Anyone got small hands?

[Biglump]

Hi All,
Any tips and hints for those with tiny hands, please.
I've got massive hands, so working out how to teach someone with tiny hands is not natrual to me.
Any drills, musclo skeletal warm ups, exersises, slides for scales, and whatever most welcome.

We'll probably be on root fifths for most of the songs we do.
it's 34 inch scale, moneys tight so it's staying 34 inch.

Playing seated too.

Thanks,

Ade

[rushbo]

I have "petite" hands, but I've always played regular basses, so that's what I'm used to. The easiest solution would be a shorter scale instrument, but if that is out of the question, then perseverance is the key along with a bit of flexibility with your left hand thumb position.

[JapanAxe]

Like many people, I often use a one-finger-per fret approach for 'position playing'. I have large hands, but in the lower (headstock end) positions it is too much of a stretch to do this without moving my hand around, so that's what I do. Your student with smaller hands will have to start doing this further up the neck.

I would also say thumb-behind-neck, not thumb-over-neck, to avoid 'flying fingers'.

Scott Devine covers both these points somewhere in his massive range of video clips1

[simes]

I have relatively small hands for a guy and always tried to adhere to the one finger per fret rule but found I was getting tendon pain in the back of my fretting hand. Since I stopped this, the pain has decreased massively. My top tip - ignore the one finger per fret rule if it is causing pain and discomfort, it will only get worse over time which I not good. Plus it will take any enjoyment out of playing.

[Cato]

Watching various tutorials on YouTube I've seen a fair number of people who I would regard as top class players who don't use the 'one finger per fret' technique.

Going from the first finger on the first fret to the little finger on the third or even from the third to the fifth seems pretty common & not massively detrimental to their overall ability on the instrument.

Maybe getting the person you are teaching to start practising stuff to build strength & dexterity in the little finger, which beginners tend to lack, would be a good way forwards?

Edited February 20, 2016 by Cato

[Damonjames]

I too am digitally challenged. My lady hands did struggle when I started, and I still find precision style necks a challenge.
I would suggest going for a bass that's playable, regardless of budget constraints of it is even remotely possible, as if it is u comfortable/painful then they are more likely to give up. It will be hard starting, but you need to make it as easy as possible.
A squier vintage modified jazz bass was a revelation when I bought it, the neck was just so much easier to play And they sound great for the money.
Some standard major and minor scales are good to get the hands going, and just doing a chromatic scale was a great one for getting used to stretching and some endurance. For this chromatic run, start with the first finger on the first fret, and do 1,2,3,4 on the e, then a, then d, then g. Then slide the first finger up to the second fret and repeat all the way up the neck.
A great tip for doing major/minor scales is getting used to shifting you hand to get the 4th finger notes, if you have small hands you will have to get used to floating it a little more that someone with a bunch of bananas for a hand.

Tell them to above all persevere!

[Muppet]

I have small hands, well short stubby fingers anyway and an important technique I was taught was left hand thumb positioning. Floating the left thumb along the centre of the neck allows a greater more relaxed range for the remaining fingers as opposed the wrapping the thumb over the edge of the fret board and holding the neck like a baseball bat which I see all too often.

Many people with small hands say they need a short scale or jazz neck and can't play five strings etc but adopting an appropriate technique means you don't have to rule out any particular guitars.

[3below]

Small hands here as well. Played Precision sized necks until 'discovering' narrower J style necks in the last few years. Youth helped with 34" scale basses and I was able to do the one fret per finger, thumb behind neck technique for many years. These days I am using my short scale bass much more extensively and a mixture of thumb behind neck and wrap over on E string. Conversely my EKO acoustic bass, 35" scale and neck like a large baseball bat (same width as a Warwick 5 stringer) is a pleasure to play. As mentioned earlier, find a bass that is comfortable and develop a technique that is effective for what you play.

[TrevorR]

For me the thumb behind four fingers four fret technique has been really useful and one which it is worth working on and becoming comfortable with. Ive got shorter fingers and even if you don't use it slavishly it is a really useful tool to have in the toolbox as a player. Looking across my playing I probably use 4 fret technique about 30-40% of the time. A lazy variant on 4 fret about 40-50% of the time and thumb over about 10-20% of the time, sliding between all three.

Building up the pinkie works too, in fact now my ring finger is probably my more neglected finger over preference for the pinkie. It gives that little extra stretch.

Those chromatic four fret exercises are good for building dexterity and strength too... Spiders crawling up the string and across the strings. Eg working up the next 4 frets at a time starting at F, then F# then G etc. Or 4 frets from F then Bb, then Eb then Ab and back down to F#, B, E, A etc...

I've never had an issue with 34" scale lengths a problem but narrower necks certainly are an advantage.

[Twigman]

I have smallish hands and have found (due to one of our songs requiring it) that practising a certain triad arpeggio all over the neck has helped my fretting hand 'stretch'.

Try playing a I V IX V arpeggio and try to hold the chord....I can now just about do it with the I at the 4th fret - a few weeks ago it was impossible....any closer to the nut and I would need to be Stretch Fingerstrong...

[Gottastopbuyinggear]

Another vote for the Scott Devine video that covers moving your hand when playing one fret per finger, and the thumb position behind the neck. This is coming from someone who's played guitar with a really poor fretting hand technique for 35 years, and has finally had to learn correct positioning.

I'd also suggest for anything with repetitive moves between first and third finger (for example Dr. Feelgood's Roxette) considering building strength in the little finger and using that instead of the third for part of the time. I find doing that helps keep the fretting hand comfortable, and has the added benefit of making the little finger stronger for when you have to use it it.

Regarding the instrument, I've played a Jazz bass for a few years and bought a Precision last year. At first I got quite upset at how difficult I found it playing down the end of the neck, but a little perseverance has overcome that and I now find it just as easy as playing the Jazz. I personally find playing whilst sitting a little easier on the left hand as I think that naturally pushes the body of the bass to the right a bit further than when standing, but I generally practice standing up and found angling the neck up a bit helps with keeping the fretting hand comfortable.

As a slight aside, as someone who's always struggled to fret the low e on a guitar with the thumb over the top position, I recall seeing some film of Jimi Hendrix (from Woodstock I think) where he plays a chord like that and then walks down about three frets on the E with his thumb...

[Biglump]

Thank you all for the excellent assistance.
The newbieshe is learning really quick and more importantly with less bad habbit blind alleys than If you'd not all helped out.
Take a pat on the back.

Just need to stop myself showboating and keep my fingers low too....

[geoffbyrne]

I have a smaller hand and started with a Jazz bass as I thought the narrowness might suit - it did, but the main prob is in movement up and down the neck, not so much across. I now find I use my pinky finger a lot more than most other bass players. This is how I achieve my span. I currently play 5 sting basses with around the full 19mm spacing at the bridge (TRB 5 snd BBGN 5) so working across the strings is no problem.

Practice and use all fingers.

G.

Edited March 12, 2016 by geoffbyrne

[chris_b]

If your technique is correct small hands won't be an issue when playing bass and having small hands doesn't require a thin neck or short scale bass. Esperanza Spalding can play an upright bass with no effort. Checkout how she plays upright and electric basses.

How you hold the bass and how high you play the bass makes reaching the strings easier or harder. If you can't reach the lowest string without stretching or feeling uncomfortable hold the neck at a higher angle until you can. Some people play with a sharp angle to their wrists. I find it's more comfortable and easier to play if the wrists are straighter.

Whether you use 1,2,3,4 (1 finger per fret) fingering or 1,2,4 depends on where you are on the neck and what the next note is. Generally use 1,2,3,4 higher up the neck, above the 10th fret, for instance, but I'd always, always use 1,2,4 fingering below. Don't stretch (ever), so don't fix your thumb to any spot on the back of the neck. Always move your left hand to place your fingers over the correct fret. Aim to move your left hand for every fret change.

Watch videos of Rocco Prestia and Travis Carlton. They'll play whole lines with one finger, just moving their hands to the correct place. Move your hand a lot and your fingers a little.

If your left hand is moving properly then you'll be hitting all the notes without stretching. Always focus on your fingers and the note and in the end your hand will follow.

[Luulox]

My hands are not big so on guitar I use 1 finger a fret and on bass I don't. For me 1 finger a fret does not transfer easily to bass so I don't do it rather than struggle and cause myself pain. Can't see the point.