I think I know why I suck

[Stumplegriltskin]

Man, guitar pisses me the fuck off sometimes. Trying to learn Erase this by LOG and there's this awful 13>7 stretch and no matter what I do I can't play it to speed and my hand is killing me. I'm not the one to quit but I seriously almost just threw my guitar across the room. I took years off from metal. I don't remember it being this difficult back in the Kill em all days. WTF happened?

Anyhow, I got fucking robbed in the pinky department. This finger looks like it's slowly being phased out.

 

[skoora]

Yeah, you'll never get that in the stink.

 

[Stumplegriltskin]

Whatchu talking about Willis? I need to take a pill or something

 

[messenger]

Looks the same as mine. You saying that's not normal?

 

[justinl101]

Metronome!!! play it at 70-80% of what ever you can play it at without missing anything. Guys with nubbins half that size can pull off stuff michal angelo batio couldnt play. Sucks loosing chops but time and patience will build speed to do just about anything.

 

[thiswaythatway]

Wear your guitar higher. It won't look as cool but it increase your stretch when you're standing. Shorter scale guitars help as well as smaller necks.

 

[Ventura]

It's normal, it's not an evolutionary physical retroaction of the finger...you're fine.

Just don't look at ANY pics of Steve Vai's hands. You'll get finger envy. It's horrible. Don't do it.

As for fact, just keep practising it and it'll stretch itself out - it's not so much the length of the finger as it is its ability to spread out from its neighboring finger and bone web. Seriously. And if this doesn't work, hey, think of cats like Django or some of them old style blues cats that would simply pull their thumb out from behind the neck and piano-play the chord with their fingers. More than one way to skin a cat, so they say

 

[LP Freak]

Rub it and it'll grow

 

[mdc1mdc11]

try to focus the placement of your thumb on the back of the neck to align as much as possible between the 2 and 3 fingers or that general area, gives better stability and strength for the stretches you mention. Sometimes I wonder if I should have pursued classic training before ever picking up an electric.

 

[snowdog]

One of your other posts you mention that you can play "pretty much any Megadeth" , now you are saying you suck ?

 

[Stumplegriltskin]

One of your other posts you mention that you can play "pretty much any Megadeth" , now you are saying you suck ?

I grew up with Megadeth. For some reason LOG shit is hard for me. A lot of it is similar to slayer but the speed of it is what is tough. Of course when I was playing Megadeth years ago I was a shit bum with endless time. Maybe I forgot how much I use to play. 6pm at night now for an hour isn't going to do much. Work, kids, wife, house repairs, etc....

Half the reason I'm pissed off all the time is because I want to play constantly and can't.

I play mostly with the thumb almost up against the 6th string. I just can not do the classical position thing. It just kills my wrist. Any tips on that I'm all ears.

 

[thiswaythatway]

It's normal, it's not an evolutionary physical retroaction of the finger...you're fine.

Just don't look at ANY pics of Steve Vai's hands. You'll get finger envy. It's horrible. Don't do it.

As for fact, just keep practising it and it'll stretch itself out - it's not so much the length of the finger as it is its ability to spread out from its neighboring finger and bone web. Seriously. And if this doesn't work, hey, think of cats like Django or some of them old style blues cats that would simply pull their thumb out from behind the neck and piano-play the chord with their fingers. More than one way to skin a cat, so they say

Or gilbert.

Or Uma Thurman.

 

[xXDaveyJonesXx]

I dunno, man. I met the lead guitarist of one of my all time favorite bands about 10 years ago after a show. I shook his hand and his knees nearly buckled when I accidentally mangled his poor little sausage fingers. They looked like a loose package of lil smokies - and that dude just ripped our faces off an hour beforehand.

I think about that now and again when I have trouble nailing a riff down and just shake my head. It can be done.

 

[born_hard]

Do this here before playing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSrfB7JIzxY

 

[JimmyBlind]

I'm a Grade 8 Classical guitar player & I still can't co-ordinate my little finger to hover over the fret board efficiently like Rick Graham can, for example.

I think the pursuit of musical instrument mastery is often seen as a linear journey. We can only do the best we can with the hand we're dealt, so to speak.
Some people who have great right hand co-ordination & strength might lean towards alternate picking styles, whereas someone with better left hand strength & dexterity might lean towards legato styles. People find their path with what works for them & if something works for them, it makes it fun to develop it. This creates a good gene pool of different players & styles.

 

[stanbog]

Well I suck at downpicking. Does that makes you feel better?
Oh and I know EXACTLY what you mean by "6pm at night now for an hour isn't going to do much. Work, kids, wife, house repairs, etc...."
I'm even glad if I have that hour.

 

[Ventura]

It's normal, it's not an evolutionary physical retroaction of the finger...you're fine.

Just don't look at ANY pics of Steve Vai's hands. You'll get finger envy. It's horrible. Don't do it.

As for fact, just keep practising it and it'll stretch itself out - it's not so much the length of the finger as it is its ability to spread out from its neighboring finger and bone web. Seriously. And if this doesn't work, hey, think of cats like Django or some of them old style blues cats that would simply pull their thumb out from behind the neck and piano-play the chord with their fingers. More than one way to skin a cat, so they say

Or gilbert.

Or Uma Thurman.

True story.

 

[Ventura]

I'm a Grade 8 Classical guitar player & I still can't co-ordinate my little finger to hover over the fret board efficiently like Rick Graham can, for example.

I think the pursuit of musical instrument mastery is often seen as a linear journey. We can only do the best we can with the hand we're dealt, so to speak.
Some people who have great right hand co-ordination & strength might lean towards alternate picking styles, whereas someone with better left hand strength & dexterity might lean towards legato styles. People find their path with what works for them & if something works for them, it makes it fun to develop it. This creates a good gene pool of different players & styles.

Grade 8!!!! Holy shit dude, congratz!!!!

 

[anomaly]

You gotta keep on playing to keep your chops up. I took a break from metal for a year once and when I tried to get back into it my right hand was lagging big time. So I sat around and played nothing but Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica songs for a few weeks and I got the right hand back up to speed.

 

[thiswaythatway]

Romeo is an absolute shred demon and his hands and fingers look on the smaller side. Sometimes there no substitute for hard work.