Hands Too Small or Fingers Too Thick?

Many beginner guitar players worry that their hands are “too small” or “too fat” to play.

You might feel your fingers can’t reach certain frets or that they keep touching the wrong strings.

Rest assured, there is really no such thing as having “too-small” hands or “too-big” fingers to play guitar – everyone can learn with the right approach.

• Choose the Right Guitar Neck
  Pick a guitar with a thin neck and shorter scale length if you have small hands. For thick fingers, try a guitar with a wider nut and more string spacing (like a classical or wide-neck acoustic).
• Adjust Your Thumb Position
  Place your thumb behind the neck, not wrapped over the top, to give your fingers better reach and control.
• Angle the Neck Upwards
  Raise the guitar neck to a 45° angle and use a strap even when sitting. This brings the fretboard closer and improves posture and stretch.
• Fret with Fingertips Only
  Use the very tips of your fingers, not the pads. Keep your fingers curled and approach the fretboard perpendicularly.
• Stretch with Your Wrist and Elbow
  Drop your wrist forward and under the neck, and tuck your elbow toward your body to gain extra reach with your fingers.
• Use Partial Chords and Easier Voicings
  If full chords feel impossible, use stepping-stone chords, inversions, or capos to simplify things until your hands catch up.
• Train Your Pinky
  Practice targeted pinky stretches and chromatic exercises (like the 1-2-3-4 spider walk) to gradually increase your span and control.
• Let Calluses Do the Work
  With regular practice, your fingertips will harden into calluses, reducing the “squish” effect that causes accidental muting.
• Leverage Unique Finger Angles
  For thick fingers, slightly tilt your finger angle to find a narrower surface area to press the string without touching neighbors.
• Practice Daily and Be Patient
  Even 10–15 minutes a day using these strategies will yield measurable progress. Your hands will adapt over time — don’t rush it!

Standard guitars are designed to accommodate a variety of hand sizes, though each comes with different challenges.

In fact, 95% of the time “hand size problems” are just beginner issues that improve with technique and practice.

So don’t be discouraged – with some adjustments and persistence, you can play guitar regardless of your hand shape.

Beginners often think if only their hands were different, guitar would be easy.

The truth is that every hand size has pros and cons. For example, larger hands might barre chords more easily, while smaller hands can find single-note runs or narrow necks comfortable.

Famous guitarists span the full range of hand sizes: Angus Young of AC/DC is only 5’2″ with very small hands, yet he became a rock legend.

On the other end, some players have such wide fingers they jokingly call them “sausage fingers,” but that didn’t stop masters like country guitarist Redd Volkaert or classical virtuoso Andrés Segovia – all known for their huge hands – from being absolute monsters on the guitar.

In short, hand size by itself won’t prevent you from excelling.

There are workarounds and techniques to overcome any physical limitations. “My fingers are too fat!” – Nearly every beginner struggles with touching adjacent strings at first.

Usually your fingers aren’t truly “too fat” – your technique just isn’t developed yet.

As your accuracy improves and calluses form, you’ll naturally fret notes more cleanly without muting other strings.

“My hands are too small!” – Even if you have shorter fingers, proper posture and finger placement will greatly extend your reach. No one’s hand is too small to play; even children learn guitar on appropriately sized instruments.

Many stars like Prince, Paul Simon, Nancy Wilson (Heart), Randy Rhoads, and Shawn Lane had relatively small hands but adapted their playing to achieve greatness.

The key takeaway: Don’t let hand size myths hold you back.

With the tips below, you can overcome small-hand or thick-finger challenges and play comfortably.

One of the fastest fixes for hand discomfort is selecting a guitar that suits your anatomy.

Here are gear tips for different needs:

Use a Thin Neck or Short-Scale Guitar (for Small Hands)

If you have smaller hands or shorter fingers, try a guitar with a narrower neck and shorter scale length. A thinner neck reduces how far your fingers need to stretch around it.

Short-scale guitars (for example, 24″–24.75″ scale length instead of the typical 25.5″) bring the frets closer together, making reaches easier.

Many major brands offer models for smaller players – e.g. the Taylor GS Mini acoustic or Fender Mustang electric have shorter scales and slim necks ideal for small hands.

Don’t hesitate to try youth or 3/4-size guitars; adults can play them too if it feels comfortable. Ultimately, the best guitar is one that feels right in your hands.

Consider Electric over Acoustic (for ease)

If you’re struggling on a steel-string acoustic, know that electric guitars typically have thinner necks, lower string action, and lighter string gauges, which can be a boon for small hands or weak fingers.

You can absolutely learn on electric first – it might eliminate some physical strain.

Within acoustics, look for models with a smaller nut width (the width of the neck at the nut). For instance, many Taylor, Yamaha, or Gibson acoustics use a slightly narrower nut width (~1.68″) which can help small hands, whereas some brands like Seagull use wider 1.8″ nuts which might challenge you.

Choose accordingly.

Opt for Wider Neck or String Spacing (for Large Fingers)

If you have broad fingertips that constantly mash two strings at once, you might benefit from a guitar with wider string spacing.

The spacing is determined by nut width – a larger nut width means more distance between each string.

For example, classical guitars typically have a 2″ nut, much wider than most steel-string guitars, giving your fingers more room to fret a note without touching its neighbors.

Some steel-string acoustics and electrics also come in “wide neck” versions (many Paul Reed Smith and Ibanez models, or 12-string guitars converted to 6-string, have wider fretboards).

If you’ve been playing a very narrow-neck guitar and feeling cramped, try out a guitar with a wider nut or flatter fretboard radius – you may find chords suddenly feel less crowded.

Lighter Gauge Strings

Regardless of hand size, beginners often struggle with pressing down thick strings. Using “extra light” or lower gauge strings can make fretting easier and also slightly increase the space between strings (since thinner strings take up less room).

For acoustic, you might try .010 or .011 light sets, and for electric, .009 “super lights” are a common easy-play choice.

The trade-off is a bit of tone fullness, but as a beginner the playability gain is worth it.

You can always move to heavier strings later if desired. Gear Tip: Whatever guitar you choose, a proper setup (adjusted action, neck relief, etc.) is crucial.

High action (strings set too far from the fretboard) will make any hand struggle.

A quick setup at a music shop can ensure your instrument’s playability is optimized for you.

And if buying another guitar isn’t an option right now, don’t worry – focus on the technique tips below; you can learn on almost any guitar with perseverance.

If you have small hands or short fingers, the goal is to maximize your effective reach on the fretboard.

Proper technique will let you span big intervals even with little hands.

Perfect Your Posture & Guitar Position: Posture is everything.

Start by holding the guitar in a way that brings the fretboard closer to your body and accessible to your fingers.

Use a strap (even when sitting) to position the guitar higher up on your body, so you’re not stretching your arm too far.

Try angling the neck of the guitar upward, closer to a 45-degree “classical” position, rather than straight horizontal on your lap.

This higher neck angle gives your fretting hand better leverage and reach. Keep your back straight and relaxed.

By bringing the guitar to you (instead of contorting your wrist to reach the guitar), you’ll immediately gain some fret reach.

Thumb Placement: Pay attention to your fretting-hand thumb.

For maximum reach, place your thumb behind the neck, roughly opposite your index and middle finger (around the middle of the neck’s back).

This is the classical guitar thumb position.

It might feel strange if you’re used to gripping the neck like a club, but moving your thumb downwards behind the neck allows your fingers to arch more and stretch further across the fretboard.

Avoid having your thumb peeking over the top of the fretboard when attempting wide stretches or barre chords – instead, tuck it lower on the back for better finger extension.

Wrist Forward and Elbow In: A secret weapon for small hands is wrist position.

Rather than keeping your wrist straight behind the neck, push your fretting wrist forward and under the neck a bit.

In other words, drop your wrist and pivot it so your hand comes up from underneath the fretboard.

This will feel a bit like you’re cradling the neck from below. It might seem awkward at first, but this position brings your fingers more perpendicular to the fretboard and increases reach.

Likewise, keep your elbow tucked in towards your body – if your elbow flares outward, your hand’s reach decreases.

By bringing the elbow in, your fingers approach the strings more straight-on, which helps shorten the distance they need to span.

Use Your Fingertips (and Curl Your Fingers)

When fretting notes or chords, use the absolute tips of your fingers – the part just behind the fingernail – rather than the flat fingerprint part.

This minimizes the area of your finger touching the string and fret, which is crucial if your fingers are thick or space is tight. Curl your knuckles so that each finger comes down onto the string from above, as close to vertical as possible.

This fingertip approach also ensures you’re not accidentally muting adjacent strings, and it gives you a bit of extra reach for stretches. One trick is to position your fingers right behind the fretwire (instead of in the middle of the fret) – this way you don’t need to press as hard and can comfortably use your very fingertip to fret the note.

Over time, you’ll develop calluses on those tips which further focus the pressure and make playing easier (and as a bonus, callused tips won’t “spread out” as much as soft flesh, so they take up even less space on the fretboard).

Stretch and Strengthen Your Pinky

Often for small-handed players, the pinky (4th finger) is the hardest to stretch.

Don’t neglect it – with practice it will become more flexible.

However, in the meantime, it’s okay to use your ring finger instead of the pinky for certain reaches if the pinky just can’t get there yet.

For example, many players with small hands use the ring finger to play notes that others might use a pinky for, until the pinky catches up in strength. Keep working on pinky exercises (see the exercise section below) – over time, even a short pinky will improve in reach.

Leverage Partial Chords and Inversions

If a standard chord shape is too hard to reach, remember that you don’t always need to fret every note of a chord. You can play partial chords (omit one or two notes) or find an easier voicing (different shape) for the same chord.

Many basic open chords have alternative fingerings that use fewer fingers or a capo (for instance, if an open F major is too hard, you can capo the 1st fret and play an open E shape, or use a simplified F major 7 shape as a substitute). These are sometimes called “stepping-stone chords” – simpler versions that you can use until you build up to the full shape.

Don’t consider it cheating; even pro players use alternate chord voicings to suit their needs.

The priority is to make a clean sound – if that means playing just an easy 2-finger version of a chord at first, that’s fine. Over time, your reach will improve for the full versions.

The Capo is Your Friend

Using a capo on the guitar can effectively shorten the neck and bring the frets closer together for your hand.

If you struggle with a barre chord (like an F or Bm) on open position, put a capo on 2nd or 3rd fret and try again – it’s noticeably easier because the fret spacing is narrower up there.

This is not cheating at all; capos exist to assist with difficult keys and stretches.

Many famous guitarists use capos to accommodate their vocal range or creative tuning – you can use it simply to make the neck feel more manageable while you practice. For instance, place a capo at the 5th fret and all of a sudden the guitar feels almost like a small ukulele-neck under your fingers.

This can build confidence and finger strength, which will translate when you remove the capo eventually.

Tip: Above all, don’t be defeatist or self-conscious about your small hands.

Plenty of players have felt the same way and gone on to thrive. Instead of saying “I can’t,” tell yourself “I just haven’t yet.”

Every day of practice, your reach and comfort will increase if you apply these techniques.

If you have broad or thick fingers, the main challenge is usually fitting your fingers onto the fretboard without unwanted muting.

Here’s how to get clear notes even with “fat” fingers:

Precise Finger Placement

With wide fingertips, it’s critical to fret each note at the correct spot – aim for the center of the intended string and just behind the fret wire. Because your fingertip covers more area, placing it dead center of the target string helps avoid touching neighboring strings.

As mentioned above, use your finger tips, not the fleshy pads. Think of your fingertip as a single point that you want to land directly on the string.

By keeping your fretting fingers vertical (upright) and not slanted sideways, you present the smallest profile of your finger to the fretboard.

This may require adjusting your thumb position more towards the middle-back of the neck to give your fingers the angle needed to come down straight.

If you’ve been playing chords with a flattened finger position, start training yourself to curl those knuckles and hit only one string per finger. It will feel different, but soon it becomes second nature.

Slight Finger Angle Trick: Every person’s fingertip shape is different.

Some players with very fleshy fingers find that angling the finger (tilting it slightly diagonal) can help find a “skinnier” part of the finger to fret with.

For example, you might angle your index finger a bit toward the headstock or bridge when playing a chord, to avoid the widest part of your finger touching two strings. Experiment with small adjustments in angle: if your finger’s flesh tends to spread more side-to-side, approaching the string at a bit of an angle can align your finger so that the pressure is more inline with the string, not the adjacent ones.

The goal is to minimize the fingertip area that contacts the fretboard.

Find the orientation where your finger only touches the intended string. This might be opposite advice to the small-handed folks (who often need perpendicular fingers); do what works for your anatomy.

Give It Time – Calluses Will Help: When you’re new, your soft fingertips tend to squish out like a balloon when pressing on a string, causing them to graze other strings.

This “balloon” effect diminishes greatly once you build calluses on your fingertips.

Calluses are harder, denser skin; when they form, your fingertip won’t compress as much under pressure.

This means over a few weeks of regular playing, your effective fingertip width actually shrinks a little because the hardness keeps it from flattening. The result: fewer accidental dead notes on adjacent strings.

So if your chords are buzzy right now due to finger girth, know that simply practicing consistently will improve it.

Stick with it and in the meantime use the other tips here to get by.

Use One Finger for Two Strings (if possible)

Here’s a surprising trick: sometimes having larger fingers can be an advantage! If your fingertip is wide enough, you can fret two adjacent strings with one finger on certain chord shapes.

For instance, the open A major chord typically uses three fingers crowded on the 2nd fret (on the D, G, B strings).

If your index finger is broad, you might barre it lightly across the D and G (or even D, G, B) strings at the 2nd fret with one finger, instead of trying to squeeze three fingers in a tight space.

Similarly, an open E minor chord requires two fingers on the 2nd fret (A and D strings) – a player with thick fingers might press both strings with one fingertip of the middle finger.

This technique, essentially a mini-barre, is exactly how 12-string guitarists play (pressing pairs of strings together).

Important: Use this trick only if it feels comfortable and the notes ring clear – not everyone’s fingers will align perfectly for two strings. But give it a try; you might find an unconventional fingering that works brilliantly for you and reduces finger crowding.

Choose Open Chord Variations & Partial Bars

Just like small-handed players, those with thick fingers can simplify chord shapes.

For example, instead of a full 4-finger open C chord (which has notes on five strings), you could play a C major 7 (Cmaj7) which only needs two or three fingers and leaves more room.

Or use partial barre chords to avoid hard clusters – e.g., when playing a standard A major or F major barre, experiment with using your index to barre and your ring finger to barre a couple strings, rather than stacking three separate fingers. The sound might be slightly different (A major with a one-finger barre across D-G-B can mute the high E, but that’s okay in many songs).

The takeaway is: don’t force cram all your fingers if they don’t comfortably fit. There is usually another way to voice the chord that is more “finger-friendly” for you.

Consider String Spacing Adjustments

If despite technique changes you still consistently mute strings, it might be time to consider the gear solutions mentioned earlier: a guitar with a wider nut and bridge spacing can be transformative. For instance, trying out a nylon-string classical guitar (with its wide fretboard) can be revelatory for big hands.

Some players even take a 12-string guitar and remove the octave strings, leaving 6 widely spaced strings – essentially creating a “fat-fingered acoustic”.

That kind of modification is a bit extreme, but it shows there are creative solutions.

Before going that route, make sure your technique is solid (proper finger arch, etc.) and perhaps have an experienced teacher observe your hand position.

Often a small tweak fixes the issue and saves you from buying a new guitar.

Use new gear as a last resort after exhausting technique options.

No matter your hand size, targeted exercises can improve your flexibility, strength, and accuracy.

Think of it like stretching and training for your hands. Here are some useful exercises and warm-ups to help “small” hands reach further and “large” fingers gain control:

Finger Stretch Warm-Ups

Before you dive into intense playing, do a quick stretching routine.

For example, hold your hands in prayer position and gently push down to stretch your wrists.

Then use one hand to pull each finger back (one at a time) toward the back of your wrist until you feel a light stretch, holding for ~10 seconds per finger.

Do not overstrain – just a comfortable stretch. This improves flexibility over time.

You can also spread your fingers wide apart, then bring them together, repeatedly, to loosen them.

For the fretting hand, a great stretch is to place all four fingers on one fret each (e.g. index on 5th fret, middle on 6th, ring on 7th, pinky on 8th of one string) and then gently try to slide the index one fret lower (to stretch the gap between index and middle). These stretches will make your hand feel more limber. Always listen to your body and stop if you feel pain or numbness – a mild stretch is all we need.

Spider Walk Exercise

The “spider” is a classic exercise for building finger independence and reach.

Place each finger on a consecutive fret on different strings, then “walk” them in patterns. For instance, a basic spider exercise: position your index, middle, ring, pinky on frets 1-2-3-4 of the low E string, respectively. Now, one note at a time, move your index to the 1st fret of the A string (keep other fingers on their original frets if possible), then move the middle to 2nd fret of the A, and so on, climbing like a spider across the strings.

A simpler version is to just play chromatic 1-2-3-4 on one string at a time, then move to the next string.

The key is to keep your fingers close to the strings and use all four fingers in sequence.

This exercise will feel challenging, but it greatly improves coordination.

For small hands, start this around the 5th or 7th fret where the frets are a bit closer; as you improve, try it in lower positions (e.g. frets 1-4) to push your stretch.

The spider walk strengthens your pinky and ring finger and trains you to use minimal finger movement – very helpful for reach.

Chromatic Scale Runs

Similar to the spider, playing chromatic scales (hitting every note in sequence) up and down the neck is a great drill. For example, play 1st fret, 2nd, 3rd, 4th on the low E (using index, middle, ring, pinky respectively), then shift everything up one fret and do 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th fret, and so on. This kind of one-fret-per-finger practice boosts finger independence and dexterity.

Use a metronome and start slow, aiming for clean, even notes. Over time, increase speed.

You’ll notice your fingers getting more comfortable stretching to four-fret spans, and your “fat” fingers will learn exactly where to land without wandering.

Scale and Chord Drills: Practice scales that incorporate stretches.

For instance, a major pentatonic scale in open position forces a whole-step+half-step stretch. If you have a favorite riff that’s a bit stretchy, use it as a fun exercise.

Also, work on chord switching exercises: take a pair of chords that are hard for you to fret cleanly (say, G to C, or D to Bm barre) and go back and forth slowly, ensuring every note rings.

This builds muscle memory for precise finger placement. Over time, gradually reduce the time it takes to switch. You can also practice partial chord shapes higher up the neck (e.g. play an open C chord shape starting at 5th fret – which is actually an F chord – this is harder because frets are closer there).

This challenges you in a controlled way and improves overall facility.

Strengthen with Squeezes (but carefully): Some players gently use hand grip exercisers or a soft ball to squeeze and build general hand strength. While this can help a bit, nothing replicates actual guitar playing for building the right muscles.

Still, if you feel your hand is very weak, periodically squeezing a stress ball can improve circulation and strength.

Just don’t overdo it and strain your hand. Never push yourself to pain – incremental progress is key.

Consistency and Gradual Progress

Remember that exercises yield results over weeks, not minutes.

Do a short warm-up and exercise routine at the start of each practice session. Even 5-10 minutes of dedicated exercises daily will significantly improve your reach and control over a month or two.

Track your progress – maybe today you can barely span 3 frets, but measure again in a month and you’ll likely surprise yourself. Small, consistent improvements compound into big gains in playability.

Technical tips aside, it’s important to have the right mindset.

Don’t view your hand size as a disability – view it as a unique trait that might shape your playing style in positive ways.

For instance, people with short fingers often develop excellent slide techniques and shift positions instead of trying to make huge stretches, which can lead to a very fluid style of playing.

Those with big fingers might learn to leverage power chords and double-stops in ways others don’t.

Legendary gypsy-jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt lost use of two left-hand fingers, yet he pioneered a whole genre with basically index and middle finger solos – his limitation became his signature style!

Similarly, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, who lost fingertips, detuned his guitar and relied on power-chords and vibrato, creating the heavy metal sound in the process.

Dolly Parton, faced with long acrylic nails (imagine that as having very “thick” fingers), famously uses open tunings and barres every chord with one finger, avoiding complex fingering altogether.

The point is, obstacles can drive creativity.

Many guitarists adapt by developing new techniques: if a stretch is impossible, they slide or bend to the note; if a chord shape doesn’t work, they find a new voicing.

Embrace your physical characteristics and let them guide you – you might end up inventing a style that’s uniquely yours, as many greats have. And whenever you feel frustrated, remember the many famous players who prove hand size doesn’t matter:

Small-handed Guitar Heroes: Angus Young (AC/DC) is tiny with small hands, yet he can blaze through solos and power chords.

Prince, also not physically large, became a virtuoso on guitar – his hands never held him back.

Paul Simon, Nancy Wilson, Randy Rhoads, Phil Keaggy… the list of incredible guitarists with small hands is long.

They often found ways to compensate, whether by using thinner neck guitars, favoring certain techniques, or simply practicing even harder.

As Angus Young’s playing shows, speed and skill are achievable no matter your hand span.

Players with “Sausage Fingers”: Many blues, rock, and country players have thick fingers and still play cleanly.

For example, Texas blues legend Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) has chunky fingers but is a master of articulate riffs (he even uses very light strings to help).

Country picker Johnny Hiland and famed telecaster player Redd Volkaert have huge hands yet their chord work and solos are immaculate.

The classical master Andrés Segovia had large hands and used that to his advantage for wide reaches in classical pieces.

Even ukulele icon Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, with hands far larger than his tiny uke, created beautiful music.

The common thread is that none of them made excuses – they adapted their playing style and proved that musicality isn’t limited by physical features.

Finally, remind yourself why you picked up the guitar in the first place – likely for the love of music.

Every guitarist faces challenges (some have small hands, some have limited time, others have injuries). Your challenges are just one part of your journey.

With the tips and strategies in this guide, you can overcome the “small hand/big finger” hurdle. Be patient and enjoy the process of improvement. Over time, as you play songs you love, you’ll forget all about your hand size and simply sound like you. And who knows – one day a beginner might look at your awesome playing and say, “If they can do it with those hands, I can too!”

To improve your guitar skills despite hand shape, combine smart technique, possibly some gear tweaks, and lots of practice.

Everyone struggles with reach and finger placement early on – this is normal. The difference maker is consistent practice and not giving up.

Put in the time and you will see progress.

Use the tips in this guide as a checklist whenever you feel stuck: is your posture good?

Is your thumb position optimal? Would a capo help this song? Can I simplify this chord? There’s almost always a solution.

Remember, no hand shape can stop you from playing guitar when you approach it with the right mindset and tools. As one teacher wisely said, “There are a thousand things that can make learning guitar harder... small hands are just one, and plenty of people have overcome it”.

So instead of worrying about your hands, focus on what music you want to make.

With each practice session, you’ll get closer to that goal. Happy playing!

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