Threads by Owners of Specific Kiesel Guitars / Carvin Guitars Instruments
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antlercody
- Gold Member

- Posts: 63
- Joined: Jan 2015
- Location: Troy, Montana
Postby antlercody » Sat Feb 14, 2015 12:00 am
You laugh... You who have length.
Well, I'm short and born crooked... My pinky, that is.
I Was, and I still am, working on this piece of music where I have to go from eighth fret pinky to five fret index, plus hammer off... Any suggestions???
Most likely I will improvise somehow... That's what I do....
Please, you short finger (pinky) players HELP!!!

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nascarbean_97
- Gold Carvinite

- Posts: 1984
- Joined: Apr 2010
- Location: Vancouver, WA
Postby nascarbean_97 » Sat Feb 14, 2015 9:45 am
Reaching from the 12th fret to the 24th has been a skill I've possessed for many years.
I do have some suggestions though. Run scales. Use patterns that span more frets then you're used to. Like a G major with four notes on the E string, starting on the third fret ascending to a C, then shifting to the D on the 5th fret of the A string, ascending to the 10th fret G. Or shift the whole thing up to wherever is comfortable for you, and then shift down a half step to stretch yourself.
Practicing Shawn Lane/Allan Holdsworth/Andy Summers chords really helps, too.
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ted
- Carvinite

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- Joined: Oct 2012
Postby ted » Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:09 pm
Tapping can be your friend.
Nobody's left hand pinky is as long as the your right index finger can be. 
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antlercody
- Gold Member

- Posts: 63
- Joined: Jan 2015
- Location: Troy, Montana
Postby antlercody » Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:19 pm
One thing I know for sure... It's boils down to the amount time invested playing and the shear determination to succeed. ... Unless you are a "blessed" prodigy genius who doesn't have to work at anything to be brilliant! ... And that's sure not me, so, back to work. 
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spudmunkey
- Elite Carvinite

- Posts: 18451
- Joined: Jan 2008
- Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Postby spudmunkey » Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:19 pm
ted wrote:Tapping can be your friend. Nobody's left hand pinky is as long as the your right index finger can be. 
Ha! That's like saying something like, "you might be able to outrun a police car, but you can't outrun their radio."
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antlercody
- Gold Member

- Posts: 63
- Joined: Jan 2015
- Location: Troy, Montana
Postby antlercody » Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:23 pm
Might depend on the station.... If it's tapping rap, I can run away very fast...
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antlercody
- Gold Member

- Posts: 63
- Joined: Jan 2015
- Location: Troy, Montana
Postby antlercody » Sun Feb 15, 2015 9:48 pm
BTW... Everyone who posts on this thread is automatically entered to win five choice Carvin guitars!
I'm just kidding... But talk to Jeff, maybe he can make it happen...
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antlercody
- Gold Member

- Posts: 63
- Joined: Jan 2015
- Location: Troy, Montana
Postby antlercody » Sat Feb 28, 2015 12:03 pm
Hey there, ... Still putting coats of tung oil on my guitar..... It's like watching grass grow!!!
Meanwhile.....
http://youtu.be/M2Pha2cs4s8

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Koshchei
- Platinum Carvinite

- Posts: 2558
- Joined: Nov 2007
- Location: Peterborough, Ontario
Postby Koshchei » Sun Mar 01, 2015 1:44 pm
Is this still an issue? If so, practicing your scales, sevenths, ninths, and arp shapes up and down the neck should definitely help you out.
Naturally, if you start to experience any pain in your hand, stop immediately and take a break. While you'll eventually loosen up your tendons if you practice safely, pushing yourself too hard can cause permanent injury.
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antlercody
- Gold Member

- Posts: 63
- Joined: Jan 2015
- Location: Troy, Montana
Postby antlercody » Sun Mar 01, 2015 9:38 pm
It is... But it's not so much my small, short fingers as it is my hands just going numb.
I have been working aggressively hard with my hands for over forty years. ...not complaining. And darn thankful for the bounty of "blessings" that I have been given along my path.
I have been working scales.. a little... But not sure if I'm doing that correctly? Playing simple cords like in the stuff I'm doing seems to be my musical ability at this point in my life.
...guess I'm just a dreamer. I want to play like Eric and Van Halen... But, maybe it's just wishful thinking?
For now, I'm having a hell of a lot of fun, not pressuring my self into some impossible task... Yet, I know I can get to a point, with practice....
Can someone make a request to add 30 hours to each day rather then 24?
All good... Have four coats of tung oil on my Carvin kit... I think I'll let them finish it next time
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wickid
- Platinum Carvinite

- Posts: 2657
- Joined: Jan 2007
- Location: NY
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Links/Contact:
Postby wickid » Mon Mar 02, 2015 7:49 am
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antlercody
- Gold Member

- Posts: 63
- Joined: Jan 2015
- Location: Troy, Montana
Postby antlercody » Tue Mar 03, 2015 10:10 pm
........So, as I am still applying, I lost count of the number of coats of tung oil... It's at least nine or ten now! Yet, the shine isn't there... Maybe I'm missing something? I just finished the first of four kudu chandeliers for the Memphis zoo, and I can't finish a guitar? ( http://youtu.be/oeZH7jzesqw)
Well, my life is extra busy! By the way, I hope I'm not ding, ding, dinging...
I am really closing in on finishing my kit.... Yo. All you kit potential kit builders out there... It's a loooong haul. But patients always prevails. And guitar players ALWAYS WIN!

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nascarbean_97
- Gold Carvinite

- Posts: 1984
- Joined: Apr 2010
- Location: Vancouver, WA
Postby nascarbean_97 » Wed Mar 04, 2015 2:16 pm
Koshchei wrote:Is this still an issue? If so, practicing your scales, sevenths, ninths, and arp shapes up and down the neck should definitely help you out.
Naturally, if you start to experience any pain in your hand, stop immediately and take a break. While you'll eventually loosen up your tendons if you practice safely, pushing yourself too hard can cause permanent injury.
This is also true. I spent one summer doing like, 8 hour days of guitar practicing and after a month I had to take a month off with no playing because of tendon issues. Don't do that. 
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Levelhead
- Carvinite

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- Location: Philadelphia
Postby Levelhead » Thu Mar 05, 2015 6:28 am
spudmunkey wrote:ted wrote:Tapping can be your friend. Nobody's left hand pinky is as long as the your right index finger can be. 
Ha! That's like saying something like, "you might be able to outrun a police car, but you can't outrun their radio."
What an awesome quote Spudmunkey!
CT424C, CT74C, Bolt C, HH2, B5, IC5W, V3MC, MB10
Soundcloud.com/the-great-funzo Soundcloud.com/mattowax
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bandit2013
- Carvinite

- Posts: 789
- Joined: Jun 2013
- Location: North Carolina
Postby bandit2013 » Sat Feb 27, 2016 11:13 pm
Tung oil does come in a high gloss form. However, the wood will suck it up. That reminds me, I need to refinish my DC200Koa.
As for short pinky, I rarely use mine unless it is for chording. Not much used after it got smashed and broken a few years back. I have been able to get it working again but still not as good as it was 20 years ago but that does not matter anyway, my pinky fingers are much shorter than my thumb even. I thing those awesome guitar players have Alien hands as all their fingers are freakishly long and how they move, is that really human or an illusion?
Guitars:CT624C, DC400W(2), DC200, DC400, DC100, CS6, CT6, BoltC (2), Cobalt 350s, Amps: Mesa Boogie Roadster, RA100, Mark V combo, Carvin V3MC, Mark Bass combo, Drums: Roland TD-15KV (extended kit),Recording: Tascam DP-32SD, RODE NT1-A, Shure SM57, EV RE320, Rivera Rock Crusher Recording
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skully13a
- Gold Carvinite

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- Location: Left side of The Rockies
Postby skully13a » Tue Mar 01, 2016 5:24 pm
SH645 V440T SM212 Stage Master MB10
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John B Jr
- Gold Member

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- Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Postby John B Jr » Fri Mar 04, 2016 10:06 am
Pick up a bass. After a few days of it, your huge, extra long 27" scale will seem like a uke. Any and all of your fingers will be able to smash bar chords with no issue. Even better is the upright bass, those will give you a super-pinky in no time.
My tung oil finish is more of a sheen than a shine; slick as buttered butter.
Be the bass
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jfo3000
- Platinum Member

- Posts: 350
- Joined: Aug 2013
- Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Postby jfo3000 » Wed Mar 16, 2016 6:34 pm
Don't let your thumb go above the skunk stripe on the back of the neck, or imaginary skunk stripe if your guitar doesn't have one; use a classical left hand position.
You say "Yeah, but rockers don't do this!". Well watch Dimebag Daryl play lead, his thumb is rarely visible from the from of the neck. His necks had a hard v profile and his thumb got much leverage perched on that relatively flat under-surface of the v profile.
Holdsworth's thumb is also rarely visible from the front; there's a guy that knows legato!
Make sure your pinky is as perpendicular as possible (APAP) when hammering and pulling of. Practice trilling with the pinky APAP two frets from your first finger. When that move is strong and consistent in volume and tempo trill with the pinky three frets up from the index finger then four and five and six frets; why stop at only three frets?
Practice these trills with both a light touch and a heavy touch. Tall frets make it easier, low action with a nearly straight neck makes it easier as well.
You can raise the action as you get comfortable with the mechanics and get stronger with the mechanics.
Please do let me know how this works, I am truly interested in helping you; hence the long detailed message.
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Doctor Turn
- Elite Carvinite

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- Location: NYC, sans rock clubs and 48th St.
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Postby Doctor Turn » Thu Mar 17, 2016 2:07 am
Even with big hands that's a rule of thumb I find impossible to hold to all the time, and is especially hard to stick with when the lone player in a power trio, where "Wind Cries Mary"/ "Little Wing" style riffing while holding down bass notes with thumb is so deeply ingrained in the muscle memory (Jimi was the reason I started playing years ago).
But you're right. For slinging out complex jazz-rock leads, it's a lot easier. There are little girls with the tiniest baby hands who play in that "proper" position with the thumb on the back of the neck and they fly all over the place playing Becker licks to the tee. SMall hands do NOT have to be a hindrance if you use proper placement, you practice a lot building up your muscles and tendons and keep your thumb in the right spot. If you don't, and have small hands or short fingers, and still keep the thumb up in bridging position... it's going to be very hard on you.
Carvin Weaponry: 1985 DC150K (koa) Stereo, M22N/M22SD w/black hardware. 1985 100 Watt X Amp 2 x 12 combo (XV212) upgraded w/ 2 Vintage 30's ...and other gear. https://soundcloud.com/the_heavy_clouds
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