postioning of fretting finger

[qwertylol42]

hey guys...i jus bought an electric guitar last week.1 thing i noticed about my playing is my index finger on my fretting hand...it keeps jutting out at an angle whenever im playing and whenever i try to make it straight ot parallel to the frets, it would cause a HUGE straing on my left hand which is my fretting hand...how do i correct this???

 

[qwertylol42]

bump!!! please help me out guys

 

[firdaus]

Sir i personally think its okay for your fretting hand to be in that kind of position
but you just have to make sure that the note you are playing is clean and does not have any buzzing sound.Some guitarist like steve morse and marty friedman uses a very unorthodox way of picking but they definitely can play so i think if you are comfortable the way you are playing right now than i personally think that its okay

 

[payon]

it's looks fine to me, though there shouldn't be any strain on your hands. this normally happens either as a result of the way your thumb is positioned or lack of finger strength to fret properly.

if you're relatively new to playing, make sure you are not using excessive force (what more than necessary needed) to push down those frets to obtain a clean note, and do some finger exercise - try chromatic scales - to improve finger strength, flexibility and coordination everytime before you start playing.

when you are playing, be conscious of your fretting thumb as well. most beginners tend to push into the back of the guitar neck too hard (due to lack of finger strength) and as a result causes unnecessarily strain which affects finger movement - remember that the fretting action and strength comes from your fingers not your thumb.

 

[daslasher375]

^ true that, relax your thumb, dont push it towards the neck, sometimes it will cramp. you should try scaling around the smaller frets like the 1-7, practice around there first so that ur thumb and the other fingers are not too stretched apart, once you're comfortable then you get to the higher notes. Try practicing pentatonic scales, really helps (for me).

The position of ur fretting fingers is really up to you, find a comfortable position and do what you do. Overall dont use too much force just relax ur hands when ur fretting, or maybe get lighter gauge strings to start of.

 

[qwertylol42]

hey guys..thanks for de advice..i think it is the lack of flexibillity and strength in my fingers that is causing the problem..and i also have short fingers which makes it worse...when i use only my first 3 fingers to fret, all of them are able to be parallel to the frets but whenever i add in my pinky finger, my index would move to an angle to allow my pinky finger to reach de targeted fret...i am practicing finger exercises for strength and flexibility now..how long do u guys think it would take to have sufficient finger strength if i practiced 10 mins a day, a few times a day??

 

[bReakOuT!]

hey guys..thanks for de advice..i think it is the lack of flexibillity and strength in my fingers that is causing the problem..and i also have short fingers which makes it worse...when i use only my first 3 fingers to fret, all of them are able to be parallel to the frets but whenever i add in my pinky finger, my index would move to an angle to allow my pinky finger to reach de targeted fret...i am practicing finger exercises for strength and flexibility now..how long do u guys think it would take to have sufficient finger strength if i practiced 10 mins a day, a few times a day??

Hey.Don't worry man.In terms of finger scale,I don't think your fingers will be shorter than mine.
Also,about the strain and all that?I'm more or less a beginner as well.Been playing close to 3 weeks now.I experienced abit of strains here and there as well during my first few days with the guitar.However,after correcting certain fingering positions(the key to this is to find a way to fret your notes clearly,be able to resonate a note nicely - everything else about "CORRECT POSITIONING" should then be forgotten.What's comfortable for you should always be thought of as the "Correct Position"),I'm playing stress-free-ly now.Can go on for 2-3hrs without much fatigue.Only when going a little too fast for my own good,then I'll feel a little tired in my little little finger muscles!

Well,all in all.I think it's because you're still relatively new to guitar playing.All those little tense muscles in your fingers will soon get used to being around a guitar's neck and all that pain should subside in a matter of time!

 

[qwertylol42]

i amalso doing finger exercises like finger pushups and pullups...is this good?

 

[Sunderring]

Sorry double posted.

 

[Sunderring]

^ that is like training your toes for a run. Not necessary harmful but excessive. Although doing pull ups may help to train your forearm strength.

 

[bf0502tr]

finger pushups and pullups?? whats that?? literally doing pushups with fingers instead of whole hand??