how to play with a broken finger

[Bucky]

I have a fractured left middle finger. I was wondering if there was
ways to play guitar with 1 or 2 fingers. All I need to do is to play
basic chords (major and minor). I have full use of my index and pinky
fingers.

I was thinking maybe using alternate tunings? Slide guitar? It has to
be a simple method that I can pick up immediately in a day or two.
Thanks for any ideas.

[Tony Done]

Post by Bucky
I have a fractured left middle finger. I was wondering if there was
ways to play guitar with 1 or 2 fingers. All I need to do is to play
basic chords (major and minor). I have full use of my index and pinky
fingers.
I was thinking maybe using alternate tunings? Slide guitar? It has to
be a simple method that I can pick up immediately in a day or two.
Thanks for any ideas.

This is you chance to learn slide guitar! Major chords, and implied minors
are easy in open major tunings. For years I've been advocating slide guitar,
especially lap steel, for those who have acquired disabilities through
injury or age.

Have a look at this, and weep:

As you can see, Django only had the use of two fingers on his left hand, yet
he was one of the best guitar players ever, without qualification.

Tony D

[Bucky]

Post by Tony Done
This is you chance to learn slide guitar! Major chords, and implied minors
are easy in open major tunings. For years I've been advocating slide guitar,
especially lap steel, for those who have acquired disabilities through
injury or age.

Thanks for your suggestion. I got a glass slide and tried it out, but
it didn't work too well with my low action acoustic. Since my situation
is only temporary, I'm not going to get a new guitar for slide. But it
was interesting to try out, thanks!

I'm probably going to use an open tuning and play bar chords without a
slide.

[Mike Brown]

Post by Bucky

Post by Tony Done
This is you chance to learn slide guitar! Major chords, and implied minors
are easy in open major tunings. For years I've been advocating slide guitar,
especially lap steel, for those who have acquired disabilities through
injury or age.

Thanks for your suggestion. I got a glass slide and tried it out, but
it didn't work too well with my low action acoustic. Since my situation
is only temporary, I'm not going to get a new guitar for slide. But it
was interesting to try out, thanks!
I'm probably going to use an open tuning and play bar chords without a
slide.

...

Buy a "nut raiser", a little device that slips over the nut, and raises
the strings enough to allow lap slide work.

And treatr youself to a lap steel slide, there are all sorts of shapes
and sizes out there.

You never know, it might become another addiction, I don't play lap a
lot, and rarely in public, but I do enjoy it.

I bought a cheap laminated dread and did a permanent conversion job on
it bu fitting a brass nut and saddle, it sounds great.

MJRB

[Tony Done]

Post by Mike Brown

Post by Bucky

Post by Tony Done
This is you chance to learn slide guitar! Major chords, and implied minors
are easy in open major tunings. For years I've been advocating slide guitar,
especially lap steel, for those who have acquired disabilities through
injury or age.

Thanks for your suggestion. I got a glass slide and tried it out, but
it didn't work too well with my low action acoustic. Since my situation
is only temporary, I'm not going to get a new guitar for slide. But it
was interesting to try out, thanks!
I'm probably going to use an open tuning and play bar chords without a
slide.

Buy a "nut raiser", a little device that slips over the nut, and raises
the strings enough to allow lap slide work.
And treatr youself to a lap steel slide, there are all sorts of shapes and
sizes out there.
You never know, it might become another addiction, I don't play lap a lot,
and rarely in public, but I do enjoy it.
I bought a cheap laminated dread and did a permanent conversion job on it
bu fitting a brass nut and saddle, it sounds great.
MJRB

...

Yes, you sometimes find a really good plywood cheapo. I played an old
plywood Kiso Suzuki, from the adjustable saddle era, a few weeks ago that I
thought would have been great for slide.

For the OP, you can do any even more minimal conversion than Mike's
suggestion. Just put a shim under the saddle, about the thickness of a
popsicle stick. This will make it easy to play spanish position slide, and
will even work OK for lap style if you have a light touch and use a light
slide - eg a genuine wine bottle neck or similar.

Tony D

[Steve Perry]

Post by Bucky
I have a fractured left middle finger. I was wondering if there was
ways to play guitar with 1 or 2 fingers. All I need to do is to play
basic chords (major and minor). I have full use of my index and pinky
fingers.
I was thinking maybe using alternate tunings? Slide guitar? It has to
be a simple method that I can pick up immediately in a day or two.
Thanks for any ideas.

Bucky --

Tune to an open G or D and you can make major chords with a barre or a
slide, and probably get by with your good fingers on minors. Sevenths
and ninths'll probably get a little trickier ...

[Bucky]

Post by Steve Perry
Tune to an open G or D and you can make major chords with a barre or a
slide, and probably get by with your good fingers on minors. Sevenths
and ninths'll probably get a little trickier ...

Thanks. I experimented around, I'm probably going to use a crossnote
tuning (open Dm or Gm) or modal tuning (open Dsus2 or Gsus2). That way
I can make all major/minor chords with a bar plus one finger.

On a related note, it's pretty tiring/painful to bar 6 strings *all*
the time. Is there some kind of device that can aid with barring? The
slide does not seem to be a good candidate because when I use it to
fret, the glass is so hard that it actually bends the notes out of tune
when I press down. Anything with a softer material, maybe like the
material used on a capo, except that it fits on a finger?

[Lumberjack]

Post by Bucky

Post by Steve Perry
Tune to an open G or D and you can make major chords with a barre or a
slide, and probably get by with your good fingers on minors. Sevenths
and ninths'll probably get a little trickier ...

Thanks. I experimented around, I'm probably going to use a crossnote
tuning (open Dm or Gm) or modal tuning (open Dsus2 or Gsus2). That way
I can make all major/minor chords with a bar plus one finger.
On a related note, it's pretty tiring/painful to bar 6 strings *all*
the time. Is there some kind of device that can aid with barring? The
slide does not seem to be a good candidate because when I use it to
fret, the glass is so hard that it actually bends the notes out of tune
when I press down. Anything with a softer material, maybe like the
material used on a capo, except that it fits on a finger?

...

Plastic pipe.

[Bucky]

Post by Bucky
On a related note, it's pretty tiring/painful to bar 6 strings *all*
the time. Is there some kind of device that can aid with barring?

I found the perfect "device"!

Examining my capo, I realized that it was a rubber pad that was
contacting the strings. Then all the sudden it hit me, my fractured
finger was wrapped with 3M Coban. It's a durable, stretchy, bandage
that also contains some latex rubber. I wrapped some around my good
index finger, and it was perfect: flexible, non-slip, and protects my
finger from strings digging into them while barring chords. Even in the
future, I will probably use this if I need to do a lot of bar chords
and my finger hurts.

3M Coban wrap:
http://www.drugstore.com/qxp76518_333181_sespider/nexcare/coban_self_adherent_wrap_1_in_.htm

[FirstAlternate]

Interestingly, I broke the same finger about 12 years ago. I used basic
chords and a capo, with no specific tuning adjustments. I also made
extensive use of my thumb, and my right hand technique helped me avoid
strings I couldn't fret well. Short version - experiment, it can be done.