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Hi, my name is Mickael and I'm from France and I will explain you my problems.
I'm a little 5.4 men, and hands proportional to my height (my middle finger is approximatively 3inch),
and I have full sweating palms.
In the past I have tried for many years to play the guitar but all is about is full frustration.
Strings turn to black in 1 hours and built green stuff under, one time my palm stick to back of the neck and the next time it slip like if I have put oil on the neck.
I have had a 24.9 scale acoustic guitar and with many simple chords I can't put my fingers close to the frets because my fingers are too small.
One time I put a capo on 1st fret and WOW what a easiest way to play.
So first do you think it's possible to play with thin gloves like this:
Guitar Glove /Bass Glove /Musician's Practice Glove® -S- one - fits either hand: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools
And if it's possible, do you know some jazz guitar that can suit me?
Thank you very much.Last edited by mickael574; 01-12-2016 at 09:01 AM.
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01-12-2016 08:53 AM
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I don't think your hands are particularly small and certainly not too small to play guitar. You just need a guitar that is comfortable for you. Djano Reinhardt was an incredible guitar player and innovative musician and he only had 2 fingers on his fretting hand. It takes perserverence. Get a modern guitar finished in polyurethane and there should be no problems with the neck finish.
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Thanks but my wet palms don't just attack the finish, it doesn't allow me to play with confidence, it's because I want to play with gloves, do you think it's possible?
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If your guitar plays more easily with a capo placed at the first fret. That tells me that your guitar needs to be set up. A guitar that is set up properly will play just as well with or without a capo. Do you need gloves when you play with a capo?
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I had a student once with this issue . He was very dedicated, but he corroded strings almost immediately, even the plain, unwound ones. For him, coated strings were an absolute godsend. Off the top of my head, I think they cost about twice as much as a regular set. I think they're basically worth the money for most casual players regardless, but in the case of those with an especially corrosive body chemistry, it's a no-brainer. Absolutely worth the extra money.
Originally Posted by mickael574
Just make sure you get the kind which have ALL SIX strings coated. Originally, these strings sets had only the wound strings coated. Make sure the plain ones are coated as well.
Have you tried some kind of rosin bag on your hands for the moisture? Like baseball players or gymnasts use.... I'd certainly think that preferable to any kind of a glove.
Good luck!Last edited by matt.guitarteacher; 01-12-2016 at 10:12 AM.
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I've found washing my hands and drying them thoroughly before playing helps curb the sweaty palms for a short period of time. Try that, the different strings and see how it works. If you want to play jazz bad enough, you'll learn.
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I got a tip against sweaty hands from a concert violinist some years ago. I don't know if it works for extreme cases, but it might be worth a try:
Wash your hands with water, than close the water tap. Apply soap to your hands generously and shake the excess off, don't rinse them anymore! Keep the tap closed. Just use a dry cloth to rub the soap off until your hands feel dry and don't stick anymore. Voilà, you're done. This allows me to play with dry hands for hours and hours in a row.
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Because of what you said about the capo, my guess is a lot of the sweat has to do with tension from a difficult to play instrument.
Try to get a good setup on your guitar...it works wonders. Now some people are just naturally palm wetters, so in that case, I think you can do the gloves, but cut the fingers off.
Be sure to wipe your strings down after playing. Some people's body chemistry corrodes strings faster. You might also consider flatwound strings, or a coated string like Elixir. There's also this stuff called "fast fret" which is really just a string cleaner, it works pretty good.
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And why cut the fingertips of the gloves?
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Urethane will not allow anything to get through it and get coated strings like DRs or something. There are people that play with their feet, so the size of the hands and other such things can only be hindered by your will and talent. Now just do it for enjoyment and get a short scale guitar if it is more comfortable. BTW there are very young kids playing guitar. Some a lot shorter and smaller than you...
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Is this for real?? lmao
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You might want to talk to a doctor about your situation - it could be hyperhidrosis.
Another option: wear sweat bands on your wrists and have a couple of those really absorbent sport towels and and wipe down your arms and hands as needed.
Try some coated strings.
Easy to play with a capo - check your guitar setup.
You don't need big hands to play, you need to adjust your playing style to suit your hands.
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My fellow bassist has sweaty hands too. He found his solution from baby powder. Worth trying!
Good luck in Your voyage!
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Seems like a real problem for the guy...... Originally Posted by wesmont17
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I think any glove, no matter how thin and form fitting, will affect feel. Originally Posted by mickael574
I also think letting your hands sit in that moisture will soften your skin, and make fretting even more painful.
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My former student had the black/green strings talked about above. Actual stalactite-type formations. Not just sweat, but body chemistry. Seems like I've heard it called "acid hands". Originally Posted by wesmont17
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Apparently, it's a thing. Acid Hands:
https://www.google.com/search?q=ACID...utf-8&oe=utf-8
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Check out Etienne Mbappe, a monster bass player who uses gloves for sweaty hands. I believe he is also French!
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Yes, Etienne Mbappe is the reason why I have thinking wearing gloves, but the space between bass strings is wider than guitar.
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I recommend playing an amplified nylon string guitar with low action and medium nut width. I think they are called crossover models. You can put high tension strings tune it low and put a capo to bypass nut problems. Once you get used to playing this, you will have a better idea of whether you want to move to a steel string guitar (ever).
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Consider trying a short scale guitar like a Gibson Byrdland or a tenor (4 string) like Tiny Grimes played. I like Matt's idea of getting your guitar set up. In the US we can get coated strings by Elixir which might help. Stainless steel (inox) strings might be an option.
I use talcum powder on my hands.
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I think you should first talk to your primary care doctor. If you don't have one, get one for all your basic body concerns. Many ways to pay minimal costs for this. You can otherwise take yourself to a county hospital emergency room. Once you tell them it's not an emergency they will still check you out and may find the reason for your sweat problem. You may have to wait many hours behind real ER cases.
Other idea is : Must it be guitar ? If it's such an obstacle for you, why not go over to piano ? Once you've learned the basic scale fingerings you'd be surprised at how uncomplicated piano really is. Very first lesson is: No scale starting on a black key is begun with 1 (the thumb is 1 on piano. Index finger is 2, etc.). Chords are different. You'll still be in music and finger size and sweat won't matter one bit...
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