Is the size of your hand an issue to play ERG's?

[lucasreis]

I was wondering and I thought about making this thread.

Whenever I bring up the fact that I play 7 and 8 string guitars, some of my friends say that they wouldn't really handle them right because their hands are small.

I began to notice that I do have big hands. I don't know the measure in feet, but I have 1.75 meters of height (not that tall, not that short), and I don't really know the size of my finger (I never measured them). But I noteced that my hands are significantly bigger than the hands of my cousin who is at least 10 centimeters taller than me. He says he struggle playing guitar and he is comfortable with 4 string basses because of his smaller hands.

To me, 6, 7 and 8 string guitars all feel natural, and basses with more strings are also really easy for me to play, to digit, etc.

Is this really an issue or is any kind of hand adjustable for playing ERG's?

 

[Andromalia]

Size of hands is relevant, only insofar as it is a factor of your optimal playing position. Playing low-slung with short fingers is calling for wrist problems.
If you adopt a proper playing position, you can play 8s with the smallest girly hands you can find.

 

[Tordah]

True dat. I probably have the smallest fingers you can imagine (every girl I've been with has always had larger fingers than me if you can believe), and I've played for a little bit on an 8 string.

All I did was go classical position, lower my thumb a little from the centre of the neck to reach the low F, no worries.

 

[lucasreis]

True dat. I probably have the smallest fingers you can imagine (every girl I've been with has always had larger fingers than me if you can believe), and I've played for a little bit on an 8 string.

All I did was go classical position, lower my thumb a little from the centre of the neck to reach the low F, no worries.

This is exactly what I imagined.

Proper position does wonders.

Even though I have big hands, I like to play with the guitar in a not so low position (not Tom Morello high as well), because if I do, my wrist hurts fast. hehe

 

[thebunfather]

I've always heard that size isn't an issue. It has more to do with how you use it...

Seriously, though. I don't have huge hands, by any means, and I can play an 8 string just fine.

 

[lucasreis]

I've always heard that size isn't an issue. It has more to do with how you use it...

Seriously, though. I don't have huge hands, by any means, and I can play an 8 string just fine.

My guess is that some people are kinda scared of more string, but if they do try, they would be fine playing these instruments.

 

[AxeHappy]

I have tiny little bitch hands.

As in when I have female elementary school students who complain about their small hands making it harder I make them compare with them and they are often near the same size. Bigger on occasion.

And I have no trouble on 7 or 8s. Or 6 string basses.

Size is irrelevant.

 

[Evil Weasel]

I found it relevant. I had an 8 string Agile with 28.625'' fretboard and with wide thick neck it was super uncomfortable to play. I have very small girly hands. My middle finger is about 7.5cm long. The fretboard on the 8 was almost as wide! Chords were a big problem.

I've yet to try a shorter scale 8 with a slimmer neck though. I may be able to manage an RG8 or equivalent fine!

 

[Hollowway]

No, but studies have shown that ERG players have huge penises. I play a 10 string, btw.

 

[Clydefrog]

Oddly enough, I can play my 6's and my 8 just perfectly fine, no discomfort whatsoever (Ibanez SZ720, Carvin DC600, Carvin DC800), but every 7 string I've ever owned (countless 76XX's, Carvin DC727) have been a nightmare on my hand. There's just something about a 7 neck that unfortunately just doesn't work with my left hand.

 

[nicktao]

Jess Lewis - Wonderful Slippery Thing 'Live in the Studio' (Guthrie Govan) - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak_dA_8fMBU

Hand size has become irrelevant.

 

[jonajon91]

... nope

 

[lucasreis]

... nope

Great find!

 

[BigPhi84]

I'd say it has more to do with armspan. I have average-to-large-sized hands and playing my RG2228, I could hit all the notes, but the length and width of the neck put my wrist at a really awkward & painful angle. Changing my strap-height, angle-of-neck, playing position, etc. did nothing to alleviate the pain, thus I had to sell the guitar. Saddens me just thinking about it.

 

[Matthew]

I don't think it's an issue, but you definitely have to adjust to larger necks if you have smaller hands. Things like wrapping your thumb around the neck on a 6 makes 7s feel awkward until you realize what you're doing and stop the habit. I've spent a few hours jamming on an S8 (27") and, while the fret spacing was a bit much for me, the width of the neck didn't matter. At first I definitely had to remind myself that it was an 8 and adjust, but that'll come naturally with time.

Now, scale length gets pretty uncomfortable for me above 25.5" (to be fair, I've only played 25.5 and 27, so 26.5 might be cool). However, I can rock a 30" 5 string bass without issue. I would hazard a guess that the bass is fine because I'm only focusing on single notes that low on the neck, since chording farther up is just fine.

Also, Sarah Longfield rips her 8s and makes me want one. Small hands be damned!

 

[Given To Fly]

Assuming we are talking about adults (I don't think an 8 string would be good for a 9 years olds hands), I think longer fingers can help when playing an 8 string. One thing I noticed is Tosin Abasi's hands on an 8 string look like most people's hands on a 6 string. Also, his ring finger is almost as long as his middle finger which I think makes guitar playing easier in general.

Having said that, I don't think people with long fingers can play anything that people with shorter fingers can't. I just think it might be easier for them at first.

 

[Hollowway]

I'd say it has more to do with armspan. I have average-to-large-sized hands and playing my RG2228, I could hit all the notes, but the length and width of the neck put my wrist at a really awkward & painful angle. Changing my strap-height, angle-of-neck, playing position, etc. did nothing to alleviate the pain, thus I had to sell the guitar. Saddens me just thinking about it.

Yeah, I agree with that, but with the caveat that it had a lot to do with the construction of the instrument. I've got some 8 strings that feel very awkward, and some that are easy to play, and it appears to have very little to do with the scale length. Like, my Intrepid is 28 5/8", and its a breeze to play. But I have a 27" 8 that feels like I have to scrunch up my body to play. So where the neck is (ie how far through the body the bridge is) makes a pretty big difference as well.

 

[InfinityCollision]

... nope

Sarah's palms are tiny but her fingers are decently long. You can see in that video, she can easily reach the lowest string without stretching her hand out over the fretboard.

Yeah, I agree with that, but with the caveat that it had a lot to do with the construction of the instrument. I've got some 8 strings that feel very awkward, and some that are easy to play, and it appears to have very little to do with the scale length. Like, my Intrepid is 28 5/8", and its a breeze to play. But I have a 27" 8 that feels like I have to scrunch up my body to play. So where the neck is (ie how far through the body the bridge is) makes a pretty big difference as well.

Pushing the bridge towards the end of the body and adjusting how the instrument hangs can make a ton of difference in comfort level when playing an instrument.

Which is going to be more comfortable from a reach perspective:

They're both 36" on the bass end, but you're going to feel it a lot more on the first one because it's basically a 25.5" guitar with extra frets tacked on at the nut. Knuckle Quake basses are another good example, 39.55" scale but part of the extra length is pushed towards the bridge end so you don't have to reach much further than a typical 35" bass to get to the first fret.

 

[sniperfreak223]

I have short little sausage fingers, but I have no trouble with my 8, any of my 7's, or even my 30" baritone. It's all about your hand positioning and adapting your wrist position, and having some experience playing bass definitely helps.

 

[TRENCHLORD]

Totally depends on what you're wanting to play.
Wide-stretching hammer/pull sequences near the nut might be very hard on an ERG for someone who barely pulls it off (p.i.) on a standard 6-string.

On the other hand, there's no reason you couldn't just write the riffs in a way that's conducive to the guitar's stature to begin with.
There's always plenty of fretboard up higher for the whirly stuff, and you can always utilize opens anyways.