Can short men with stubby fingers make it as Guitarists at international levels?

Dude Shawn Lane, Marty Friedman and Micahel Romeo = Beasts

I don't know Shawn Lane's height but those fingers were short and stubby looking. He did not look very tall.
 
Now that I think of some of my friends who are 6' 4" and up on average cannot play fast at all. Some of them have told me that their hands are so big that its hard to be precise and quick. So who knows. Of course there is paul gilbert who is tall and he shreds.
 
Without a doubt the best player I ever had the privilege of studying with was short, and had small hands. In addition to having wicked chops, he was the most musical improvisor I've ever heard.
 
sprint said:
Tony Iommi accidently cut off the ends of
some of his fretting hand fingers while he worked in a factory before any success with Black Sabbath. He was not expected to play guitar very well after that and certainly not well enough to play professionally. He didn't give up though, figuring out how to fabricate rubber finger tips and relentlessly learning to play with those. We know the rest of that story and there's many others like it, which tells us that inner strength, drive, dedication, and a myriad of other factors play a huge role in any form of success.

  • Jeff Healey (blind).
  • Joni Mitchell (Fretting hand strength limited from polio).
  • Les Paul - (Fretting arm in fixed position due to a car accident).
  • Paul Stanley (Deaf in one ear).
...

I doubt any of these
folks would have been deterred by stubby fingers.
Click to expand...
Let’s add Django Reinhardt to that list. Due to a fire he could only use two fingers of his fretting hand and he could still kick anybody’s *ss.
 
As seen in this thread, physical limitations real or perceived are not the deciding factor. Some people are prodigious, some are naturally endowed with talent for the instrument, and some people have to put in the time to develop it, regardless of physical attributes. It's the 10,000 hour rule. The greats fall into all 3 categories but always the 10,000 hours...
 
sprint said:
Tony Iommi accidently cut off the ends of
some of his fretting hand fingers while he worked in a factory before any success with Black Sabbath. He was not expected to play guitar very well after that and certainly not well enough to play professionally. He didn't give up though, figuring out how to fabricate rubber finger tips and relentlessly learning to play with those. We know the rest of that story and there's many others like it, which tells us that inner strength, drive, dedication, and a myriad of other factors play a huge role in any form of success.

  • Jeff Healey (blind).
  • Joni Mitchell (Fretting hand strength limited from polio).
  • Les Paul - (Fretting arm in fixed position due to a car accident).
  • Paul Stanley (Deaf in one ear).
...

I doubt any of these
folks would have been deterred by stubby fingers.
Click to expand...
Les Paul's right arm (the strumming arm) was the one that was broken. He told the doctor to aim it at his navel when they set it. He was in the hospital a year and a half after that car accident. (Just re-watched a documentary on him a few nights ago.)
 
This kinda applies to everything, not just guitar, but as you become more experienced, what you can and can't do becomes more sharply in focus. If you can address the things you can't do, do it. Sometimes things which seem impossible are not only possible but easy once you come at a problem with a plan. But in the end, the real secret to success is to focus in on the things you can do and try to do them better than anyone else.
 
TG3K said:
Les Paul's right arm (the strumming arm) was the one that was broken. He told the doctor to aim it at his navel when they set it. He was in the hospital a year and a half after that car accident. (Just re-watched a documentary on him a few nights ago.)
Click to expand...

There's the story of Pat Martino as well who had a brain aneurism requiring surgery in his 30's and forgot how to play (amnesia pretty much across the board). He had to completely relearn the instrument (and really, relearn life) and after a near decade break continued his career into his 70's.
 
dsouza said:
It seems like at high levels of competition the Music Industry is calling for tall men with long fingers.

That seems to be the defacto standard for guitarists.

Can short men with construction finger hands (stubby fingers) still "make it" as guitarists?
Click to expand...
Define "guitarist".
 
This is any interesting subject. I’ve talked with another guitar friend about this often. I am amazed when I see those players that seem to have the perfect fingers and hands. I call them spider hands. Thin, long and articulate. The truth is, most of the guitar players that really made a mark did not have exceptionally perfect hands. Even those that did it was more about learning to place them accurately on the fretboard with the right strength, but also delicacy. I don’t have long thin fingers, but have enough hand size and length of finger that seems to work. What I seemed to have had from the start was the ability to instinctively know how to leverage and maneuver to get the most economy of effort. I still had to work, but learned early that with enough effort you can make your hands and fingers do what you want.

I’ll be 58 soon and have had arthritis and inflammation really throw me for a loop in the last few years. That has been a huge challenge. I am trying my hardest to change some techniques and my mental state to overcome some of it. I simply can’t do certain things anymore, but I’m concentrating on being a better musician. Warming up longer helps too.
 
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