Hand Mutes “A” String, String Spacing Wider than Accustomed To

[Farkvam]

Hi everyone,

As posted recently I just acquired a new Martin S1 and am thrilled to bits with it. One thing I’ve noticed which is more my fault than the uke’s is that the strings are more spaced out and therefore the A string is closer to the edge of the fretboard than my Ohanas. I play with “wrong” technique meaning wrapping my whole hand around the neck rather than with my thumb on the back.

My issue is my technique causes some mild muting of the A string here and there when I play from my hand. Does this happen to anyone else here and did you adjust? I’m thinking it might be good for me to learn how to adjust to things like this rather than be lazy...but do you think my playing would adjust naturally to the point of not even thinking about that adjustment one day? I am not about to change to placing my thumb on the back as that means learning to play all over again, but I can try to give more space to that string.

This may be a silly question, I was just wondering if any of you have been there and if you eventually adjusted to it

 

[gustophersmob]

I had that issue early on in my uke playing when transitioning from guitar. For many guitar chords I have my thumb wrpped around instead of in the middle of the neck (bad technique, I know), and thats how I initially started on the uke. I've now got to the point that I rarely play chords that way.

 

[rhiggie]

So, having played tenor for years, I decided I loved the plinky planky voice of the soprano for some songs. So I got one and guess what? The fretboard was way smaller than I was used to. My chords were partly muffled, my fingers were all on top of each other. But in pretty short order they figured how to adjust and do what they were used to do. But a tip is, while they are adjusting, leave the Ohana's alone! Good luck!

 

[rainbow21]

There are two opposing thumb (which makes us human) techniques that I use and are taught.

One is as you describe and here I had to pay attention to my hand position. For example, a G chord the fingers could almost be perpendicular to the strings with a space separating the fingers and hand from the fretboard. But you could hold this fingering and rotate the hand counterclockwise so the index finger actually touches the soundboard or headstock (and supports the neck better). You can experiment with this rotation.

The other is with the thumb behind the neck. This is necessary for barre chords.

I still use both without thinking about it most of the time. As you play, you will likely learn how to adjust and adapt.

 

[ploverwing]

I'm a beginner and am still figuring out where best to place my left hand/fingers (actually same for right hand, fingerstyle) I will notice that I sometimes mute the A in certain chord shapes. I think if you are aware of when you do it, work on slight adjustments to your hand position when it happens, and see what works to eliminate the issue. My teacher is all about exploring your interface with the instrument and trying to see, with very small adjustments, what changes can be achieved. Good luck!

 

[Farkvam]

Thank you all for your input, I’ve thought about what you all have said and tried some different techniques, such as rotating my hand a bit and that has helped quite a bit. As a result I’m thinking I will indeed adjust naturally. Thanks again!