Is my ukulele fretboard too wide?

Is there that much difference between the width of fretboards on soprano ukuleles?

I have the hardest time contorting my fingers to perform a Bm. My ring finger has to be pretty straight to get over all those strings and I have trouble only pressing down on the G because it is so straight. lt seems to me that if the fretboard was narrower, I'd have a much easier time.

It's not that I have super small hands, but more that the last digit on some of my fingers doesn't bend too easily.

What's the uke brand and model? Can you measure the width and post it? This will help give us an idea if it's indeed too big. If you want a thinner uke neck, the thinnest I've played is by Waverly Street ukes. Dave G, who makes them, is a member here on UU.

I've never played a fretboard too wide. Too narrow, yes. Some of the old banjo ukes have extremely narrow fretboards. The Bm bar is different from the D7 bar you probably already know. On the Bm, if you bar with the middle of your pointer finger rather than the tip, that will put your ring finger closer to the G string. Move that pointer finger around a bit and you'll find there are at least a couple of sweet spots for barring. Luck.

You don't need a different fingerboard. You need to practice. Bm is a basic bar chord that you need to know. Just two fingers. Stay with it and it will happen!

Try changing your arm and wrist positions. Try bringing the uke head up toward your face more, and straighten out your wrist. Maybe you are bending your wrist too much, and making a difficult angle for your fingers. Keep practicing, it will get easier.

–Lori