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i kinda need your help...

andz82	Date: May 29, 2006 @ 1:58 AM some chords are quite difficult. i've been having a hard time with chords that are quite complicated. like thos that make use of the thumb. i can't really reach. is there any alternative to this?
celtaidd	Date: May 29, 2006 @ 3:42 AM use your first finger across instead of using your thumb, perhaps, like me, you dont have long enough fingers, and yes itll hurt until your fingers toughen up
hate9wicket	Date: May 29, 2006 @ 11:44 PM Think of your thumb as an anchor, which you can use as leverage, if that makes sense. It's a bad habit having it on the top side of the neck, think of the midpoint of the back of the neck as a demarcation line, the thumb should always be below it. Kinda like typing w/ the home row, your fingers will be able to reach everywhere on the keyboard(fretboard) so long as the thumb is on the spacebar ( as described before, below the midpoint of the neck)
GeneHilbert	Date: May 30, 2006 @ 12:10 AM I rarely ever use my thumb to chord. Stay away from it if possible. It is hardly necessary to use your thumb to fret. As well it will hinder the movement and range of the other fingers. As a guitarist you don’t need to play every string all the time. Masters of this were Joe Pass & Tal Farlow. And on occasion even they have used their thumb. There have been players who have mastered the device. Hendrix being one of the most notable It is something to have in your box of tricks when needed but I suggest you develop the muscle memory of your fingers with the thumb placed in middle of the neck to support proper hand posture and use as a pivot point.
victorsskull	Date: May 30, 2006 @ 12:11 AM cut your thumb off and glue it to your pinky
zedsalt	Date: May 30, 2006 @ 11:11 AM The classic left hand position has the thumb bent, running parallel to the neck, placed in the middle. Unfortunately, I had already played for years before I took my first lesson, and had fallen hopelessly into the bad habit of wrapping my thumb around the neck. My instructor kept threatening to bring a bb gun to our sessions and shoot my thumb every time it peeked over the neck. That's probably one of the things that earned him the nickname "the Mad Welshman".
Alecs	Date: May 30, 2006 @ 8:53 PM 1 word: practice
kingo	Date: May 30, 2006 @ 8:55 PM another word: baghands
evansorchid	Date: May 30, 2006 @ 11:44 PM I never really thought about it before..... picks up guitar and starts chording Yep, my thumb is squarely on the back of the neck of the guitar when I'm chording. How did I learn a good habit? I must be doing something wrong.
sqrlcub	Date: May 31, 2006 @ 5:03 PM Anything that requires you to bend your wrist backwards will cause tendonitis eventually. The particular chords that ask for it in rock music also require you to bend your wrist in that manner. They typically do it to skip some strings when playing and for what I remember were exclusively on the sixth string. When I was in college I had a piece that required a thumb plant and we were taught to play it more like a stand up bass with the whole hand above the fretboard because it is less likely to cause you problems. Regardless it didn't sound very good and wasn't worth all the effort it required. My general advice is to stay away from those chords and find alternative with your other four fingers.
shadowself	Date: May 31, 2006 @ 6:59 PM I wrap my thumb around quite a bit, and it sticks out over the top of the fretboard. My technique is horrible, possibly because no one taught me how to play a guitar, let alone how to hold one.
Droquen	Date: June 1, 2006 @ 8:49 PM I wrap my thumb around because I use it to mute the strings you don't use for A or D chords which don't use all six strings. I also use it for the bass notes in Tears In Heaven so it does have it's uses, whether it's "proper" or not, I don't know, that's just how I play.
leflaw	Date: June 1, 2006 @ 11:58 PM I very occasionally use my thumb , I have to admit ( when I am not sucking it...)

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