32 replies to this topic

[Laura]

I have small hands, so I cannot do the thumb over the top of the neck thing that John does. For instance, I'm learning 'Can't Stop' and I just don't have enough 'thumb' to play it the correct way. Does anyone else have problems with this? I know that a lot of songs I like would be much easier to play using this method, but my hands are just too small Don't get me wrong, I love my guitar as it otherwise fits my hands very well, but I just can't do that thumb-over technique like a lot of guitarists can...

[sebmat86]

Laura, on Oct 16 2008, 05:13 AM, said:

I have small hands, so I cannot do the thumb over the top of the neck thing that John does. For instance, I'm learning 'Can't Stop' and I just don't have enough 'thumb' to play it the correct way. Does anyone else have problems with this? I know that a lot of songs I like would be much easier to play using this method, but my hands are just too small Don't get me wrong, I love my guitar as it otherwise fits my hands very well, but I just can't do that thumb-over technique like a lot of guitarists can...

yeah! i do! I have that problem, I mean i have like normal hands.. but, i just get so mad cuz i just can´t pull that one off! And it´s like you say, many songs would be so much easier if you just could play like that! I guess for me it just has to do with a lot of practice to make it sound better! I guess it´s harder when you have smaller hands... That´s actually unfair...

[irondethpepper]

Yeah I have small hands too. My problem is that I can't always do barre chords with my thumb on the E (doesn't ring out fully). If the E sounds than high e will be muted by hand. But I'm still practicing though, trying to get my hand in the 'sweet position' haha

[Laura]

sebmat86, on Oct 16 2008, 04:13 AM, said:

Laura, on Oct 16 2008, 05:13 AM, said:

I have small hands, so I cannot do the thumb over the top of the neck thing that John does. For instance, I'm learning 'Can't Stop' and I just don't have enough 'thumb' to play it the correct way. Does anyone else have problems with this? I know that a lot of songs I like would be much easier to play using this method, but my hands are just too small Don't get me wrong, I love my guitar as it otherwise fits my hands very well, but I just can't do that thumb-over technique like a lot of guitarists can...

yeah! i do! I have that problem, I mean i have like normal hands.. but, i just get so mad cuz i just can´t pull that one off! And it´s like you say, many songs would be so much easier if you just could play like that! I guess for me it just has to do with a lot of practice to make it sound better! I guess it´s harder when you have smaller hands... That´s actually unfair...

I totally agree....it might be more of an issue of practicing the technique a lot. Hey, it will only look cooler if you can pull it off and people see that you have smaller hands! They'll be like "wow, that person has small hands but they can STILL pull off that technique"!

[Laura]

irondethpepper, on Oct 16 2008, 05:03 AM, said:

Yeah I have small hands too. My problem is that I can't always do barre chords with my thumb on the E (doesn't ring out fully). If the E sounds than high e will be muted by hand. But I'm still practicing though, trying to get my hand in the 'sweet position' haha

I have the same problem!!...except more than just the high E gets muted if I manage to get the low E to ring out. I have to do barre chords the old fashioned way by barring with my index finger....but that just limits the freedom of my other fingers and also makes my hand tired. The thumb-over makes barre chords easier. Oh well, I'll just have to keep trying (I can always leave out the low E string notes also..haha). Good luck with finding the sweet spot!

[funkdubious]

I don't really think you can play that song cleanly without using your thumb. I didnt even think of using my thumb to start with and couldnt quite nail it,then over comes the thumb and bingo.
I suggest getting a guitar with a smaller neck!

[Laura]

funkdubious, on Oct 16 2008, 02:24 PM, said:

I don't really think you can play that song cleanly without using your thumb. I didnt even think of using my thumb to start with and couldnt quite nail it,then over comes the thumb and bingo.
I suggest getting a guitar with a smaller neck!

Well, I can play it (Can't Stop) - I just don't do it the 'correct' way...haha. It doesn't sound too bad my way, but it just isn't the same as how John does it. As far as guitars with smaller necks - I can't afford a new one so I use my Dad's Fender Mustang when I visit home...those guitars have smaller necks than the Strats. However, I love my Strat so I'll keep practicing getting the thumb thing down to a workable level for me

[funkdubious]

Laura, on Oct 16 2008, 08:16 PM, said:

funkdubious, on Oct 16 2008, 02:24 PM, said:

I don't really think you can play that song cleanly without using your thumb. I didnt even think of using my thumb to start with and couldnt quite nail it,then over comes the thumb and bingo.
I suggest getting a guitar with a smaller neck!

Well, I can play it (Can't Stop) - I just don't do it the 'correct' way...haha. It doesn't sound too bad my way, but it just isn't the same as how John does it. As far as guitars with smaller necks - I can't afford a new one so I use my Dad's Fender Mustang when I visit home...those guitars have smaller necks than the Strats. However, I love my Strat so I'll keep practicing getting the thumb thing down to a workable level for me

In which case it doesnt matter then. No one is going to notice you playing it ' johns way '. They're just going to hear you playing a really cool song

[Laura]

funkdubious, on Oct 16 2008, 03:23 PM, said:

Laura, on Oct 16 2008, 08:16 PM, said:

funkdubious, on Oct 16 2008, 02:24 PM, said:

I don't really think you can play that song cleanly without using your thumb. I didnt even think of using my thumb to start with and couldnt quite nail it,then over comes the thumb and bingo.
I suggest getting a guitar with a smaller neck!

Well, I can play it (Can't Stop) - I just don't do it the 'correct' way...haha. It doesn't sound too bad my way, but it just isn't the same as how John does it. As far as guitars with smaller necks - I can't afford a new one so I use my Dad's Fender Mustang when I visit home...those guitars have smaller necks than the Strats. However, I love my Strat so I'll keep practicing getting the thumb thing down to a workable level for me

In which case it doesnt matter then. No one is going to notice you playing it ' johns way '. They're just going to hear you playing a really cool song

Very true, very true

[Frumeister]

Laura, on Oct 16 2008, 05:13 PM, said:

I have small hands, so I cannot do the thumb over the top of the neck thing that John does. For instance, I'm learning 'Can't Stop' and I just don't have enough 'thumb' to play it the correct way. Does anyone else have problems with this? I know that a lot of songs I like would be much easier to play using this method, but my hands are just too small Don't get me wrong, I love my guitar as it otherwise fits my hands very well, but I just can't do that thumb-over technique like a lot of guitarists can...

Wow, and I thought I was the only one!! Ive been playing for a long time but only recently started experimenting with this technique and cant quite pull it off either. Its a strain to get it clean and that will only be in one shape/one position. My hands are big though so its wierd. When I see some players use this style they look pretty comfortable, but I dont really. It pisses me off obviously, as I love the extra freedom it offers. I cant wait to try other necks and see how I get on. Currently Im playing a strat neck (90s Jap Squire) and most Ive seen play this style use them so Im not expecting much luck. I dont think practice is an issue, just one of those things.

[OmitMyself]

You just have to practice it a lot. It actually kind of hurts your thumb when you first start doing it, especially if you have been playing guitar for a while and aren't used to using your thumb in that way. Just practice it a lot and it should start to get easier over time.

[surfsunadam]

Ive been doing it as long as I've been playing guitar, but I have pretty big hands. It feels weird for me to do normal barre chords now
Though, John still does normal chords sometimes, like in easily

[Laura]

surfsunadam, on Oct 16 2008, 06:20 PM, said:

Ive been doing it as long as I've been playing guitar, but I have pretty big hands. It feels weird for me to do normal barre chords now
Though, John still does normal chords sometimes, like in easily

Oh man, Easily is such a good song. Definitely one of my favorites off of Californication. More power to you that you can do the barre chords with your thumb :-) If ya got it, flaunt it! hahaha

[Laura]

OmitMyself, on Oct 16 2008, 04:42 PM, said:

You just have to practice it a lot. It actually kind of hurts your thumb when you first start doing it, especially if you have been playing guitar for a while and aren't used to using your thumb in that way. Just practice it a lot and it should start to get easier over time.

Thanks for the encouraging words! I'll definitely keep on practicing. :-)

[Laura]

Frumeister, on Oct 16 2008, 04:24 PM, said:

Laura, on Oct 16 2008, 05:13 PM, said:

I have small hands, so I cannot do the thumb over the top of the neck thing that John does. For instance, I'm learning 'Can't Stop' and I just don't have enough 'thumb' to play it the correct way. Does anyone else have problems with this? I know that a lot of songs I like would be much easier to play using this method, but my hands are just too small Don't get me wrong, I love my guitar as it otherwise fits my hands very well, but I just can't do that thumb-over technique like a lot of guitarists can...

Wow, and I thought I was the only one!! Ive been playing for a long time but only recently started experimenting with this technique and cant quite pull it off either. Its a strain to get it clean and that will only be in one shape/one position. My hands are big though so its wierd. When I see some players use this style they look pretty comfortable, but I dont really. It pisses me off obviously, as I love the extra freedom it offers. I cant wait to try other necks and see how I get on. Currently Im playing a strat neck (90s Jap Squire) and most Ive seen play this style use them so Im not expecting much luck. I dont think practice is an issue, just one of those things.

No worries...you're not the only one! I guess not all of us are blessed with Jimi Hendrix hands..hahaha. I'd say to keep on trying, though. I think it might be one of those things that just clicks after a while. Keep practicing! :-)

[Frumeister]

surfsunadam, on Oct 17 2008, 11:20 AM, said:

It feels weird for me to do normal barre chords now

I wish I could say that!! Ahh well, lots of other stuff to mess around with

[Frumeister]

Laura, on Oct 17 2008, 04:31 PM, said:

No worries...you're not the only one! I guess not all of us are blessed with Jimi Hendrix hands..hahaha. I'd say to keep on trying, though. I think it might be one of those things that just clicks after a while. Keep practicing! :-)

Hope so, and I will keep practicing of course, but also experiment with other necks. Be sure to let us know on here if it starts to get easier Laura, as I will

[Mad Alchemist]

My piano teacher once told me that the hands can grow until person turns 25 y.o. So the solution for your problem is simple and absolutely trivial - keep trying and practicing and it will come.
When I first tried some thumb-over stuff it was particularly uninspiring. It seemed like my hand is just unable to do this (I guess it was some simple D chord with F# in the bass). But heck, I needed that chord, so I kept trying and somehow it became just another chord in the row. When I then tried E-shaped chords it was the same big disappointment at the beginning, but guess what, after few days of playing they became manageable, too.

And by the way, suprisingly enough, thinner guitar necks seem more difficult to play thumb-over on (at least for me it's true). I first played on the guitar with the neck that had quite small radius and was about 5 cm at the nut. When I was going to switch to my new acoustic (its neck is quite similar to the strat, 4cm at the nut and bigger radius) I was sure it will be easier to play thumb-over on it. But no, it's way more difficult for me.

[frusciante06]

Laura, on Oct 15 2008, 10:13 PM, said:

I have small hands, so I cannot do the thumb over the top of the neck thing that John does. For instance, I'm learning 'Can't Stop' and I just don't have enough 'thumb' to play it the correct way. Does anyone else have problems with this? I know that a lot of songs I like would be much easier to play using this method, but my hands are just too small Don't get me wrong, I love my guitar as it otherwise fits my hands very well, but I just can't do that thumb-over technique like a lot of guitarists can...

Sorry you're having trouble with this very useful technique. But I don't have any trouble whatsoever but when I use it too much my thumb starts to cramp up. When I found out that Frusciante uses it, I started to and haven't stopped using it since. What other songs do you play?

[Laura]

Mad Alchemist, on Oct 17 2008, 04:02 AM, said:

My piano teacher once told me that the hands can grow until person turns 25 y.o. So the solution for your problem is simple and absolutely trivial - keep trying and practicing and it will come.
When I first tried some thumb-over stuff it was particularly uninspiring. It seemed like my hand is just unable to do this (I guess it was some simple D chord with F# in the bass). But heck, I needed that chord, so I kept trying and somehow it became just another chord in the row. When I then tried E-shaped chords it was the same big disappointment at the beginning, but guess what, after few days of playing they became manageable, too.

And by the way, suprisingly enough, thinner guitar necks seem more difficult to play thumb-over on (at least for me it's true). I first played on the guitar with the neck that had quite small radius and was about 5 cm at the nut. When I was going to switch to my new acoustic (its neck is quite similar to the strat, 4cm at the nut and bigger radius) I was sure it will be easier to play thumb-over on it. But no, it's way more difficult for me.

These are some encouraging words! Thanks! I had no idea that a person's hands continue to grow until the age of 25 (I'll be 27 in a couple of weeks so I guess I won't get any help there..hahaha). I also didn't think about it until you mentioned it, but it kind of makes sense why smaller necks might make the thumb-over technique a little more difficult (there is more finger surface area to smother the strings...if that makes any sense). I'm glad the technique is working for you