Hand size

[superblonde]

I guess largely the myth of hand size being a requirement for guitar has died out but this interview with John5 reminded me again. Vai, Buckethead seem to have ridiculous hand size. Gilbert too but maybe because he always seems skinny as skinny can be I don’t know. Vai frequently talks about his hand size too. Maybe the really young shredding kids have killed the myth of needing particular types of hands. Still anatomy is an interesting factor in playing, maybe not necessarily size but proportions.. Doug mentions forearm ratio in the CBC.

Did you take lessons?
John5: I always took lessons, ever since my very first year of playing guitar. My hands are small, but I wanted to play so bad. True story: My left hand is larger than my right hand. It stretched so much that it’s weird, almost like a deformity. I was young and I was growing, and my left hand is larger because I wouldn’t stop playing.

https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/25587-john-5-wired-inspired

I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

[safetyblitz]

superblonde wrote:

I guess largely the myth of hand size being a requirement for guitar has died out but this interview with John5 reminded me again. Vai, Buckethead seem to have ridiculous hand size. Gilbert too but maybe because he always seems skinny as skinny can be I don’t know. Vai frequently talks about his hand size too. Maybe the really young shredding kids have killed the myth of needing particular types of hands. Still anatomy is an interesting factor in playing, maybe not necessarily size but proportions.. Doug mentions forearm ratio in the CBC.

Did you take lessons? John5: I always took lessons, ever since my very first year of playing guitar. My hands are small, but I wanted to play so bad. True story: My left hand is larger than my right hand. It stretched so much that it’s weird, almost like a deformity. I was young and I was growing, and my left hand is larger because I wouldn’t stop playing. https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/25587-john-5-wired-inspired

While there are some adaptive changes that can possibly mitigate genetic limitations on hand size, particularly for people who start playing young, the cold truth is that extreme streches (especially *clean* playing that demands extreme stretches) require a certain minimum hand size. The good news is that there is tons of interesting stuff to play that doesn’t require extreme stretches, and often there are alternative fingerings for “extreme stretch” licks that allow them to be played without huge stretches. Even super wide trills can be “faked” with judicious use of help from the picking hand.

But take, for example, the famous lick below from the first few bars of the solo to Van Halen’s “Ice Cream Man”. Can you play it? Cool. Now try to play it at position III instead of position XII.

[superblonde]

Geez, Ice Cream Man, the bane of my existence. I’ve tried that song with optimism many times.. aint going near it!

• Daisy Rock’s exclusive “Slim & Narrow” neck design makes it easier for girls with smaller hands to play the guitar.
• Lightweight construction makes the guitar easier to manage and more comfortable to play.

Altho I dont for a minute believe girls are somehow handicapped for guitar (Tina S. on youtube kicks anyone’s butt) it seems there are some manufacturers targeting presumably small hand players.

Hey wait a minute, maybe president tiny hands could learn to play as well?.. Ok forget I said that.

I'm an intermediate student of Metal Method. I play seitannic heavy metal. All Kale Seitan! ♯ ♮ ♭ ø ° Δ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
And on the Seventh Day, Mustaine said: ∇ ⨯ E = - ∂B / ∂t ; and there was Thrash; and it had a ♭3; and it was good.

[Author]

Posts