Is my hand shape eligible for bass?

A year and a half out from finishing the course, it’s not really my fretting hand that limits me at the moment, it’s my plucking hand, which I did not anticipate. I’ve kind of run in to a speed wall plucking. Which of course has nothing to do with hand size.

I can’t make Josh-like stretch reaches while fretting, but all that means is I might have to shift more. No big deal, just takes a little more work.

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The idea is to have fun. We can all do that. Everything above that is gravy :+1:

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I’m having the same issue with my plucking hand speed too @howard! Very frustrating

Welcome to the forums @Vanguard
I’ve got short stubby fingers, a plate in my right wrist and my right index finger has been rebuilt after dropping a Land Rover on while working with it on a Jack. Stupidity at its finest. I’m sure you’ll do just fine :+1:

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Am I seeing a future “Show us your hands” thread to go with “Show us your practice space” and “Show us your basses”?

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I’m in! :smiley:

They weren’t the perfect hands to start with but now at 50 years old… scars, arthritis, tendonitis, numbness/weakness in the thumb, index and middle fingers, countless metal slivers from the machines I work on… even a fresh cut… but they can still make music.

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Forgot to mention, pretty sure I cracked/broke my ring finger knuckle on my plucking hand too. Whacked it good and solid on a metal post, it swelled up to about half the size of an egg; swelling is going down now and leaving a world class bruise.

Oh well, sucks more for the keyboard work I am doing right now than bass. Not much to do about it.

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That bruise is a good one :scream:
Okay I’m in :joy:

Plucking hand above and fretting hand below

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That’s it, it’s decided. We must start a hand thread to show how gnarly our hands are :rofl::rofl::rofl:

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I think this here is that!

We also had this a while back :smiley:

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tumblr_ml8610h5i81r9sugyo1_500
Calling All Hands!

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Hi @Vanguard, welcome to the forums! For what it’s worth, your hand doesn’t look weird to me at all. Now pick up a bass and start playing!

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I thought I had a good hand, but some b*tch on the other side of the table pulled off kings over 7s.

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Hands huh. Sure I’ll bite. I will add that with my line of work shy of boric acid this is about as clean as mine get :rofl:

I will also note that hand size is moot point. technique can be altered to accommodate hands of any size. I have even seen 1 handed players, players missing fingers. its all in your head if you think you cant play because of small hands, so just give it all its worth to you.

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I have short fingers, but you can’t really tell that without scale, so I offer some relevant comparisons. :smiley:
(I’m going to see a local luthier tomorrow because the Warwick has a C shaped neck, and the Fbass has a D shaped neck. Modern Warwicks have been on a diet and feel very much like the Fbass, so it’s time for some slimming down…

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Hey, don’t get caught up in all the hooey about hand size. Small hands can play bass, too. You might try a slimer neck design, such as a jazz bass, or even a short scale. Then, keep practicing. Believe it or not, you can “train” your hands to stretch. The more you practice the better it will be. And don’t give up. It may be a tad rough at first but dexterity will improve. I’m an old dude with all the aches and pains associated with age and body abuse. If I can play the bass, you can too. Good luck.

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I missed this post. what a strange question … if you want to play bass, just play bass ! you have hands, that’s a good point already :grin:

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:joy::joy::joy:

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I had an update on my “hand design” due to a huge idiocracy with power tools.

Luckily I did not loose any pieces but there’s this nasty lateral cut half way on my index finger nail…

I can still slapp though just can’t pop well enough…

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OUCH!

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Oh man ! You’ll have to do a Tony Iommi and make some artificial finger tips for a while @Fahri

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