Short fingers vs. Long fingers

[weeding]

Just wondering how you guys deal with having different finger lengths. Personally I have short fingers, and therefore wonder if I'm limited in my playing due to this?

I have relatively large hands and long fingers, and I'd personally say that any advantage or disadvantage I'd have over anyone else is marginal at best. Very generally speaking, I'd say that someone with long fingers would have a more efficient fretting hand while someone with short fingers would have a more efficient plucking hand, but again, that's a rough guestimate.


The best thing I could offer you though is to simply not worry about it. Sean Malone and John Myung are two bass giants both with hands drastically smaller than mine, and either could outplay me in a heartbeat. It's really pretty inconsequential to the big picture if you ask me. How tall was the guy who won the NBA dunk contest this year?

[paintballjunkie]

I don't think so. My fingers aren't all that long either, and I play a six string. Just wear your bass up high and keep your thumb in the middle of the neck.
This thread gave me a topic idea.

[Poop-Loops]

I have long, slender (i.e. girly) fingers. I suck, but that's because I am a new player. I think finger length can only limit you if it is very extreme, otherwise it is just something to adapt to.

[JimmyM]

Let's look at the facts...Dave LaRue, Beaver Felton, and Victor Wooten all have relatively small hands. Doesn't seem to slow them down.

[fr0me0]

I have some really long fingers and sometimes I trip over them like a gangly teenager trips over his own two feet. I kidna wish I they were a little shorter and my hands were "meatier" if ya know what I mean.

[Jazzin']

It is an advantage to have longer fingers, but it doesn't stop people who have short fingers from playing as good.

[seansbrew]

I have long digits and use them the best way I know how. I guess we all adapt to what we have been equiped with. Think of it like that. Also, there are many basses now days for players of all hand sizes. For example, I have a hard time with the Fender jazz neck, it is so slim. I like more of a Warwick or Musicman neck or... hey, I actually have one of these, a Modulus neck.

[zazz]

jaco was described as "ET" on account of his gangly long fingers ....and that guy was all over the place both on the fretboard and especially at the bridge....long fingers help!!

i myself have short fat fingers ...which i find is a bit of a letdown but what can you do.....i make up for it in other ways!!.....

[Suckbird]

Originally Posted by Tired_Thumb

Sean Malone and John Myung are two bass giants both with hands drastically smaller than mine,

What?! I thought john myungs hands are really big..

[ebe9]

I have medium/short fingerts and initially I thought it might be a problem and it was at first, but mainly because my hands/fingers were not used to stretching. Once that got better through practice, no longer a problem.

Somethimes though I would like longer fingers, as I play fairly high up on my chest and streching over 1-4 frets can be a little difficult especially with maintain correct intonation on my fretless.

[Shearstown]

I have really long fingers, and I've found it's helped me especially fretting. And I play lefty so I can also play a friends right handed guitar upside down and still have no trouble with chords.

[morfine]

i have short fingers but i can reach farther than my long fingered guitar friend. he cant even reach 3 frets a best and i can do five a the first fret.

[new_west]

Mani from Stone Roses has really small fingers ..

i have really small hands.. still growing.. haha.. i'm really curious if a small scale bass would do me good.

[zazz]

Originally Posted by morfine

i have short fingers but i can reach farther than my long fingered guitar friend. he cant even reach 3 frets a best and i can do five a the first fret.

not so short!!

Originally Posted by Suckbird

What?! I thought john myungs hands are really big..

I may be a poor judge indeed. His fingers looked relatively short when I saw them (not the shortest in the world though), but his hands also appeared fairly wide, which may do something else. Either way, I don't think the difference would make much of a difference, whatever that syntax could be brought to life.

[juancho]

Originally Posted by zazz

jaco was described as "ET" on account of his gangly long fingers ....

well, I think that many people will say Im crazy, but I don´t see jaco´s huge hands...I mean, they look quite large, but I don´t think they were huge....nothing unusual.
So I think it depends on the ability, coordination, etc more than finger lenght.

[PaulMacCnj]

Definitely try out different basses and see what feels right to your hands. It doesn't stop at neck thickness, also check out the differences in fingerboard radii. Some Fender Jazz necks use a pronounced 7.25" radius fingerboard that feels very uncomfortable to me. The 9.5" radius fingerboard feels better, but I really perfer the flatter fingerboards like on Spector basses, which have a 16" radius.

Paul Mac

[MysticMichael]

My hands are by no means large - and my fingers are actually rather short. I often wish I had larger hands, with long, nimble fingers...

Because I don't, I've been compelled to compensate by developing relatively good technique. At least partially for this reason, my technique may actually be better than it would have been if my larger hands had allowed for more margin of error...

MM

[ras1983]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Let's look at the facts...Dave LaRue, Beaver Felton, and Victor Wooten all have relatively small hands. Doesn't seem to slow them down.

now THATs a good post.