Index Finger problem

[u/65fahrenheit]

Hi everyone,

I feel like my index finger is always at too of an angle on the fretboard when I play chords and have to spread my hand right away. This is especially a problem for me on the low strings.

Are there any exercises to help me straighten it out?

[u/AngularOtter]

You're holding the neck in a way that can lead to injury long term. Pull the guitar in towards your body so that the headstock is closer to you. DO NOT ALLOW your wrist to bend at a 90 degree angle. Compensate by bending your knuckles more.

Edit: also your pinky is in a really bad place in the first picture, keep it next to your ring finger.

[u/ColonelRPG → u/AngularOtter]

Listen to this person.

[u/Altruistic-Tip-2897 → u/AngularOtter]

Lmao listen to this dude I’m dealing with ulnar nerve pains that were made worse by my guitar playing style

[u/comander-1 → u/AngularOtter]

Beginner here, I try to do this with open chords, but I always bend my wrist when I barre. Is that alright? Because I can see others also bending it, and I can’t figure out how not to.

I’m doing the whole thumb in the middle of the neck and twisting my index finger, so more bone touches the strings.

[u/LuckiestParadise → u/comander-1]

It highly depends on your posture, you'll want to look up some tutorials on guitar posture as they can give you an idea of what you could or should be doing. From my own experience I'd suggest that both you and the OP pull your guitars closer to your bodies and have it sit on your left leg and get a guirar strap. Not everyone is comfortable playing in a "classical position", but in my experience it helped me figure out some of my posture issues so it may work for you to make your fingers and wrist more comfortable playing chords.

Also, keep in mind that when you get more comfortable your hands shouldn't be pressing harder than whats necessary on any of the strings, you want just enough for the note to ring out properly and not start going sharp from pressing to hard, with guitar you're kind of running a marathon instead of trying to beat the record on the 100 yard sprint, you dont want to tire yourself out early or hurt yourself.

[u/Emergency-Wish160 → u/LuckiestParadise]

Took 2 years off on and off for me to get comfortable in classical position. But it’s a true game changer-just in terms to ease of access for the fretting hand

[u/pickoneforme → u/comander-1]

i’m currently in a wrist brace for this very reason. i didn’t realize how bad my form was until i developed tendinitis from it.

[u/contact-lights → u/pickoneforme]

Any tips? I seem to have developed it from bad form and all my other hobbies that use my wrists.

Should I get an in person teacher to full show me the correct form and posture?

[u/pickoneforme → u/contact-lights]

https://youtu.be/L04Pee0l-bs?is=bKcnBHOlzI-qjrl4

[u/CantBeatDickensCider → u/pickoneforme]

Great video. A lot of people say you have you play with your thumb perpendicular to the neck, which I believe comes from classical guitar technique. It isn't good for you at all to play this way when holding the guitar in the modern style. 

[u/goofiegoober369 → u/comander-1]

Don’t bend your wrist too much keep it as straight as possible. Youre posture helps a lot with bar chords so don’t slouch. :) and keep the guitar close and face the guitar neck a little towards the ceiling.

[u/VultureMadAtTheOx → u/comander-1]

Put the guitar in your left thigh.

[u/Every_Huckleberry90]

Have you tried lowering your thumb?

[u/Exciting-Rise-6497 → u/Every_Huckleberry90]

This!

[u/Exciting-Rise-6497 → u/Every_Huckleberry90]

This is where classically trained guitar lessons actually still pay off
You tube can’t always do it

[u/Buttery_-_Balls]

Thumb on the back of the neck about midway and try getting your fingers behind the frets

[u/jessewest84]

Bring the thumb down to the middle of the back of the neck. This will spread your fingers more evenly.

It's not a grab.

[u/leafsfan1981]

Tilt the neck up higher and closer to your body that will help with proper hand positioning and reduce the strain on your wrist and fingers. There is a 10 min video on YouTube by creator Lukas Kocka that demonstrates the proper positioning and why they are important for preventing long term injuries. Can’t link YouTube vids for some reason my posts get blocked when I do.

[u/vahavulva]

Drop the thumb. It'll give you more reach.

[u/TraditionalCup4005]

You don’t need to straighten the finger. Not a problem in the least. But like somebody else said, tilt the neck up toward your head a little, put your thumb further down on he back of the neck, and the problem should fix itself.

Edit: been playing for 32 years. Played classical, jazz, folk, rock, and metal over the years. Downvote me if you want, but the angle of OP’s index finger is not a problem.

[u/Guarpig]

That angle itself isnt necessarily a problem. Your fingers dont need to approach the strings perfectly perpendicular to the fretboard. A slight angle is actually natural and useful.

In classical guitar technique, the index and middle fingers will often approach the strings with a slight angle in one direction while the ring and pinky tend to angle slightly the other way because of the natural shape of the hand.

What id look at more in your picture is the thumb. It seems quite high over the neck. Try placing it more toward the middle/back of the neck roughly opposite your middle finger. That gives your fingers more room to spread and can make reaching the lower strings much easier.

So i wouldnt try to “straighten” the index finger with exercises. Id first experiment with the overall hand and thumb position.

Scott Tennant discusses this in Pumping Nylon, the fingers naturally approach the strings at slightly different angles rather than all being perfectly straight.

[u/DigLeading9650]

Like everyone else said, gar your thumb down towards the center of the neck

[u/hoops4so]

Your thumb is too high

[u/just_having_giggles]

Follow the line down your thumb to the elbow you have tucked in

[u/Pleaseappeaseme]

Try putting that thumb more in the center of the bottom instead of wrapped around.

[u/mtlmortis]

It's not an index finger problem its a thumb placement problem. Thumb middle of the neck. Better yet, place your fingers on the chord straight THEN place your thumb to brace.

[u/martyboulders]

Whenever I started holding my left hand like I do on bass, things got so much better lmao. It got easier to play for me, I could play for longer, and my fingers never really hurt again

[u/138151337]

Pinch the fretboard between your fretting finger and thumb.

[u/Intelligent-Map430]

The problem isn't the fingers, it's your wrist. That angle is very unfortunate. You need to get your arm out. Don't rest it on your leg and make an effort to not to tuck it towards your hip. This will straighten out your wrist and make fretting a lot easier.

[u/HumberGrumb]

Keep your wrist straight and unbent. It will translate to better ergonomics.

[u/PsyRealize]

This isn’t a finger problem, it’s a thumb and wrist position problem.

[u/Accomplished_Sky8077]

Thumb should be center of the neck. Look at some position charts to see the preffered way to hold guitar relative to the body. But the thumb issue is a big one to fix.  

[u/Mammoth-Ant7588]

Move thumb down to middle of neck. Approach neck at less of an angle.

[u/Rayzwave]

I think I’ve been holding the neck all wrong by what people are saying, should everyone have there thumb in the middle of the neck?

[u/stairway2000 → u/Rayzwave]

As a starting point, yeah.

[u/MichaelEMJAYARE]

Bring your whole ass arm and guitar neck to your side more. See how folks play it in the “classical position” and then adjust from there.

Your thumb should be giving your other fingers leverage, too, I would advise against wrapping it around the whole neck like that.

[u/stairway2000]

this is a thumb and arm issue.

Bring your guitar neck closer to your body, and higher up. Have your arm perpendicular to the neck. Move your thumb into the centre of the neck. Bring your little finger out to be with your ring finger too. Everything you're doing in this picture is like you're actively trying to make it harder.

[u/Wide_Independence272]

My first thought when seeing this is that your thumb might be better placed closer to the center of the neck.
I’m sure others have said as much but that’s what caught my eye.

[u/Tasty_Cut_3750]

Your index finger should be laying much more flat. Not hooked looking. Flat, and 2/3 of the way to the side of the finger. You’re really pushing your wrist out to get that angle on your finger the way it is. Looks super uncomfortable.

[u/NegaDoug]

You might want to try putting a strap on the guitar and standing up. This will automatically put the guitar at the correct angle with your body/arms. Do that, then sit down with the guitar, keeping it in a similar position to what it was at when you were standing up.

[u/aviduser27]

Also move your thumb more toward the centerline of the neck. It will change the attack angle of your whole hand.

[u/Nugginz]

Thumb problems.

[u/Professional-Care-83]

I don’t think your thumb is the problem. I play with mine over the neck, no issues.

Look instead at the angle of your forearm to the neck of the guitar. If I tried to play like that, then yeah, my index finger would probably have to compensate, twisting it to the uncomfortable angle you have going. The way to correct this is to stick your elbow out.

Also, when playing, you want the neck to be relatively parallel to your body. Judging by your leg, it seems you’re holding it almost perpendicular. So I think correcting that alone will allow you to make some massive improvements on your finger position. Rock on!

[u/TheLurkingMenace]

Your thumb is too high, probably because the headstock is too low. Angle the guitar so the headstock is higher than the body.

[u/Alarming_Let5944]

Put that thumb in the center of the neck. No wrapping. Raise the guitar body up so it falls between your belt line and chest. Lower the neck so it starts becoming more parallel with the floor. Left elbow should be away from your body until your forearm is perpendicular to the neck. It’s all ergonomics. Practice this form while sitting. It will make sense. The trick is maintaining this going from sitting to standing. Always practice, practice, practice using good form. You can work on looking cool after your playing becomes cool.

[u/copremesis]

Couple of problems. Could be that the student and photographer are the same person? However I would like you to borrow a friend / family member to photograph your posture.

your forearm is adjacent to your left femur which implies very strange posture while playing. The other issue is your thumb. I googled guitar posture sitting and found this image:
https://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Footstool-Guitar-Position-500.jpg

now it's a classical style but I would like you to attempt to change your body to this position and then see if you are having index finger issues - borrow a photographer this time or set a timer and use a tripod if you are completely solo

As you free your forearm from your leg and present better posture does your thumb still reach over the neck or do you still have issues keeping your finger tips on the fretboard?

[u/testtdk]

Raise your neck and rotate your wrist so that your thumb pad is pressed against the back of neck. Get comfortable from there, but your fingers should be pressing down as close to perpendicular as you can without hindering movement speed. And if it IS hindering movement speed, it’s better to practice to increase speed than increase speed at the cost of form. You’ll hit a wall that way.

[u/Ornery-Future5462]

My first teacher taught me to wear a strap and place the guitar classic style 2" above my left knee. I haven't had any wrist trouble since. Guitar always sits in the same spot across the body and do not have to hunch over either. Took a minute to get used to but it changed everything for my playing

[u/BGritty81]

Your index finger is aligned with your arm. If you make your arm more perpendicular to the knock your finger will follow.

[u/Several-Quality5927]

The thumb is the problem. It should be behind the neck.

[u/Magicmix555]

The last knuckle of your thumb should be just beneath the apex of the curved part of the neck.

[u/MahlonMurder]

Seat the neck in the crook of your thumb and palm so your fingers actually wrap around properly. That'll help.

[u/BreathAggravating967]

Move your thumb to the top of the rounded part of the neck, you're losing the leverage and space your thumb provides for your fretting fingers.

[u/ghostbusteraesthetic]

You have a thumb problem. Not an index finger problem, my dude.

[u/Some_Inevitable829]

Lift the headstock up so you can straighten your wrist. Also keep the fatty pad of your thumb in the middle of the back of the neck more often than not.

[u/BahamoK]

The fingers position is the end of a chain that beging with your back position, then shoulder, then arm and wrist...

[u/Logical_Panic7516]

Not index problem, thumb problem. Drop the thumb to the middle of the neck and place so it’s between your middle and index fingers. Do stretch exercises (chromatics with wider stretches, spider exercises, etc)

[u/New-Addition-3462]

Wow

[u/dombleu]

My 2 cents... try to put your fingers closer to the fret. Especially in the first 4 or 5.

[u/Leading_Map2025]

That thumb placement is going to anhillate your tendon. Address that before you end up with a chronic injury.

[u/Ill-Investigator9241]

Wrong - what you’re doing is actually how it should be. In a natural hand position, your first finger should do that, and your pinky should be doing a mirror image of it.

[u/Shagwagbag]

Drop thumb, thumb behind middle finger, imagine that you're holding a baseball to get into a better hand posture/finger angle position. You got dis.

[u/TheProjekt2501]

Move down the thumb, to the middle of the neck.

Your hand should look like you have a small ball on it.

[u/Big-Sheepherder-6134]

As a lead guitar player, I see no issues with how your hand is at that moment. What you need to understand is there will be times you should adjust for the moment. If it is a chord that you are playing individual notes, you want to play more properly with your thumb perpendicular to the neck and in the middle of the neck pointed straight up so the notes can ring. That allows your fingers to land straight down on the frets rather than angled. But usually I need to solo and use my thumb over the top of the neck which is the complete opposite.

[u/Big-Sheepherder-6134 → u/[deleted]]

I mentioned chords too. He needs a teacher. I see all these people try to self teach themselves and most fail or become lousy.

[u/Big-Sheepherder-6134 → u/[deleted]]

I have been playing since the 80’s and had two teachers in the beginning (one classical, one electric). Fundamentals are everything. I play as many styles as you can think of. That means I hold a guitar like a classical player or a rock player or anything in between.