David O Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 Hi guys. I'm looking for some advice. I'm right handed and lost half of my thumb on my left hand in 2017 in a motorcycle accident a couple months after starting to play electric guitar. I haven't played since, so really would be looking at starting all over again. I have about 2cm of thumb on my left hand from the knuckle, which articulates normally, but from the tip to the first joint was amputated, so unless I completely change my hand position, I can't hit the first string with Ol' Stumpy. I'm wondering whether I should just learn to play with this limitation (mostly like rock and metal) or switch to a left handed guitar, which wouldn't be my dominant side. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 I'm a bit confused. Are you talking about curling your thumb over the top of the neck to fret the thick E string? You say you can't hit the first string with your thumb, but that would be the thinnest string, so I'm not sure why you'd be using your thumb on it. I'm sure you know about Tony Iommi, of Black Sabbath and how he lost the tips of his fingers on his fretting hand. He made prosthetic tips and changed the way he played to accommodate it. Also, Django Reinhardt lost the use of his ring and index fingers so modified the way he played. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 I assume that when you say you can't hit the first string with your thumb, you actually mean the sixth (low E) by wrapping your thumb over. If that is the case, although I sometimes do it myself, it is often frowned upon by guitar teachers, as anchoring your thumb at the back of the neck is the traditional method, as this gives better articulation/angle of attack to the fingers. Forgive me if I've misunderstood. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankAtari Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 Hi David, I hope this message finds you well. Listen to this video and think it over. I admire Mike Stern very much for he is as humble as he is a terrific player. I can't tell you exactly what to do because you know your situation better than anybody else, but my advise is to develop your own playing technique with the tools you have (well, read fingers). You can still play rhythm guitar like a god and be second to none. You can also play solos with your index, middle and ring finger. This is what I would do, don't try to mimic other players, who can hold a pick, just be yourself and be proud of it. You'll get there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankAtari Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 5 hours ago, David O said: ...Thoughts? David... It's a bit of a handicap, but not much of one, I'd suggest, as long as you can grip the guitar neck with the left hand. As mentioned above, it's not 'best practice' to use the thumb for playing, or muting, the sixth string (the low 'E'...). No longer having that option won't prevent you playing all the rest of the guitar styles. Just pick it up and play, as most of us did, and keep 'Ol' Stumpy' on the middle of the guitar neck, in true traditional manner. The notion of going 'lefty' is not daft, though; there are many lefty guitarists who play 'righty'; it's simply a question of doing it; it becomes natural quickly enough. I have a brother, a hard lefty, who picked up my righty guitars at first, and was very soon playing far better than I was. His 'dominant' left hand was much more dextrous with chords and fingering, so I know that it can be successful. It would be to your advantage to try this out as soon as possible, though, and stick with it; it's not so easy changing once the brain has decided what each hand does. Good luck with your decision, whichever way you choose to go; neither are an obstacle to becoming proficient. I'd add my usual encouraging phrase, useful in so many circumstances... 'It's the first forty years that are the hardest, after which things sometimes tend to get slightly better.' ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Variable Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 I suppose the thumb over the top hendrix style might be problematic but thats really just a style so dont let that stop you. You'll develop your own style for sure. Ive often thought i should be strumming picking left and fretting right hand, i mean my right hand is by default my most dextrous hand. Im right handed, fretting is the more complex than picking isnt it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David O Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 Thanks guys. I'll persevere with holding the neck with my left hand and strumming/picking with my right. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
