Any ideas??

[eupharies]

Basically i play bass and have really small hands, i struggle bringing my 2nd finger in to play, and also when using my pinky i cant really use my 3rd finger properly i dont know why!

Considering im 6ft1 i shouldnt have small hands, what im wondering is, say when i go to bed, if say i put for instance a pen between each finger, basically to give more width at the bottom, which would then allow me 2 stretch further...

Is this a good idea, or should i just keep doing scales??

[JulienJeff]

Originally Posted by eupharies

Basically i play bass and have really small hands, i struggle bringing my 2nd finger in to play, and also when using my pinky i cant really use my 3rd finger properly i dont know why!

Considering im 6ft1 i shouldnt have small hands, what im wondering is, say when i go to bed, if say i put for instance a pen between each finger, basically to give more width at the bottom, which would then allow me 2 stretch further...

Is this a good idea, or should i just keep doing scales??

when did you start playing ?
if its recent, keep practising and it will come. Your hand will adapt

[eupharies]

almost 2 years now, i can play fine and all but, i would like to be able to use all my fingers properly, playing would be alot more fun then, and generally look better!

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by eupharies

Basically i play bass and have really small hands, i struggle bringing my 2nd finger in to play, and also when using my pinky i cant really use my 3rd finger properly i dont know why!

Considering im 6ft1 i shouldnt have small hands, what im wondering is, say when i go to bed, if say i put for instance a pen between each finger, basically to give more width at the bottom, which would then allow me 2 stretch further...

Is this a good idea, or should i just keep doing scales??

Hi mate, Never a good idea to put anything between the fingers to stretch them. This is a dangerous idea that will result in injury. Fingers and hands have so many componants that the forced altering of them has serious injury risks.
If you are having problems buy a bass more suited to your hand size. It is easier to change the bass than the physicality of the hands.

[FranR]

Just do some warm up exercises before you play with some normal stretching - nothing forced ... here's an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVd9XemSAOA

[lolaviola]

Doing exercises like push ups can help stretch out your hands

[FranR]

Yeah anything that stretches the hand will help you.

[mat b]

You may want to try different fingering methods, I'm not sure if you are talking about the low end of the fret board or just in general, I like to use double bass fingerings for the lower end 1st through 4th frets. 1-2-4 fingering spanning a whole step instead of the 1 finger per fret method. For chords like a C7 on the 3rd fret of your a string you can start with the 2nd finger, so 2=c, 1=e, and 3=b flat... In fact chords are a great way to build muscle memory and dexterity/strength in your left hand...

[eupharies]

Cheers guys, well i have a fender jazz, so its a pretty small neck.

My problem is, when playing at the top of the neck, for instance whenever i play using fingers 1 3 and 4, my 2nd finger is always in the air, it doesnt affect my playing but it looks silly!!
For instance at the moment ive been playing CKY - 96 better beings...

And it starts on the D string, 2, 5, then 4 on the G string
The 2 , 5 stretch is a pain, and then trying 2 put my 3rd finger on the G 4th fret string , its just a mess, ive never really noticed i had a problem before, but ive never been able to stretch!

[mat b]

Originally Posted by eupharies

Cheers guys, well i have a fender jazz, so its a pretty small neck.

My problem is, when playing at the top of the neck, for instance whenever i play using fingers 1 3 and 4, my 2nd finger is always in the air, it doesnt affect my playing but it looks silly!!
For instance at the moment ive been playing CKY - 96 better beings...

And it starts on the D string, 2, 5, then 4 on the G string
The 2 , 5 stretch is a pain, and then trying 2 put my 3rd finger on the G 4th fret string , its just a mess, ive never really noticed i had a problem before, but ive never been able to stretch!

another great thing about string intruments is that you can play the same not on different areas of the neck, the stretch from E to G can be done on the 7th fret of the A string,or the 12th fret of your E string, or you could just play an open G instead of the fifth fret, mess around with it you may find it's more comfortable...

[lolaviola]

It's okay to use 1-4 for whole steps and 1-3 for half when you're down there. Those are the same fingerings on db.