Hi guys ! ( And girls )

I was practicing this lesson, https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/move_y...le_finger!/ , and when it goes an octave higher, its getting really hard to play because there is an annoying contact between my ring and my pinky. I think I can't do nothing about it, playing in a classical position don't help, and I really want to play this lesson.

Am I the only one suffering from this ? Is there anyway to deal with it ? I don't want to cut my finger!

Do you mean that your little finger is rubbing against your 3rd ? Hmm, yeah I think it's hard to avoid that if you use a classical hand position when playing above the 12th fret.

I tend to avoid classical when above the 12th fret unless I need to play bigger stretches. Those standard 3 not per strings shapes can be just as easily reached if you play with a slight angle

Yea, thats what I mean, even when playing in a "normal" position, there is still that annoying rubbing

Well, the higher you get on the fretboard, the less space there is for your fingers so at some point it gets tought to avoid contact I guess.

Just practice until you're about to bleed, then stop. Do it again the next day. And the next. Before long, you'll be tough as nails and you won't even be able to tell that there is "rubbing".

That, or perhaps some WD-40? (Joking!!) Worked for Paul Gilbert! (Joking....but he does mention it in a video)

Hehehe, I have to try the WD-40 option some time, I guess I just have to make sure I only add it to the fingers of my left hand, otherwise it might be tricky to hold my pick... maybe I should add some superglue to my right hand then... lol

Well, I've heard of spraying WD40 onto a cloth and then wiping the cloth along the back of your guitar neck to make your hand glide more smoothly.

In terms of hardening the skin around your fingers I heard that dipping them in white spirit would dry the skin up. (Not sure it's healthy though !). Best to just condition your fingers naturally

P.S. Whenever me or anyone begins a sentence with 'I heard...' it probably means bad and incorrect advice is about to follow !

This post has been edited by Ben Higgins: Aug 17 2012, 08:30 AM