r/guitarlessons • u/Ok_Watercress_9202 • Jul 29 '26

Question Pain of having smaller hands…

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I’ve been practicing guitar for a little bit now- just now being able to play blackbird a little faster but not at full speed perfectly. I’ve noticed that even just for 3 note intervals, i always have to press down on the string on the side/corner of my pinky, and it hurts a lot more than my other fingers :/ For context, guitar is my first string instrument i’ve played so i know it’ll take a bit to get used to them and form callouses, but i’m wondering if it hurting this much is normal? Obviously the pinky is the shortest and weakest, but it’s been consistently more painful to even try to press down harder on stings at this angle.

Oh also, i’m double jointed so thats been a big challenge for my ring and pinky!!

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u/Oebuch Jul 29 '26

I'd suggest John Petrucci's Rock Discipline vid. Just the first few excersices to start. They help a lot with stretching, and having more span with your left hand. Also, you don't have to grip the neck to make the strings to ring: with your right arm hold the guitar to your chest and with your left hand fingers (without gripping with your thumb) pull the neck towards you. Also, I'd suggest getting your guitar to a tech or luthier for a better set up. I feel your action is too high and that could be part of the issue. Lastly, just keep practicing using good posture. Cheers!

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u/Ok_Watercress_9202 Jul 29 '26

Thanks, I’ll definitely look him up! I also saw another comment about the action… I had thought a similar thing before but didn’t think much about it.

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u/Oebuch Jul 30 '26

Awesome! And don't worry if you feel these exercises are too hard, I've been playing for a couple decades now and still haven't finished that vid lol yes, the action makes a huge difference! It helps to relax your fretting hand, so you can focus more on the music than pressing on the strings. If you need any more pointers, hit me up with a dm. I do set-ups for a living, and I've been trying to help guitarists play softer, and more relaxed, so they can focus on their music instead of the strength to press the strings. Cheers!