Notes_Norton Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 Thanks to a few years making a living playing a Fender P-Bass, my left-hand span is just shy of 10 inches. And I haven't played bass full-time since the psychedelic era, when it was hard to get work as a sax player. I could probably stretch farther when I did this 5 hours per night. I started with good-sized hand, the right spans 8.75 inches. Not counting the thumb, from the index to the 'pinky' left hand is 7", right hand is 5.5". I suspect this is from reaching from a minor third to a fifth on the same string of the P-Bass near the nut. I play lead guitar on stage for a number of songs, and that span helps. Funny thing, after all these years, the fingers on my right-hand curve slightly to the right, a function of having to reach for the right-hand keys on the sax. I guess as much as I shape music when I play, my musical tools shaped me. Insights and incites by Notes ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 15, 2022 Author Share Posted March 15, 2022 Next band rehearsal is Sunday. I'm going to ask to measure our sax player's hands. Hope he doesn't think it's weird, but at this point it's important research. If I find out I have the smallest hands in the band I could risk my credibility as musical director. They might all start questioning whether someone with such short stubby fingers even knows what the hell he's talking about! That could lead to an insurrection and me being deposed in favor of the guitarist. That SOB has long fingers and loves Iron Maiden. Suddenly we're an 80's glam rock cover band and I really can't pull off Spandex. Then I break my back because I've had to replace my compact QSCs for Marshall stacks, my hearing blows out from playing at 140 dBSPL and my kids think my new David Bowie haircut looks ludicrous. I have to buy a 1972 Chevy van, which we all live in while we tour the Midwest playing at NASCAR events. The bassist, now suffering from a heroin habit, can't keep his sh*t together because his wife has left him and we have to fire him after he gets into a fistfight on stage with the drummer. Then again, I might just be overthinking it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 55 minutes ago, bitflipper said: ... and my kids think my new David Bowie haircut looks ludicrous. Interesting. So, does Ludicrous' new haircut look bowie? 🤔 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 15, 2022 Author Share Posted March 15, 2022 I don't know who that is. Pretty sure it's now Bowie. It's either somebody who can't shave himself in the morning, or has unsupervised children with access to Sharpies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Baay Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 22 hours ago, Tim Smith said: I have average sized hands and when I play they look like claws. The product of not enough piano lessons. I only took lessons briefly/intermittently as a child with a couple different teachers. I recall one of them telling me I should curl my fingers like I'm holding an orange. Whether due to that advice (unlikely) or just my natural tendency (or tendonsy?), I do play with curved hands, but I have seen some fairly accomplished pianists play with quite flat hands. Nature or nurture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwal³ Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 4 hours ago, Notes_Norton said: Not counting the thumb, from the index to the 'pinky' left hand is 7", right hand is 5.5" aha you're changing the rules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 1 hour ago, bitflipper said: I don't know who that is. Pretty sure it's now Bowie. It's either somebody who can't shave himself in the morning, or has unsupervised children with access to Sharpies. Just like what you take off to get to the candy, he's not what you want, he's just a (w)rapper. 😜 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 13 minutes ago, pwalpwal said: aha you're changing the rules Bob likes to think outside the box! 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 7 hours ago, bitflipper said: my kids think my new David Bowie haircut looks ludicrous 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 15, 2022 Author Share Posted March 15, 2022 That's a pretty good Photoshop job, Paulo. You did that yourself? I'm about to go in for my semi-annual haircut, just might take this in to show the barber. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 7 hours ago, bitflipper said: Next band rehearsal is Sunday. I'm going to ask to measure our sax player's hands. <...snip...> If your sax player has been playing tenor sax or bari for many years, have him lay his hands flat on a table and then see if the fingers on his right hand curve slightly to the right. Notes ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 4 hours ago, pwalpwal said: aha you're changing the rules Rules? You mean suggestions? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 27 minutes ago, bitflipper said: That's a pretty good Photoshop job, Paulo. You did that yourself? I'm about to go in for my semi-annual haircut, just might take this in to show the barber. For me, having any hair on top at all is officially a great hair day. Notes ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 10 hours ago, bitflipper said: That's a pretty good Photoshop job, Paulo. You did that yourself? I'm about to go in for my semi-annual haircut, just might take this in to show the barber. Took all of 3 minutes and that including finding the donor pic.......I guess that proves that it's a hairstyle that you were somehow destined to have. I'd like to see the barber's face when you pull that pic out. 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Smith Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 18 hours ago, David Baay said: I only took lessons briefly/intermittently as a child with a couple different teachers. I recall one of them telling me I should curl my fingers like I'm holding an orange. Whether due to that advice (unlikely) or just my natural tendency (or tendonsy?), I do play with curved hands, but I have seen some fairly accomplished pianists play with quite flat hands. Nature or nurture? It's good to know I'm not the only one. I tend to play into the keys further than I should. For me it is a natural tendency. My tough German violin teacher is on me now about picking my fingers up too high on the violin. She hasn't resorted to using a ruler on me yet, but I sense it coming. No matter what I pick up I can't seem to play it the right way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 35 minutes ago, Tim Smith said: No matter what I pick up I can't seem to play it the right way. Avoid women then! 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Smith Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Diddly fingers are a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bapu Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 18 hours ago, paulo said: Where can I get that mask paulo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 3 hours ago, Bapu said: Where can I get that mask paulo? Ask your keyboard player. 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InstrEd Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 isn't asking such a question a wee bit too personal? 🙄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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