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Small hands a problem?
- Thread starter Shade13
- Start date
Keep your thumb in the center of the back of the neck and make your hand act like a "C" Clamp with the side of the neck pointed right below the knuckles on the hand. The fret buzzing is happening because you're not pushing hard enough with your pinky, so if correcting the form doesn't work, you might have to do some resistance training.
Its behind my index finger.
And what do you mean center of the back neck? The center of the entire neck or between my two fingers?
That is your entire problem then. If I do what you are doing that is all I can span my hand too. If I am going to play the note F and move up to G# to play with my pinky, my thumb is rested about where the fist dot marker is, or between the second and third frets.
"Carnies. Circus folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage. Small hands."
-Actor Mike Myers as Austin Powers
I've been told by many people in my circle (and for better or worse, very few of them are carnies) that I have pretty big hands, but I'm still new to the bass and have trouble with certain stretches, especially when chording.
Though a standard electric guitar player, Pat Metheny is one of the most tasteful technical wizards I've ever seen or heard. He has some of the smallest hands I've seen on a guitar player, and his guitars are about standard size.
It's not about the size of the hand, but the motion of the ocean...of fingers.
-Actor Mike Myers as Austin Powers
I've been told by many people in my circle (and for better or worse, very few of them are carnies) that I have pretty big hands, but I'm still new to the bass and have trouble with certain stretches, especially when chording.
Though a standard electric guitar player, Pat Metheny is one of the most tasteful technical wizards I've ever seen or heard. He has some of the smallest hands I've seen on a guitar player, and his guitars are about standard size.
It's not about the size of the hand, but the motion of the ocean...of fingers.
5'4"
"That is your entire problem then. If I do what you are doing that is all I can span my hand too. If I am going to play the note F and move up to G# to play with my pinky, my thumb is rested about where the fist dot marker is, or between the second and third frets."
Ah, I will try that.
When I play the top frets, sometimes my fingers go on the A, D, and G strings. How do I fix that?
Just measured them (cause I'm a good sport) at almost exactly 2.9", but my point wasn't about statistical pecentiles (as you seem to want to now narrow commenter's to a specific criteria for their input) it was that if I can with my small hands navigate successfully an instrument with a neck the size of an aircraft carrier than it should mean that folks with similar hand characteristics shouldn't immediately be intimidated by a standard size 4 or 5 string bass (which when I play my four strings seem like toothpicks now that I am fully acclimated to the seven).
Perhaps I am misreading your comment (I don't see any point in focusing on anyone else in this thread as you were the one who asked me questions about my reply). But I took this:
as a firm recommendation of short scale basses.
Yeesh...so I got one little incident of misreading the posts. Sue me.
I'll give you this one although based on the quote from you above I might still disagree with you just a tad.
I am also just a little curious if you missed my post's close that this was all "IMHO".
As with your posts I was simply trying to give my perspective. Folks often think that the advice they give is the only advice folks should take and when it is challenged react strongly to the challenger. I think you were in fact giving your perspective with all good intent and my effort to not single out posters by name but simply refering to the seemingly strong advice to "start with a short scale". I am playing devils advocate for sure. It is partly based on my own experience as a young man and my long term experience as a player (40 years and going strong). Often younger players will listen to or emulate folks they believe know more than they do. Often times they will also start with an instrument and stay with it for countless years, afraid to change or experiment on thier own (this is particularly true if they have some limited success as a musician). I offered my opinion based on this so that it was clear that it could be done and if they wish to start with an instrument of fuller size that with time and effort it was an achievable alternative.
I also remember the early days when legendary bass players often had tremendous hands to boot. Us small guys often had a self imposed concern that we couldn't possibly do some of the more challenging techniques because our hands were "too small". I once even had a fellow tell me that I really should just give up bass and play guitar because I could never play like Stanley or Jaco because my hands were "like a girls".
So take offense at my post if you will. Accuse me of not being "qualified" to comment because my hands might not be within the range of discussion. Point out my inaccuracies if that makes you feel better. I came to help nothing more and I stand by my experience and the comments I gave.
Spin out.
No offense taken, just having a lively discussion! My main issue with the whole thread is that folks are making generalizations about short scales, as though they would ruin a person for playing them.
One of the funnier sentiments is "what is this a short scale manufacturers convention? " - as if the majority opinion is to use a short scale! So in other words, if two or three people out of all the posters on this thread think a short scale is a good idea, that means they're sandbagging? That's amazing! It's just goes along with my statements that some folks are so trigger-happy when it comes to the short scale debate, that ANY dissention among the sacred rule that "small hands don't need short scales" is a sin!
To be clear, I MOSTLY recommend sticking it out on a regular scale. What drew me into the conversation was the original estimate of 2 inches. It further got me interested in the percentiles becaue I suspect that a lot of folks who think they have tiny hands, are actually within normal range of the median.
I have nothing against you Spin, just used some of your comments to riff my ideas off of. I do want to say again, just to be clear, I was saying short scales are an option, not the rule!
Peace.
As I said I believe and trust that your intentions were as good as mine. Let bygones be bygones and peace back atcha brother!
I should also clarify that I have no problem with short scale basses either and if I ever find a Dan Electro like the one I had in highschool for awhile I would buy because it was a very cool looking and playing bass and I wouldn't mind hanging one on my wall for nostaglia sake. I also should clarify that as an instrument choice many folks have found value in short scale instruments. However for the purpose of starting out, unless they are a child where I would argue that the short scale may at certain physical states be the rough equivalent of a full size (I suppose taking a lesson from the Suzukee method for 4 year old violinists) but that is a recommendation I would only make to a child of say 13 or less years. Even then I have seen kids of that age (kids I have taught), with even smaller statures than any size adult, do remarkable things without even batting an eye. I suppose its because no one told them they couldn't (I certainly didn't) and they just kept at it until they mastered that giant instrument.
Nonetheless lively this was and hopefully helpful to the OP.
Spin
I should also clarify that I have no problem with short scale basses either and if I ever find a Dan Electro like the one I had in highschool for awhile I would buy because it was a very cool looking and playing bass and I wouldn't mind hanging one on my wall for nostaglia sake. I also should clarify that as an instrument choice many folks have found value in short scale instruments. However for the purpose of starting out, unless they are a child where I would argue that the short scale may at certain physical states be the rough equivalent of a full size (I suppose taking a lesson from the Suzukee method for 4 year old violinists) but that is a recommendation I would only make to a child of say 13 or less years. Even then I have seen kids of that age (kids I have taught), with even smaller statures than any size adult, do remarkable things without even batting an eye. I suppose its because no one told them they couldn't (I certainly didn't) and they just kept at it until they mastered that giant instrument.
Nonetheless lively this was and hopefully helpful to the OP.
Spin
Looks like I got here a bit late to chime in, but that's what I was going to recommend. My hands are 3" across (just whipped out the ruler 'n everything), and when I first expressed interest in playing bass a musician friend said, "oh, your hands are too small for bass, play guitar instead!"
Instead, I hit the music store and tried out as many basses as I could to get a feel for what was comfortable. I wound up with a P Bass Special, which has a Jazz neck. I had some streching problems at first too, but as I practice, I notice my reach improving. Just give it some time
Well. I'm playing it now. The stretching is still a problem, like I can't make my pinky push down hard enough, and when i do push it down, i can't make my index. So what I have been doing is just using my index finger and going up and down the neck to play the notes, its this a good way or a bad way?
This sounds like either your form is still wrong or your fingers aren't strong enough. My guess is probably both. Here is what you do to fix this.
Get yourself some masking tape and put it straight down the middle of the neck from the headstock to the body of the bass. For now on at all times keep your thumb on this line flat and perpendicular to the neck. The part of your thumb you rest on it will be half way between your thumb knuckle and the tip of the thumb. Now practice scales slowly and slowly incorporate techniques to playing like this.
Go SLOW AND DO NOT EXPECT IT TO BECOME SECOND NATURE OVER NIGHT.
And whatever you do, don't go back to your old ways.
