Members bullhead Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 Hey guys, So this might sound kinda weird, but bear with me a moment. So I met this girl who is, basically, the coolest person ever and played guitar rabidly for a number of years. She was diagnosed with a treatment-resistant condition which makes her hands extrmely weak, meaning she can't play. She has a tattoo with her first guitar and bass flanked by angel wings like they're dead children, and doesn't really talk about it very much so it clearly burns her up. The question is this: what kind of things could I possibly do to make it so she can play? Some of the obvious ones are thinner strings, lower action, etc, but what other tricks can help? I'm not a great setup guy, but I can do some of the basics (minor truss adjustments, bridge lowering, etc) so any specific tips would be really helpful. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chordite Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 Only other thing I can think of is tune it all down a semitone (or possibly a full tone, never tried that) and get it back to pitch with capo on frets one or two respectively which would take a bit more tension off and also have the effect of a zero fret. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bullhead Posted October 17, 2013 Author Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 I was thinking that. I play lowered tunings all the time, but not for that reason. That said, I wouldn't be playing it, just trying to help someone. The Capo might help, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jpnyc Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 Set her up for slide guitar. All you have to do is pop on a resonator nut and tune to an open tuning. Fred Sokolow did a slide guitar DVD. That Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elias Graves Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 Nylon string? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elias Graves Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 I had a customer with MS and we set her up with a classical. She did well with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gardo Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 jpnyc wrote: Set her up for slide guitar. All you have to do is pop on a resonator nut and tune to an open tuning. Fred Sokolow did a slide guitar DVD. That Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Quarter Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 Lap steel or a guitar with a raised nut to play lap style might be the ticket. Tons of fun and a great way to let the music out. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bullhead Posted October 17, 2013 Author Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 thanks for the ideas so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaveAronow Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 Is she good looking, or a beast?You could try having sex with her.I heard that works really well for this sort of thing.Always happy to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members benzem Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 bullhead wrote: Hey guys, So this might sound kinda weird, but bear with me a moment. So I met this girl who is, basically, the coolest person ever and played guitar rabidly for a number of years. She was diagnosed with a treatment-resistant condition which makes her hands extrmely weak, meaning she can't play. She has a tattoo with her first guitar and bass flanked by angel wings like they're dead children, and doesn't really talk about it very much so it clearly burns her up. The question is this: what kind of things could I possibly do to make it so she can play? Some of the obvious ones are thinner strings, lower action, etc, but what other tricks can help? I'm not a great setup guy, but I can do some of the basics (minor truss adjustments, bridge lowering, etc) so any specific tips would be really helpful. Thanks. That is sad. I can't imagine not being able to play. I had a student who couldn't play in normal position so he (and I during the lesson) played lap-style. How long has it been since she could play?What kind of guitar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lz4005 Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 Elias Graves wrote: I had a customer with MS and we set her up with a classical. She did well with it. Depending on how her hands are you might look for a nylon string with a narrow neck, more of a strat profile. They're not as common, but they're out there.I like the suggestion for slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jpnyc Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 I just remembered that Dunlop makes .08 Billy Gibbons string sets. Put those on a 24" guitar like a PRS SE Santana or a Fender Jaguar and you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanzant38 Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 I have a Fender Jaguar HH with 24 inch scale and I use size nine strings. It is by far the easiest playing guitar that I have.Today only MF has their SDOTD on a Fender Modern Player Jaguar for $299. It has 24 inch scale neck.And how about this one, A Rogue Rocketeer RR50 7/8 Scale Electric Guitar for $79.99. 3-1/4" scale neck and one pickup for simplicity. I imagine that this guitar would be a little easier to play than the 24 inch scaled Jaguar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kolapsar Posted October 17, 2013 Members Share Posted October 17, 2013 she needs to grip something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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