Post by funkykikuchiyo on Apr 7, 2020 13:20:35 GMT -5
Old thread, but want to weigh in as a repair tech:
People who often complain about necks being too big for their "small hands" usually are thumb wrappers. If you're trying to make large reaches, try it first with your palm up against the back of the neck, and then again with your thumb against the back of your neck. As your wrist straightens out, your reach will dramatically increase. On the other end of the spectrum, you can search YouTube and find all sorts of young women with tiny hands playing amazingly well, especially on classical guitars. Granted, those people are exceptions to the rule on the talent spectrum, but there is still a lesson there.
I've had MANY clients who complain about wrist injuries and pain when they play, and many MANY of them have death grips. Being a thumb wrapper doesn't mean you have a death grip, most (if not all) death grip people are thumb wrappers. They pull their palm up to the back of the neck, squeeze tight, and their wrist is bent the whole time. I can't play that way for 5 minutes without being sore, no wonder people who play for 20-30 years like that end up with problems.
That said, I'm not any-thumb wrapping. I do think a player's grip should be loose enough that as they want to play different things they will glide into a different position as necessary. Personally, I thumb wrap when I'm doing bends or vibrato, and my thumb is at the back when I'm doing more scalar work, especially if I want my index finger to be able to move up and down the neck and not get stuck in a "box". I'm better at fixing instruments than playing them though, so take that with a grain of salt.
You don't want to be a death grip person. I've had so many in the shop... they want stuff set up with 8s or 9s with shred action, then it buzzes and plays out of tune because they're still grabbing that thing like it is a shovel handle or a pull-up bar. Many have permanent damage.
(there is probably another, parallel discussion to be had about guitar strap length, too.)
People who often complain about necks being too big for their "small hands" usually are thumb wrappers. If you're trying to make large reaches, try it first with your palm up against the back of the neck, and then again with your thumb against the back of your neck. As your wrist straightens out, your reach will dramatically increase. On the other end of the spectrum, you can search YouTube and find all sorts of young women with tiny hands playing amazingly well, especially on classical guitars. Granted, those people are exceptions to the rule on the talent spectrum, but there is still a lesson there.
I've had MANY clients who complain about wrist injuries and pain when they play, and many MANY of them have death grips. Being a thumb wrapper doesn't mean you have a death grip, most (if not all) death grip people are thumb wrappers. They pull their palm up to the back of the neck, squeeze tight, and their wrist is bent the whole time. I can't play that way for 5 minutes without being sore, no wonder people who play for 20-30 years like that end up with problems.
That said, I'm not any-thumb wrapping. I do think a player's grip should be loose enough that as they want to play different things they will glide into a different position as necessary. Personally, I thumb wrap when I'm doing bends or vibrato, and my thumb is at the back when I'm doing more scalar work, especially if I want my index finger to be able to move up and down the neck and not get stuck in a "box". I'm better at fixing instruments than playing them though, so take that with a grain of salt.
You don't want to be a death grip person. I've had so many in the shop... they want stuff set up with 8s or 9s with shred action, then it buzzes and plays out of tune because they're still grabbing that thing like it is a shovel handle or a pull-up bar. Many have permanent damage.
(there is probably another, parallel discussion to be had about guitar strap length, too.)
