Double Jointed Guitarists

[kimhags]

so here's the thing, I was born double jointed or A.K.A hypermobility where you can bend parts of your body to a certain extent especially the fingers and I have read some "myths" that you can't play the guitar if you're double jointed. heck, even my friends told me I can't play the guitar before I started but I've proven them wrong already. I do have my share of struggles like I have a hard time doing barre chords because my fingers aren't straight and if I play fast my fingers tend to stiff up but it doesn't stop me 'cause I love playing the guitar too much that I don't see it as a problem. I made this thread to share this condition and maybe even debunk the myth that double jointed people can't play the guitar. also, there may be other forumites out there that have the same condition and can share their struggles and what they do/did to overcome them.

[riffscreamer]

Counted ba double-jointed thumbs?

[kimhags]

Counted ba double-jointed thumbs?

yup counted din ata yan. iba sa akin kasi lahat ng fingers ko double jointed. 

[riffscreamer]

I just checked. Pati pala yung ibang fingers ko can bend at angles way more than usual. I never really noticed how it may hinder my guitar playing. Pero for the longest time now, hindi talaga ako makaplay as fast as I want to. Maybe yun yung cause? I don't know really.

But then again, I've given up on playing fast months ago, and focused instead on playing whatever the hell I want/can. Nag-eenjoy parin naman ako even if I can't play super fast licks. I may not be the best guitarist out there, but I still love playing, double-jointed or not. In the end, I guess that's all that matters.

[kimhags]

I just checked. Pati pala yung ibang fingers ko can bend at angles way more than usual. I never really noticed how it may hinder my guitar playing. Pero for the longest time now, hindi talaga ako makaplay as fast as I want to. Maybe yun yung cause? I don't know really.

But then again, I've given up on playing fast months ago, and focused instead on playing whatever the hell I want/can. Nag-eenjoy parin naman ako even if I can't play super fast licks. I may not be the best guitarist out there, but I still love playing, double-jointed or not. In the end, I guess that's all that matters.

it may be the cause kasi ganyan din ako. I love to play metal so I try to play fast but I don't force myself. I just start slow as usual and build up speed pero somehow my fingers stiff up eventually then I stop.

may mga nabasa lang kasi ako na double jointed people can't play or may have a hard time playing but it didn't stop me, I love playing the guitar too much.

[guitarwiz02]

Wes Montgomery had a double-jointed thumb.

[kimhags]

I wonder if there are famous guitarists that are also double jointed?

[KASALANAN]

dunno if this counts as a double jointed hand





bata palang ako ganyan na siya e doesnt hinder my playing naman, i still can make decent fast runs kahit papano. BTW the picture shown is my actual hand in its normal "panatang makabayan" position

[kimhags]

dunno if this counts as a double jointed hand





bata palang ako ganyan na siya e doesnt hinder my playing naman, i still can make decent fast runs kahit papano. BTW the picture shown is my actual hand in its normal "panatang makabayan" position

ganyan din kamay ko bro so yeah your double jointed din. hehe! I can play fast din but not shredding fast, I'm not that good yet. hehe!

[KASALANAN]

@kimhags
actually ewan ko ha. when i started playing the guitar (3rd yr college) i noticed na malakas na kagad yun first 3 fingers (so i had fun immediately doing 3 notes per string octave patterns) ko hanggang sa ring finger, my pinky was very stubborn kasi "nagjo-joint" siya e, medyo nagla-lock lalo na sa string skips and sweeps, kaya ayun super nahirapan ako idevelop (hanggang ngayon) yung pinky ko, though its way malakas na kesa date

[kimhags]

@kimhags
actually ewan ko ha. when i started playing the guitar (3rd yr college) i noticed na malakas na kagad yun first 3 fingers (so i had fun immediately doing 3 notes per string octave patterns) ko hanggang sa ring finger, my pinky was very stubborn kasi "nagjo-joint" siya e, medyo nagla-lock lalo na sa string skips and sweeps, kaya ayun super nahirapan ako idevelop (hanggang ngayon) yung pinky ko, though its way malakas na kesa date

ganyan din ako when I started. I never had that much problems sa three fingers pero yung pinky parang ang tigas eh until now. if nahihirapan ako umabot sa isang note nag-a-adjust nalang ako and use my ring finger instead pero ngayon I'm still working on strengthening my pinky kasi ito nalang talaga ang matigas galawin. may mga improvements naman compared nung dati and parang nag-loosen up na yung pinky ko pero may mga times pa din na parang naglolock siya.

[KASALANAN]

ganyan din ako when I started. I never had that much problems sa three fingers pero yung pinky parang ang tigas eh until now. if nahihirapan ako umabot sa isang note nag-a-adjust nalang ako and use my ring finger instead pero ngayon I'm still working on strengthening my pinky kasi ito nalang talaga ang matigas galawin. may mga improvements naman compared nung dati and parang nag-loosen up na yung pinky ko pero may mga times pa din na parang naglolock siya.

yeah haha naaliw ako dito, parehas kasi tayo haha, actually i really ignored my pinky before kasi malaki yung kamay ko, so i can stretch it ng malayo layo, pero one day i realized yung convenience of using all 4 fingers, makes life easier tska balanced yun bigay ng stress sa bawat daliri

[kimhags]

yeah haha naaliw ako dito, parehas kasi tayo haha, actually i really ignored my pinky before kasi malaki yung kamay ko, so i can stretch it ng malayo layo, pero one day i realized yung convenience of using all 4 fingers, makes life easier tska balanced yun bigay ng stress sa bawat daliri

ako din I thought I could live with using 3 fingers when playing pero as what a guitarist on youtube said, "when you play with 3 fingers only, you're cutting 25% of your arsenal so why leave it out?". so I started using my pinky to make playing easy pero mahirap talaga at first pero ngayon may progress na. 

[Bolt Thrower]

haha im in this club. my index to my ring finger are double jointed. awesome sh1t when you show them that bar chord and the middle finger sticks and stifens up like a bad birdie.

plus i have a pinky fracture with a metal plate. not really hard playing. you just have to get used to it. but i know the feeling when the bones and joint wont just bend like how you like it to. specially when you are doing fretboard 3 fret stretches. tapping can be a problem to since the fretting hand just sticks up and is not consistent with hammering on. 

[kimhags]

haha im in this club. my index to my ring finger are double jointed. awesome sh1t when you show them that bar chord and the middle finger sticks and stifens up like a bad birdie.

plus i have a pinky fracture with a metal plate. not really hard playing. you just have to get used to it. but i know the feeling when the bones and joint wont just bend like how you like it to. specially when you are doing fretboard 3 fret stretches. tapping can be a problem to since the fretting hand just sticks up and is not consistent with hammering on. 

haha. nice to know na may mga double jointed din dito. it is hard to play fast sometimes though especially when your fingers stiff up like a b**** that's why I warm my hands up before playing like stretching and bending them and crack my knuckles, after that I'm set. my pinky is the toughest one and it is a problem sometimes but I'm used to it since I'm born this way and I even thought ganito na talaga ang fingers ng lahat ng tao.  nalaman ko lang na double jointed ako a few years ago nung sinabi ng tita ko na doctor.

[KASALANAN]

hahaha guys when you have time post pics of your double joint hand haha. kahiya naman ako lang nagpost ng pics e hahaha

[kimhags]

hahaha guys when you have time post pics of your double joint hand haha. kahiya naman ako lang nagpost ng pics e hahaha

haha. I'll post mine tomorrow bro, hihintayin ko lang DSLR ng sister ko. hehe!