Am I too tall to play guitar?

matteatsdirt · #1 06-17-2010, 01:33 PM

Hi my name is Matt. I'm 20 and I'm 6'6. I used to play guitar all the time, but I feel like I've physically outgrew it. Bass is perfect for me. I play bass kind of like a guitar by strumming power chords and using finger vibrato and the like. I know guys like Howlin Wolf and the guy from blink 182 are too tall, but I always looked at Howlin Wolf like a singer/performer because he had a guy play lead guitar for him. Maybe there exceptions to the rule. Am I too tall to play guitar. I'm real thin. I mean it sounds decent when I play. What do u guys think?

Phalex · #2 06-17-2010, 01:38 PM

My guitar player is 6' 5" or so, and he rocks!

groooooove · #3 06-17-2010, 01:38 PM

i dont think it would be a real problem. thing about the size of the average hand playing a mandolin. if thats possible, a 10 foot monkey could still play guitar.

weather or not youll be more comftorble playing a bass, i couldent say, but it seems likely.

MarkMyWordsXx · #4 06-17-2010, 01:40 PM

im 6 even and i always think a guitar looks super small on me, but at 6"6 just make sure you can play the thing

matteatsdirt · #5 06-17-2010, 01:40 PM

Well thanks guys. I feel more comfortable. I feel like a force of nature.

TheGrizz · #6 06-17-2010, 01:43 PM

My brother and a friend of mine both play guitar. They're both 6'6".

Twnty1inRF · #7 06-17-2010, 01:45 PM

Albert King was 6' 4" and he managed to play guitar pretty well...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_King

DeeDee Vicious · #8 06-17-2010, 01:45 PM

Try Baritone guitar. If you don't like the tuning im pretty sure somewhere they sell super thin strings so a baritone guitar can be tuned E-E.

matteatsdirt · #9 06-17-2010, 01:45 PM

Thanks again for the input guys. I'm going to go home whip out the strat hook up the holy grail and wail and wail and wail and then watch tv.

yeggi · #10 06-17-2010, 01:50 PM

i have small hands and i hate it, if youve got big hands your more than ok, once u get going fast and have to stretch ull excell

Roy Vogt · #11 06-17-2010, 01:55 PM

Hendrix and Stanley Clarke have or had the same problem (advantage). Why not play both?

jaywa · #12 06-17-2010, 02:41 PM

IIRC the band W.A.S.P had two guitarists who both stood between 6'4 and 6'6... without their platform shoes. The late Robbin Crosby from Ratt was 6'5, at least.

Bassists, well Noveselic from Nirvana is 6'7 and that guy who just died from Type O Negative was at least that tall, and of course Wayman Tisdale could hang with anyone on bass at 6'9.

So it can be done, technique wise. Now cramming yourself into a van for that first tour... that might be a bit more difficult.

DerlinStiles · #13 06-17-2010, 02:52 PM

You are definitely too tall. Everyone knows that bass players are the tall skinny ones in the band, not the guitar player. Its kind of a rule. Sell your guitar.

Dellers · #14 06-17-2010, 02:56 PM

I'm 192 cm (or just under 6' 4" for you Americans), and play the guitar as well as the bass and saxophone. Even if I was those 6 cm taller it wouldn't change much, I don't think that a guitar is very small. If you have giant hands it may be something else though, but I have these really, really small hands. I can't even play 6 string basses properly...

rhythmless · #15 06-17-2010, 02:56 PM

This guy made for a pretty good bass player with that height. Not that you can't play guitar and be tall....I'm just sayin!

Warfender · #16 06-17-2010, 02:57 PM

I have a guitar lead singer that ripps and is 6'-7" so no you are not too tall.

russellmania · #17 06-17-2010, 03:01 PM

Thurston Moore is like 6'7"...nuff said

matteatsdirt · #18 06-17-2010, 05:26 PM

See I agree with the guy above me. The best bass players are tall and skinny like Novoselic, Palladino, and myself. I came home and tore it up on my guitar and bass. There both great. I can't play the strummy stuff like johnny marr, but thats bloody impossible.

One of my favorite songwriters Noel Gallagher says hes too short to play bass, but hes the same height as Mccartney, Jones, and Entwhistle. He plays bass on Go Let it Out which has a sick bassline.

As a bass player I would rate myself a 7 out of 10

as a guitar player I would rate myself a 5 out of 10

i_got_a_mohawk · #19 06-17-2010, 05:31 PM

I'm not quite as tall as you (6ft4), but playing guitar certainly aint a problem over here.

Well, other than my general lack of talent, but that's another matter

matteatsdirt · #20 06-17-2010, 05:33 PM

I think I'm going to primarily stick with the bass guitar because I can pound on it more and make it moan. Plus bass players are more in demand. Guitar is just going to be something I fiddle around with on the toilet or in front of the tv.

Thanks again for the help guys. Good luck with life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.