2006 Members Share Posted July 26, 2006 Where is your thumb located at on the back of the neck? Normally when you play the open chords you mentioned the thumb is high on the back of the neck, it'll come over the top of the neck at times. When you do the stretches you're talking about, bring the thumb lower on the back of the neck...start somewhere in the middle and work your thumb around until you find the comfort zone. Try and hold and imaginary ball that fits in the your hand. See how more even the height of the your fingers and your thumb is? That's a start place to start. That might be your issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members red|dragon Posted July 26, 2006 Members Share Posted July 26, 2006 Oh no. I've seen this problem before man. The human fingers can only take so much stretching before they just give out. The pain can be excruciating. Pre-inflammatory arthritis is definately a possibility. I'm no doctor there for I cannot offer any medical advice and I'm no attorney so I do not possess the crudentials to give you legal advice. The only advise I can give you is friendly advise. You might want to consider switching to another instrument such as the flute, you {censored}ing {censored}. Good luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gennation Posted July 26, 2006 Members Share Posted July 26, 2006 Holy smokes Red! That was everything but "chop your hands off". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members red|dragon Posted July 26, 2006 Members Share Posted July 26, 2006 I had someone threaten to sue me today. I'm fired up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sqish Posted July 27, 2006 Members Share Posted July 27, 2006 I hope you get sued Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members red|dragon Posted July 27, 2006 Members Share Posted July 27, 2006 Originally posted by Sqish I hope you get sued Not gunna happen. I am familiar with the law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CyanideChrist Posted July 27, 2006 Members Share Posted July 27, 2006 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hywld4xFHiM&mode=related&search= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members red|dragon Posted July 27, 2006 Members Share Posted July 27, 2006 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpwd6IeLNOU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nuke_diver Posted July 27, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 27, 2006 @gennation I'll see if I can find a better position to see if it helps. @red|dragon I do have arthritis. Wait till you get old and maybe you'll find some respect. Don't bother replying, you're the first person to make my ignore list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Phonic Soundry Posted July 27, 2006 Members Share Posted July 27, 2006 There's no real need to attempt stretches like that; either find the note in a nicer position or use your right hand to hammer it. I once pulled something in my hand trying stretches and it took months to get back up to speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nuke_diver Posted July 27, 2006 Author Members Share Posted July 27, 2006 This particular exercise is the Hot For Teacher intro tapping. And yeah I may just not bother. It sounds cool but I doubt I'll do something like that very often if ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Virgman Posted July 29, 2006 Members Share Posted July 29, 2006 Hey, who needs those stretches? Django Rheinhardt only had 2 or three fingers on his fretting hand.However if you are hellbent for leather here's an idea you might consider.Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven"Uses 2-note spread chords for the rhythm.If you can find a tab of this (??) somewhere check it out. Learn to play this song's rhythm as an exercise for your hands. Slow it down somehow as it hops along pretty well. Maybe WinAmp.Don't overdo it. Good luck.And by the way, Hendrix did a lot WITHOUT stretching across 6 frets. Nothing wrong with that.Check him out on video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Li Shenron Posted July 31, 2006 Members Share Posted July 31, 2006 Originally posted by nuke_diver This particular exercise is the Hot For Teacher intro tapping. Maybe you didn't pick a good exercise. That famous intro not only requires a good stretch but it also requires good legato skills. Summing the two can make it very difficult. (Ok, it also has the tapping part, but that's the other hand's business) I suggest you try to work separately on developing legato strength/accuracy and developing stretch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Li Shenron Posted July 31, 2006 Members Share Posted July 31, 2006 Oh and by the way, do not be pessimistic about your age!If people can start practicing yoga at 60 from near-crippled conditions and become masters at 70 (yes, it happens!), then you can do it with the guitar as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nuke_diver Posted August 1, 2006 Author Members Share Posted August 1, 2006 Originally posted by Li Shenron Maybe you didn't pick a good exercise. That famous intro not only requires a good stretch but it also requires good legato skills. Summing the two can make it very difficult. (Ok, it also has the tapping part, but that's the other hand's business) I suggest you try to work separately on developing legato strength/accuracy and developing stretch! Well I didn't pick it my instructor did I understand his desire to show me certain techniques that challenge me and I want to be challenged since that's the best way to improve.I'll try it for a while.Thanks for the encouragement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Li Shenron Posted August 1, 2006 Members Share Posted August 1, 2006 Originally posted by nuke_diver Well I didn't pick it my instructor did I understand his desire to show me certain techniques that challenge me and I want to be challenged since that's the best way to improve. I'll try it for a while. Thanks for the encouragement Teachers sometimes are mean My teacher a long time ago tricked me into buying Steve Vai's Passion & Warfare full score book, as if I would have ever been able to play that properly...Anyway, nothing bad in targetting something difficult, but personally I know that if I challenge myself with something too hard, I risk of getting frustrated.What about trying to "split" that exercise into two separate challenges?Assuming you can already tap quite well, you can change it this way:1) instead of playing 0-3-7-T12 + 0-5-9-T12, you would play 0-3-5-T12 + 0-5-7-T12: this way you can practice the legato skill without bothering about the stretch2) then take the strechting fretting 0-3-7 + 0-5-9, but play it with the pick instead of legatoJust an idea... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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