Keep at it righty and work through it.............your only disability is the mind telling ya to quit or you cant .........
My personal opinion and yes I do have my own demons to slay everyday
Hello Illustrious Fretternati,
I picked up the guitar again a few months ago and am struggling. I'm wondering, is it normal beginner struggling, or is it due to my disabled left index finger?
As a teenager, I broke my index finger badly in a fist fight. A Dr. set it with metal pins, but it just never held in order to heal properly. It now has limited range of motion in bending as well as straightening. It can be quite frustrating! Here are some photos:
TOP VIEW
PRESSED AGAINST DESK TO STRAIGHTEN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
BENT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
So, basically, the finger has a ton of scar tissue built up around the middle joint.
Where I'm running into trouble (I think) is in positioning my fret hand to "jump to" chords as opposed to holding the chord finger by finger. I kind of use the fret board to stabilize/hold the finger in place at least to some extent. This is making chord transitions very difficult (again is this just normal beginner struggling?).
The idea of going lefty does not appeal to me all that much since it seems like it would be quite uncomfortable and a bit like taking 2 steps back in my limited ability on the axe.
I do know that Django and others managed to play despite their disabilities. Maybe I just need to keep working at it and not go lefty....I don't know.
Thoughts? Ideas?
RIG 1:
Guitar: Epiphone Ebony G-400 SG "Fast Eddie"
Amplifier: Peavey Vypyr 15
Effects: I think the amplifier has a bunch built in....
RIG 2:
Guitar: Epiphone Ebony Dreadnought "Cinder"
Amplifier: Big Hole in Center of Guitar
Effects: Various Picks & Gnarled Fingers
:
Keep at it righty and work through it.............your only disability is the mind telling ya to quit or you cant .........
My personal opinion and yes I do have my own demons to slay everyday
"I love being alive and I will be the best man I possibly can. I will take love wherever I find it and offer it to whoever will take it... seek knowledge from those wiser and teach those who wish to learn from me."
"Develop your talent, man, and leave the world something. Records are really gifts from people. To think that an artist would love you enough to share his music with anyone is a beautiful thing."
Duane Skydog Allman
You come to a point in your life when you really don't care what people think about you, you just care what you think about yourself." - Evel Knievel
Like everyone else that plays with a disability, you will manage to make your own unique style out of it... everyone else will be jealous.
Stop pondering it and play!
I have a real problem when it comes to barring 3 strings w my ring finger. My knuckle nearest the fingernail was broken years ago and won't bend backwards. I just learned to play major barre chords using my pinky instead.
Although still limiting, I worked around it. Hopefully you can do the same.
Tony Iommi lopped off the tips of a couple of his right hand fingers (he's a lefty, of course). He had "artificial" fingertips made (and this was in the early days!)
Last edited by bigG; April 23rd, 2009 at 07:32 AM. Reason: add info
bigG
Guitars:
Gibson Les Paul Studio Faded Cherry Mahogany, Peavey HP Signature EXP, Epi Sheraton II, Fender Standard Fat Strat, original 1982 Made in the USA Fender Bullet (w original HSC)/ 2005 Martin HD-7 Roger McGuinn Signature Edition (#102 of 250), Martin M-36 (0000), Martin OM-21, Martin 000-15M, Hohner EL-SP Plus Parlor acoustic
Amps: Swart Space Tone 6V6se, Swart Night Light Power Attenuator/compressor/stereo line-out, Peavey Windsor Studio, Vox AD50VT, Fender Super Champ XD, Vox DA15, Marshall MG10KK, '83 Peavey Bandit 65
Pedals: Cry Baby 535q wah, Bad Monkey OD, Boss DS-1, Sabine FuzzStortion, HardWire RV-7 Reverb
www.swartamps.com
www.ericjosephelectricguitars.com
Carpe diem, brother, cause you don't know how many diems you have left to carpe.
Kieth Richards actually has some of the wierdest shaped knuckles and fingers, I'm not sure whether he's aways been like that of it it's a result of playing so much guitar.
Anyway, it might be worth spending sometime in a guitar shop play with different types of guitar necks. There's a huge variety out there flat, curved, fat, thin, C- Shaped, D Shaped, V Shaped etc. etc.
It may be that your guitar is working against your disability, a different type of neck may be more comfortable for you and open up some new technique possibilities for you. Don't go giving up !!!!
- Lev
Main Guitars: Fender US Deluxe HSS Strat, PRS SE C24, Fender Baja Tele
Bass Guitar: Squier VM Jaguar Special
Main Amp: Vox AC15
Main Effects: Digitech EXP-7, Line6 M5, Soul Food, Sub n UP, Flashback, Polara Verb
Vids: www.youtube.com/levguitar
Arthritis... specifically degenerative osteoarthritis.Originally Posted by Lev
I've been dealing with bouts & flare-ups of rheumatoid arthritis since I was 6-years old after a pretty severe case of childhood rheumatic fever where I spent 6 months in the hospital.
More recently, I've developed some degenerative osteoarthritis of my own.
Old-age... whatcha gonna do?
Originally Posted by Rocket
Amen Brother!
Guitars: 2002 Les Paul Studio Limited Color's Edition | 2004 Greg Bennett Avion Les Paul Copy | S101 Telecaster project | 2004 Washburn D46 Acoustic
Amplification: Epiphone Valve Jr. Head and Cabinet | VOX AD30VT
Effects: Rocktron Delay | BBE Free Fuzz | Big Muff Pi | Boss Flanger | Bad Monkey | Jekyll and Hyde | Cry Baby Wah | Boss EQ | Behrenger TU300 Tuner |
Thanks a lot for the responses thus far guys. They're much appreciated!
RIG 1:
Guitar: Epiphone Ebony G-400 SG "Fast Eddie"
Amplifier: Peavey Vypyr 15
Effects: I think the amplifier has a bunch built in....
RIG 2:
Guitar: Epiphone Ebony Dreadnought "Cinder"
Amplifier: Big Hole in Center of Guitar
Effects: Various Picks & Gnarled Fingers
:
It's going to be a struggle if you're just starting until you get some strength in your hands and fingers. Just don't give up. Like others said, you'll be able to work the guitar with the disability.
There are those finger exercisers that alot of music stores sell that can help build up some strength and flexibility, but really, the best way to build up strength and flexibility is....keep playing guitar!!!
Guitars: 2003 and 2004 American series strats, Squier Classic Vibe 50's Strat, Squier Deluxe Strat.
Amps: Line 6 Spider IV 120, Vox AD50VT 212, and Peavey Transtube Bandit 112.
Pedals: Digitech Bad Monkey.
Just keep playing........you'll find ways around it if you try. You get older, things change, you adapt, you conquer.
Guitars
Wilburn Versatare, '52 FrankenTele(Fender licensed parts), Fender USA Roadhouse Strat, Fender USA Standard B-bender Telecaster, Agile AL 3000 w/ WCR pickups, Ibanez MIJ V300 Acoustic, Squier Precision Bass,
Amps
Ceriatone Overtone Special, Musicman 212 Sixty-Five, Fender Blues Jr., Peavey Classic 30, Fender Super Reverb, Traynor YCV-40 WR Anniversary w/ matching 1x12 ext. cab, Epiphone SoCal 50w head w/ matching 4x12 cab (Lady Luck speakers), Avatar 2x12 semi-open back cab w/ Celestion speakers
Pedals
Digitech Bad Monkey, Digitech Jamman, DVM's ZYS, Goodrich volume pedal
Like all the rest of the fellers said keep at it and I'll bet it will become a strength for you.I bought an amph off this guy before and he got his fingers caught in a sprocket of a motorcycle cut the ends off two,well he had the whole ends of those fingers,could fret two strings with the tip of them and no more finger nails to cut.Sumi
Guitars,Warmoth Tele,90's Fender Strat Plus/Fender CV 50's Tele/Parker p-36/Fretlight/Custom Strat(Fender body/warmoth Clapton neck,tonerider pups)Larrivee L03 mahogany acoustic
Amphs/66 Super Reverb/60's Bandmaster head and 2/12 cab/Blues jr//epi valve jr/supro super/ ZT lunchbox/Mahaffay Little Laneilei 3350/Pignose g40v
Pedals/Voods Rodent/MXR carbon copy/Duncan Pickup booster/Ts9/Rat/ts10/Line 6 tone port uk2
Line 6 M13
Originally Posted by sumitomo
Sounds like he was definitely making the best of his situation! Thanks for the story Sumitomo.
RIG 1:
Guitar: Epiphone Ebony G-400 SG "Fast Eddie"
Amplifier: Peavey Vypyr 15
Effects: I think the amplifier has a bunch built in....
RIG 2:
Guitar: Epiphone Ebony Dreadnought "Cinder"
Amplifier: Big Hole in Center of Guitar
Effects: Various Picks & Gnarled Fingers
:
Originally Posted by oldguy
I like what you have to say Oldguy! Reminds me of my favorite quote of all time - "That which does not kill us makes us stronger!". Something I have always tried to live by, but sometimes as in this case with my finger, I get a little off track and allow discouragement to seep in. Thanks again!
RIG 1:
Guitar: Epiphone Ebony G-400 SG "Fast Eddie"
Amplifier: Peavey Vypyr 15
Effects: I think the amplifier has a bunch built in....
RIG 2:
Guitar: Epiphone Ebony Dreadnought "Cinder"
Amplifier: Big Hole in Center of Guitar
Effects: Various Picks & Gnarled Fingers
: