Shredding with small hands..possible??

Noopz · #1 08-21-2007, 08:00 AM

Hi Guys,

First off, Hi to the forum.... yesterday I received a mint 05 Jem7VWH so signed up here. I was going to get a new PGM301 but saw one of these going for a similar price so jumped on it.

The only other shredding axe I've owned was an ESP KH2 (bolt on). With my small hands I found it very difficult to play high up... the heel got in the way.

The AANJ on the JEM is amazing..... I can access the 22nd-24th frets with minimal issues. My only problem now is reach. I started looking at some tabs for lead stuff last night and got frustrated quickly... I found a lot of things hard to play because of reach, not just distance but also playing notes across the fretboard that might have been quicker/easier if I had longer fingers.

Are there any other small handed shredders out there? If so how do you get along and does the length of your fingers restrict you?

Any tips welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Ki swordsman · #2 08-21-2007, 09:02 AM

it's totally possible, personally i don't have big hands or long fingers and i have no trouble..
stretch can be marginally gained just by practice, and you'll develop your own technique to play at your most effective..

if you're young(i have no idea how old you are), you'll still have hand growing to do too..

sometimes you may need to rework something in a different position, a friend with long fingers once tried to show me a massive stretching chord melody part which i simply couldn't do. so i worked out the notes in a different position and i can play it fine.

the best players are those that play at their best, not those that can potentially do more..

Bruce Lee would say, know your weaknesses and your strengths and be the most efficient you can be for your personal body. develop good technique for you and you will have ever expanding ability

congrats on the jem!!

crevis · #3 08-21-2007, 09:36 AM

The size of your hands has nothing to do with your ability, if you can't play something then practice, practice, practice.

ken_r152 · #4 08-21-2007, 10:54 AM

The trick is to not stay "anchored" in one position. It's very easy to think of chord positions and keep your fingers in one spot relative to that chord position, but if you keep your hand relatively free of any anchoring, then you'll be able to play notes that are farther apart.

mi2tom · #5 08-21-2007, 11:08 AM

If I'm not mistaken shawn lane's hand is small and he is regard as the best player in the world.

HeavyMetal4Ever · #6 08-21-2007, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crevis

The size of your hands has nothing to do with your ability, if you can't play something then practice, practice, practice.

+1 infinity

Rock on!

TheBoss84 · #7 08-21-2007, 09:32 PM

Yes! Practice makes the master. With a lots of dedicated practice anyone can be a good guitar player.

satchbooger · #8 08-21-2007, 10:59 PM

Randy Rhodes had small hands also...

satchboogeyman · #9 08-22-2007, 04:10 AM

Some of the best guitarists I have ever known had small hands. They use their pinkies more. All it takes is practice.

Spagbol · #10 08-23-2007, 07:45 PM

I have, like, tiny small hands and I'm just about the best there is... no, no, seriously, there's no-one better just ask that Steven Via bloke or his brother Joe Satraini. Man I can shred like like you wouldn't believe...

[/silly]

On a more serious note I do have small hands and short fingers and I had the same problem as you - a long while back I almost bought the first Jem I played but just couldn't get my fingers to most of the top 6-8 frets comfortably due to the neck heel. Not really an issue now with the AANJ.

Shredding as in speed isn't an issue at all - in fact smaller fingers could be thought of as better due to less mass to move and a shorter lever to control. Stretch can be a bit of a problem, but the 3 magic things to think about are 1) wrist angle (but keep an eye on tension etc.) 2) guitar placement (e.g. watch Zakk hitch his guitar up and also angle it when he needs to shred) and 3) don't think about just stretching up for something, but rather think about stretching both ways - back and forward - and adjust your hand. You'll find you can get bigger intervals than you thought that way.

Another way of thinking is across the strings rather than up and down - adapt your playing style so your picking is good across adjacent strings and you won't need to stretch as much.

rya · #11 09-02-2007, 03:53 AM

yes possible. im 12.

crevis · #12 09-02-2007, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spagbol

Another way of thinking is across the strings rather than up and down - adapt your playing style so your picking is good across adjacent strings and you won't need to stretch as much.

That's the best advice you'll get, work on your economy picking.

Holy Katana · #13 09-02-2007, 09:21 PM

Have you ever heard of Rick Renstrom? He has phocomelia, which is a birth defect that leaves people with extremely short arms and small, flipper-like hands. He only has 3 fingers on his hands, too. And yet, he shreds the hell out of his guitar.