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Tips for beginners with smaller hands?
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caelia
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 3:38 am Posts: 8
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Tips for beginners with smaller hands?
Hello!
I recently acquired my first Stick ... it's a 10-string Railboard with RMR tuning. I've had it for about 3 weeks and have been diligently practicing away.
But I'm running into trouble with the bass strings. I'm a long-time guitarist (mainly acoustic, mainly rhythm), and have never played the bass, and also, my hands are, I'd say a bit smaller than average. Not tiny. So I'm not surprised my left hand needs as much work as it does, but I'm finding there are some really basic exercises that I just can't seem to do. For example, today I attempted the "Inversion Arpeggios" exercise on page 3-6 of The Stick Book ... there are four chords, and the fourth one is fingered with the 1st finger on the 4th fret, 3rd finger on 6, and 4th finger on 7. It takes me several seconds to position my fingers to be able to play the chord at all, and I haven't yet managed to play all 3 notes with clean intonation. So at this stage there is no way I can play through the exercise smoothly, even if I take it very, very slow.
Of course it's possible to put aside the exercises I can't do, move on, come back to it later. And that's what I've been doing. But it's very frustrating to be unable to master such a basic exercise. And I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a more organized approach to the problem of my small and weak left hand - or specific exercises I should focus on to overcome this issue as quickly as may be.
Thanks!
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Mon Apr 15, 2019 4:35 pm |
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bachdois
Site Donor
Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2015 12:17 am Posts: 1637 Location: Portugal
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Re: Tips for beginners with smaller hands?
HI there, I don’t have the book here at hand but from the description it’s a major chord, 2nd inversion (5th at the bottom) right? Don’t worry, it is a hard position it will come with time - the hands have to learn new positions and sometimes they just need time (sometimes a lot of time!). I’m still perfecting the correct technique for the first song I ever learned!!! Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
_________________ Rodrigo Serrao
All Links: https://ampl.ink/dNLw4
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Mon Apr 15, 2019 6:05 pm |
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Markussz
Multiple Donor
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2013 9:43 am Posts: 862
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Re: Tips for beginners with smaller hands?
I saw the title, "smaller hands"..... no Trump jokes yet?
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Mon Apr 15, 2019 8:15 pm |
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caelia
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2019 3:38 am Posts: 8
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Re: Tips for beginners with smaller hands?
Markussz wrote: I saw the title, "smaller hands"..... no Trump jokes yet? Just FYI, my hands are not that small.
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Mon Apr 15, 2019 9:15 pm |
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Boaz
Elite Contributor
Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2015 10:08 pm Posts: 1574 Location: Tel-Aviv, Israel
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Re: Tips for beginners with smaller hands?
it is just a matter of practice..may need a bit of a stretch dompared to bigger hands.
Stickista Irene Orleansky has small hands -where my finger starts her whole hand end - didn't stop her for being great stick player.
just keep on practicing
_________________ Boaz Bar Levy
#7159, Grand Railboard,Plum, RMR tuning, MIDI melody. Manufactured Dec. 2018
#2001,10 strings Shedua, MR tuning Stickup, Fretrails Manufactured March 2002
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqqNYL ... JdyVB5aBZQ
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Tue Apr 16, 2019 12:03 am |
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MichNS
Multiple Donor
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2007 4:39 am Posts: 1350 Location: Northern Lower Peninsula, Michigan
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Re: Tips for beginners with smaller hands?
Think of the neck as being a bigger target where the frets are easier to find . You are not used to the scale length yet as you say you never played bass. A couple months ago I had discussion about this subject of being able to transition from one instrument to another with a local teacher who plays upright and electric bass, guitar and piano quite fluently. He showed me an exercise that really helps. Try this arpeggio pattern: 132435465768... etc. near the lowest area of the neck, then work it backwards a few times. Then repeat starting a fret or two a note higher. Keep working your way across the fretboard. Also do this with your guitars and switch back. Takes some patience but it really worked well for me. I can now pick up my guitars, basses, Sticks and trade off without much warmup to get used to the different scale lengths. Before that pattern Inised to do similar with scales, but the arpeggio pattern definitely worked better for me.
_________________ Photography website:http://www.sb.smugmug.com YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MichiganNS Vimeo:Steven Balogh Graphite Grand Stick MR NS Stick Wenge body Wenge neck Bamboo Grand Stickup
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Tue Apr 16, 2019 3:46 am |
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Brett Bottomley
Multiple Donor
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2007 8:01 am Posts: 1767 Location: North Haven, Connecticut USA
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Re: Tips for beginners with smaller hands?
Also, stick positioning, height and arm/elbow angle may be issues. Have you considered Skype lessons with Greg Howard? He may have great pointers to help move you through these setbacks more quickly!
Brett
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Tue Apr 16, 2019 5:49 am |
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rclere
Multiple Donor
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:53 am Posts: 1518 Location: Seattle, WAq
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Re: Tips for beginners with smaller hands?
You got some fine advice here from these great players, I'd just like to say, "Give yourself sometime on the instrument". Explore and relax. experiment with attack and approach. I would suggest taking to Greg Howard or watching his Free Hands Video on Youtube and start with Hand Movement. If you are just using the mechanics of "fretting" from your guitar playing, this might be an issue. Hand Movement gives you a better attack, better sounding notes and is much easier and more relaxed approach. Hand movement is the key. WHAT BRETT SAID!!
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Tue Apr 16, 2019 6:07 am |
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rclere
Multiple Donor
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 8:53 am Posts: 1518 Location: Seattle, WAq
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Re: Tips for beginners with smaller hands?
Here ya go... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tNFmXFQ4kU&t=186sYou can get the whole thing @ grehgplaysthe stick Youtube channel
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Tue Apr 16, 2019 6:38 am |
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AnDroiD
Elite Contributor
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 12:42 pm Posts: 2536 Location: Jersey
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Re: Tips for beginners with smaller hands?
Coming from the bass to the Stick, with small hands, (and I played upright also) my experience on both 10&12 strings, my left hand didn't wish to co-operate. It comes. Eventually...
_________________ Peace, Marty "The present day composer refuses to die" -Edgard Varese
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Fri Apr 19, 2019 9:44 am |
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