Question #9

I'm having a hard time making my fingers fit on the finger board, when I try to play a chord my fingers always seem to be touching other strings. Could it be my fingers are just to big?

Answer

Good question... I teach guitar for a living, and your question is one that usually pops up during the first few weeks with almost all of my students. I have only had only one student in the last 15 years whose fingers where actually too fat. So have no fear.

The first thing to look at is the angle of the last segment of your finger. From that joint in your finger to the tip should be at a fairly steep angle in order to avoid hitting any other strings. Check out the videos on the chord primer page. This shows the three basic movements of the left hand that should help answer part of your question.

Another suggestion... when first learning to play the guitar the tips of your fingers are soft. As your press down, the string kind of sinks into your finger. The more it sinks, the more chance that another part of that finger is going to touch another string. This is one reason why it is important to develop calluses on the tips of all of your fingers as soon as possible. You will be pressing down on a harder surface, and therefore you fingers will not sink down as far. Check out the Playing Guitar is a Pain in the...Part I lesson.

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