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New One for Beep.
John Holbo at Crooked Timber has some problems: http://crookedtimber.../05/guitarfinger/

I took up guitar in my middle-age some months ago. I’m teaching myself. I think that’s working out ok. But I have a question for you lurking shredders and orthopaedic medical professionals in the CT commentariat. My fretting fingers work thusly. I can make a nice A-shape chord with my pinky, which has learned to bend back at the top joint in an accommodating sort of way. But my ring finger refuses to bend back. At all. I can’t even get it a few degree back past straight, so I can’t even cover two strings, let alone three. (That whole ‘just let the high E be deadened’ kludge doesn’t work for me. I can’t get the B. One lousy note isn’t going to cut it as an A-shape chord.) So my pinky is getting a lot more A-shape barring work than is, I think, standard for his sort of finger. Yes, some people have real problems. My question is whether there is any healthy and effective way to train my ring finger to ‘break at the joint’. Intuitively the way to do it would be like learning the splits. A bit more each day until you’ve got it. But maybe I’m just going to give myself arthritis for my troubles if I try to become double-jointed where I wasn’t born to be. I’ve asked a few guitarists who have offered variations on ‘you don’t need to be able to bend your joint back, dude, just figure out how to sort of do it with what you’ve got.’ But, with all due respect, I suspect most guitarists can get their top joint to bend back at least a few degrees past straight. All my other fingers do, just not the ring finger. Discuss.

Guitar players: how far back do the top joints of your barring fingers bend? How long did it take you to get it there, if you happen to remember?


Cheers,
Scott.
(Whose left ring finger doesn't bend back too much, either.)
New To be honest...
I don't remember:-) Getting good bars did take a couple of years. To guess the answer, I get maybe 10-15 degrees under pressure.

I do know guys that "just went pinky", though. The advice he was given is correct. Do what works for you (unless, of course, you think you are going to enter battle of the bands opposite Steve Vai or some such nonsense)
Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
New Mine doesn't bend back at all
It's okay if you cover more strings with the barre than you really need it to... after all, the right hand has to hit the string for it to make noise. My guess is he's really complaining about inadequate right hand control of the strings....
New Seemed like
he was expecting to be able to bar A and still get low E to ring...that will be a problem if there is no bend.

Its not an issue much at all playing rock or blues with any distortion on electric...but on acoustic it can be an issue for certain songs. A lower action guitar is EXTREMELY helpful here...my TAK, Ovation and others have "fast" action that makes this task simpler (along with most electrics).
Sure, understanding today's complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But...there they are.
New I actually posted about different approaches to that
as polyorchnid octopunch. If I need the high e string's note, I'll generally get it on the B three frets up from the third.
New From a massage therapy perspective...
OK, you aren't going to give yourself arthritis. Doesn't work that way. Tendinitis, maybe.

Possibilities:

1) The actual bone/cartilage structures are limiting ROM (Range Of Motion). If that's the case, nothing I can suggest will help.

2) The joint capsule is restricting ROM. The joint capsule is a sort of envelope around the joint that contains lubricating fluids and keeps crud out. It could be tight. In this case, it would be tight on the palm side. Sometimes it is tight because a fold has become stuck together - that's one possibility in frozen shoulder. If it is a fold, you are in big luck, because once you get it unstuck you've got it. Whether it is a fold or just tight, the tissue responds very slowly to gentle pressure. On the palm side, press against the joint until you feel you have kind of a grip on the tissue, and slide it to the side. Hold for between 90 seconds and 5 minutes, slide back to neutral position (this is important, just letting go isn't good) and let up, rub for circulation, and then repeat, sliding the other way. Also slide toward the finger and away from it. Don't press hard, don't slide hard. The tissue is kind of like Saran-wrap, it stretches if you apply gentle force for a long time. If the finger or thumb doing the work is getting tired, you are doing it too hard. If the hand you are working on hurts, you are doing it too hard. After a few repetitions, you should see a little increased ROM. If not, this isn't the restriction.

3) Ligaments are tight. The ligaments in question here are (probably - hands are ridiculously complicated and there are other structures that can restrict ROM) the ones running from the base of the finger to the heel of the hand. When you try to hyperextend (bend back) the finger you should be able to feel, and maybe see, the structure. Rub it, in a circular motion, along its whole length. Every once in a while, gently push the finger towards hyperextension. Ligaments are tough and take a ridiculous amount of work to relax. But it is possible.

For both of these, I can't stress enough: GENTLE. Slow and gentle. This is not a "no pain no gain" thing. If you push hard enough to hurt, you can cause damage, and the tissues will fight back and you will lose ROM instead of gaining. These are multi-session, multi-day processes. But if you are slow and gentle about it, even if you don't get the ROM you are looking for, you will do your hand good.
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I think it's perfectly clear we're in the wrong band.
(Tori Amos)
     One for Beep. - (Another Scott) - (5)
         To be honest... - (beepster) - (3)
             Mine doesn't bend back at all - (jake123) - (2)
                 Seemed like - (beepster) - (1)
                     I actually posted about different approaches to that - (jake123)
         From a massage therapy perspective... - (mhuber)

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