Guitar Basics for Fat Fingers

It is possible to play the guitar with fat stubby fingers. This video will hopefully encourage a few of you out there who have been discouraged due to your bigger hands.

[@robbybiddle9236]

Thanks for the vid. Sausage fingers of the world unite.

[@bibility7562]

Yes we have been discriminated against, by these toothpick fingers

[@trueassassin3381]

@@bibility7562 I agree bothers

[@powerpuffcutie24]

I love you for this video!!

[@FamGuy04]

Great ideo my BIC! Your video was the first to come up for me and it was a great tip. I've found keeping my nails trimmed helps also.

[@ParthSaneHD]

Dude ask people to subscribe! You have 76,00+ views and only 100+ subscribers??

[@Eco_Cide]

the fat on my hand always mutes the 1st string i have to almost dislocate my wrist to get a chord to sound right

[@naksh-baman]

😂 this is so relatable

[@e.thomson8830]

I'm an older woman, trying to learn the mandolin - and my fingers seem too fat! I found this, and this guy is so sweet - it occurred to me that his mom should be very proud of him for doing stuff like this!

[@shashwatpandey1371]

This is the sweetest comment I've read today

[@ElMariachi555]

great tips (no pun intended!)

[@nandinimd2387]

👌🏻

[@bigdogpete43]

I took a 12 string and removed 6 of the strings. Problem solved.

[@dallaswinter6118]

Makes sense

[@blendi3825]

Boone Docker why didn’t you keep all the 12 strings at that point? I found fascinating the 12 strings guitar

[@hdrjunkie]

I just switched to playing bass...

[@cannibalistichumanoid4298]

@@hdrjunkie yeah same, and i actually fell in love w the instrument lol

[@BrutalmrLegend]

Whaaa! dammit RIP all those headphones users at the beginning

[@QuakePhil]

actual video starts at 2:10

[@madhavim6978]

Thanks bro

[@banditoflove4770]

Thxs

[@narutofreakwersdfzxc]

HEY EVERYONE PUT TAPE ON YOUR FINGERS IT WORKS ;3

[@alljokesaside9852]

how???

[@narutofreakwersdfzxc]

It puts pressure on your fingers so you want hit more than one string

[@rakshit3515]

Yep!

[@persephonepomegranate9652]

Daevon Jackson I once used this techinque when I was just a freshman at school and the guitarist in my club stared at me in dismay

[@afroxilanthy4183]

Wow..... PROBLEM SOLVED EVERYBODY!

[@dabell12]

this encouraged me, I was ready to giving up. I will keep trying. Thanks

[@charlesblaha4213]

This is great advice, I was getting discouraged with my sausage fingers and watched a video on how to tune to an open G and was playing a few good sounding cords but really want to learn the right way

[@buuzzsawtouchedme194]

This video did not help, and I might sound like the typical quitter, but I have picked up the guitar many times, and every time I have failed to play as my fingers are too fat, practice does nothing in my opinion "you need more practice". Me learning the guitar is like a legless man learning to walk, it's not going to happen. I was so frustrated of people telling me to "practice, just keep practising", I proved those idiots wrong by learning Bass (an instrument where the string's are not too close), I even learned Piano, I have no real interest in the Bass or Piano, but I wanted to prove to myself and other's that I am capable or learning to play an instrument and that I do have "patience". I even tried the Rocksmith 60 Day Challenge, I spent 1 hour a day learning the guitar, everyday was just as frustrating as the last, it did nothing, by day 30 I was going to give up, but carried on just so I could say "I even tried the Rocksmith 60 Day Challenge". In my opinion, I am proof that you do need to have the right type of fingers, bone structure, hand flexibility etc to be able to play the Guitar, I have learned to Play 2 instrument's that I have to interest in and failed at the one I love most of all, I have spent hundred's (possibly thousands) on Learning the Guitar, I've tried Professional Lessons, learning software, book's, cd's, dvd's etc, and I have failed. RANT OVER.

[@akhiltomarrocknamah]

Blue Glass Productions iii

[@buuzzsawtouchedme194]

+Akhil Toamr, I am though now a lot more into the Piano, I've started writing my own Piano stuff, so at least something positive came out of it. I would love to become a Piano teacher in a school, but my views on why I can't play the guitar may put them off lol. P.S. My Criminal Record probably would not help either.

[@magmatic1811]

Blue Glass Productions man i know exactly how you feel. my father and my cousins are the best guitar players i've ever heard, and i can't play for shit. my dad has started teaching me, and i suck, but all i can say is keep on going man. i've been trying exercises like 0 1 2 3 2 1 0 cords on the first string, and starting out with tunes that don't require major and minor chords. what i would say, even though i still can't play, is to start with simple one or two string tunes, and slowly work your way up to the chords. i promise that if you get good with two or three string songs, you'll be able to learn the chords a bit more easily. if you've already tried this and it hasn't worked, i'm sorry for trying, and good luck with any instruments you want to play.

[@magmatic1811]

Blue Glass Productions another update, a month later, and I'll tell ya, it works. I've learned four full fledged songs with cords and all. I'm thirteen and still have a long way to go, but just saying, you have to start out slow as hell. I just kept sitting in my bed, trying the G cord for hours until it sounded good. I have learned "All of Me", "Wish You Were Here", "Knockin On Heavens Door", and "Gimme Whatcha Got". Just keep at it. Start slow and as you get adjusted to moving your fingers, transition to trying cords

[@jamjox9922]

There are guitars that cater with a wider neck. I suggest you look into it. If you really want to learn, get a custom made guitar; find a local shop to help you out.

[@ChessemillPerezChristopher]

dude, unbelievably helpful. I fight it everyday. I am way to stubborn to give up. Thanks for the inspiration

[@gipstetz6720]

Great vid. Thanks so much for posting. Have elephant feet for finger tips. No joke. But would love to play acoustic guitar.

[@truetony383]

Thank you for this video - was feeling down - lifted my spirits :)

[@HansensUniverseT-A]

donæt you damn complain boy am 6.11 foot 211 cm and you think you have bad boys oh dear i have such a great guitar but i can't play it :( imagine a finger wider than a bottlecap my hands are 26 cm long from the wrist to the tip... wanna cut em off

[@PapiDoesIt]

Thank you so much for your video! I got a guitar for Christmas and I was already about to give up after only 2 days. My fingers and hands are huge! But it is possible I see. Subscribed.

[@QuakePhil]

holy fucking shit.... my bad it starts at 2:30

[@samfcarvalho]

& the stuff before is important too

[@loombaron]

and by the way this dude hasnt got fat fingers. They are a bit fatty but small.

[@IronManXXX]

This is really appreciated man! I too have short, fat tipped fingers and yes, it sucks learning to play guitar...I started way late in life, but I am struggling and trying...I want to play really bad and want to learn...so, with fat fingers, short and stubby, it is an uphill battle...appreciate you putting this out..WE NEED TO SEE STUFF LIKE THIS and encouragement! Thanks again man!

[@alexjonesbones4753]

My man had a picture of Anne frank on his wall 😂

[@NRGSave7]

Thanks. I know I can play, but then when I encounter certain chords like F, ( I think that's the one), it's really hard to get right, and bend my fingers. Some chords are painful. I used to be able to play much better when I was 15. Decades later, it just gets harder since I haven't played in all that time. Having giant fingers makes me fumble and mute as you say. Now I'm thinking, mostly men play guitars. So why don't they just make a guitar with strings that are spaced for men with big hands? You'd think they designed them for girls.

[@top8305]

Thanks for your encouragement; I was in the giving-up mode! And thanks for your faithful witness to Him whom all good things come from! Praise ye his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice, that seek the Lord. 1Ch 16:10 (24) The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. (25) The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee. (26) The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace. Numbers 6

[@sumdood2035]

Bb king had some of the fattest fingers ever. But listen to him play.

[@jfuston33]

Song sounds like "Kiss Me" Sixpence None The Richer

[@lilmane421]

ik i have no idea on how to not mute the 1 string because when i mute it it always make me just want to pull my fingers off!!!

[@FruitsoftheSpirit69]

Also BIG LOU Guitars sells Custom Guitars with 2 1/8 Wide Nut so String Spacing is 9.525mm. Lots of space for your fingers and easy to play without muting strings! Most Guitars are 1.6 inches compared to 2 1/8 inch is a huge difference! Get out a measuring tape and see the difference. I am having a Custom Aluminum Guitar Neck (Baguley Guitars) with a Custom 2 1/8 Nut Width!

[@sprucetree49]

On the other hand, there are people like the great Django Reinhart (look him up) who had severely burned fingers or Phil Keaggy who is missing a middle finger yet plays finger style. So where there's a will there might be a way.

[@jasonrock2804]

your hands are tiny. do they make a large or more spaced guitar? Do an A chord. Dude, I can do an A chord with 1 finger. I need a bigger guitar

[@choonja]

Check out Guitar virtuoso Andres Segovia and rejoice!

[@blues2oo]

you could buy a guitar with a bigger fret board.

[@jackdooley8732]

Agreed. I purchased a guitar without any advice . I guess that's why I am frustrated

[@nicholasquall]

blues2oo How do you play bar then? Finger too short for a large board, yet too big on a large board.

[@jackdooley8732]

Finger tips are just too big

[@frankcarlo8592]

I have the same hands as you as weird as that sounds and I am just learning and getting frustrated

[@chessmambo]

my fingers are also big and my pinky is shorter than yours! and yes you can play guitar.the more you play the easier it becomes to figure out different ways of playing a chord.a chord website will show a few ways to play a chord differently.after awhile you wont even think of your fingers as a handicap.plus the mind is a powerful thing.if u want it bad enuf it'll happen.dont get discouraged..just look at the master classical guitarist SEGOVIA's fingers and you'll feel proud of your stubbies!

[@sprucetree49]

This is dumb. It's not a matter of having LARGE hands. Long fingers are great. Narrow fingers are great. What is not great is short, fat fingers like mine. Still worse when they're uncoordinated. If you look at a video of Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page you'll easily see they have long, skinny fingers. Fat fingers aren't so bad if they come with big hands, because big hands are strong hands, and you can sort of bully the guitar into doing your will.

[@BritishBeachcomber]

Excuse me, but how can you teach anything about guitar technique when you don't even know the name of any of the chords? Pardon my French, j'accuse en moi, I'm just trying to understand you.

[@5urg3x]

I realize this video is from 2008, but I would still like to ask you a question...I've been playing guitar for quite some time, and my fingers are in fact very fat / stubby...however I seemed to have worked around it...I can do pretty much everything, sweep picking, solos, difficult leads and rhythms, but when it comes to playing fast, my fingers get in the way, it seems they just can't move as fast as I want them to...any suggestions besides what everyone says, play slow to a metronome and work up speed? I've tried that for years and I always stall out at a certain BPM, depending on the riff...some riffs I've practiced for literally years and I still can not play them as fast as the artists do....mostly metal stuff, like fast metal like trivium. Any suggestions?? EDIT: Nevermind, I watched the whole video and realized you are just a beginner...thanks for the video anyway heh. If anyone else who has been playing awhile and knows a solution to my problem let me know.

[@Ravenousjoe]

Hey man thanks! Just started learning to play and needed some encouragement to push me along even with bigger fingers. Even just after today I know that guitar won't be as easy to learn as drums was Thanks and keep rockin!

[@wolvyskoll]

im 14 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, and i have freaking giant hands!!!, im not fat( very good shape) when i stand string i can touch my knees without bending my body in any way. its sucks badly, especially now that im trying to learn the A-major chord.

[@eDrumsInANutshell]

Aha, finaly I found a guy with even bigger shorter fingers. So, I will go on, as a drummer playing guitar!

[@wesideoutlaw]

yesterday 20th Feb was my birthday and as i am into singing songs my bro gifted me a guitar (acoustic), so it will help my singing skills when i learn but on the very next day that's today i m here on this video and you know the rest.. but your video really helped me and i will learn guitar, its a task for me.. hell yeah!! thx for the upload!!

[@ARTthebox]

Thanks for that mate..Someone needs to come up with rubber thimbles to make fat fingers thin and short fingers a bit longer, well maybe someone has,anyone know?

[@bewley1903]

Why thank ya brother I was wondering how in the world I play this thing with my fat fingers they are no rounded like yours more flat but with a little practice it should be a piece of cake

[@foxworthy21]

I have thin but short fingers... would that be bad for guitar playing? I would love to learn how to shred someday but starring at my small hands... sigh

[@skyhighparker]

or you could try a classical guitar which has a very wide neck...btw nice picture of anne frank hide and seek word champion.....btw T H E G A M E

[@imdeejccook6657]

Thanx Ramos ! My fingers are swollen the size of corn dogs due to a high blood pressure med. Makes all the difference in the world !

[@mysteriousgirl4]

Oh thank his. I'm a woman and thanks to genetics I have wider set hands than him. Am so using that 'pressing on 2 at once' thing.

[@naoisehayden]

thats hilarious, fat fingers man, thats the funniest clip ive seen in a long time.i wanna see will ferrell do that! good work!

[@danz409]

nice tips an all. i found this to be extreamly helpfull but im still haveing problems with thisone, E |-0-| |-0-| |-1-| |-2-| |-2-| |-0-|

[@BustaMonkey1234]

dude i got long fingers. but a wide end to them so its kinda weird. and its a bit hard for me to play guitar :(

[@fotwunny]

man, how can you have been playing for a while and not know the names of basic chords? Learn them now!

[@poetlorryit]

I like this guy, I'm now gonna attempt 2 play guitar despite having the offputting fat finger syndrome

[@greenbabos5258]

just check out aniello desiderio... after that you will never say my fingers are too fat

[@giusepperesponte8077]

Having thick fingers is definitely an asset sometimes, for me the best part is I can fret two strings at the same time if they’re next to each other.

[@sorh]

My fingers are fat enough to mute the other chords but not fat enough to press two chords at once..

[@ernestperspective4671]

My finger are so sausage it's so difficult I don't get the sound ryt 😭

[@thecarhaulershow9324]

wow so it is possible 😳 thanks for making this video brother

[@markphillips573]

Quite a few "wide neck guitars" for sale on ebay and Reverb.

[@prakduongmongkol3173]

who else is in quarantine playing guitar with fat fingers in 2020

[@ouncy]

Play bass.

[@xy274]

my fingerstips are just huge at the tips...thats what i get for typing to much.

[@caribbeanchild]

i recognise the G chord but nothing else...you sure those are chords?

[@shawn37015]

i am just learning..and i was getting discouraged...so..thanx bro..

[@ArtSMRdianne]

Love that you have a photo of Anne Frank on your wall.

[@mendezsherkwk6901]

Im struggling to do barre chords bcs of fat fingers

[@moulinyan]

start of mini song sounds very much like 'kiss me - no doubt '

[@KingShaka_daGreat]

Discouraged Button --->👍🏾

[@charcoal_burst]

the first chords are "kiss me" from "sixpence non the richer"

[@vishalthomas]

dude! this is just what what i was looking for :) . thanks man :)

[@fanofthesun]

Thanks! i was wondering if this was a good move.. Synths for years, and now some strum too...

[@12imdabeast]

did you ever get good?

[@BrutalmrLegend]

People! If you have this problem then Nylon string guitars are maybe just for you! Try it, the fretboard it's wider and in my opinion easier to play.

[@fleckx]

Sausage fingers club!

[@SFBryanKue95]

man this made me feel so much better :) lol now i feel more confident in playing the guitar very soon...

[@sirocc000]

how about one for people with mini hot dog sized fingers

[@cmoore300]

great vid but i would get i guitar with jumbo frets lol

[@uranusplanet1226]

you just proved fat fingers cant play lol

[@mitchduba4795]

Wow, bro! Thanks! This helps quite a bit!

[@TheDeathinflesh]

thanks! I was so sad until I found this.

[@alfarydml1508]

Awesome, thank you 🙏🏼

[@TheEpiCool]

Fuck the F chord all my homies hate the F chord

[@KingDecahedron]

ok now callouses? guitar + hurt = talent i guess

[@chitoebaljr2752]

Cool background pictures 😁

[@Mshodeinde]

Encouraging, just got mine and was thinking of inventing guitar gloves before I quit lol

[@doglifehub]

Are you still playing?

[@shehantharindu128]

Its still helping. Thank U

[@yongdu7505]

hero for the ones with fat fingers

[@sahirjohri]

Real video starts post 2 mins

[@pwprochazka]

seriously get to the topic....

[@ddanze]

my fingertips are waay fatter than yours - and very soft so calluses will not develop - but by putting a 2" wide fretboard (at nut) and making action very low does the job i should make a video showing these fingertips and guitar setup...

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

Dave Danze Yes. You should.

[@iustinprisacaru225]

Wide hands are better for bass.

[@q0w1e2r3t4y5]

@paddyboyobrien date him first

[@aqua.finesser540]

Cool. Sorta like barring

[@kostageorgiou3741]

Gave up 😂

[@lsubooth]

You're out of tune broheim

[@lassitude17]

you made me feel better :) thx

[@FruitsoftheSpirit69]

Great Video! One finger vs two works! This is why thousands quit ever playing the Guitar! Thanks for the advice!!

[@AMONPATAH]

Hi Ramos; Thanks a whole lot

[@IronManXXX]

Started about a year ago...

[@honestjohn6062]

👍thanks million