dwasifar
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- Apr 19, 2021
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I have a serious case of what I've learned is called "hitchhiker's thumb," wherein you can flex your thumbs backward:
A guitar teacher of my acquaintance saw the weird way I hold picks (three fingers, 1-2-T, with the main pressure between the ball of ring finger and ball of thumb) and expressed envy at my being able to hold the pick that way because of the backward thumb. And it's true. Because of it, I can use wrist motions that don't apply if you're holding a pick the more "correct" way. I had never thought about it. I asked around and it runs in the family.
Of course, no benefit comes without a corresponding deficit, and for me it was back-curving left index finger, which made it extra-difficult to learn to barre, and still gives me strain on the wrist tendons:
It takes extra effort to straighten that finger out for barres. The upper picture is me, the lower is my sister, so that runs in the family too.
Anyone else here with weird finger bending to report?
A guitar teacher of my acquaintance saw the weird way I hold picks (three fingers, 1-2-T, with the main pressure between the ball of ring finger and ball of thumb) and expressed envy at my being able to hold the pick that way because of the backward thumb. And it's true. Because of it, I can use wrist motions that don't apply if you're holding a pick the more "correct" way. I had never thought about it. I asked around and it runs in the family.
Of course, no benefit comes without a corresponding deficit, and for me it was back-curving left index finger, which made it extra-difficult to learn to barre, and still gives me strain on the wrist tendons:
It takes extra effort to straighten that finger out for barres. The upper picture is me, the lower is my sister, so that runs in the family too.
Anyone else here with weird finger bending to report?