The long term side-effect of 53mm nut on the left hand

Costs are rising and times are tough.
Please consider a donation to keep this
place going.

Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.

This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.

We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.

You are logged in as Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >>Discussions >>General >>

Page: [1]

Message

<< Newer Topic Older Topic >>

devilhand

Posts: 1598
Joined: Oct. 15 2019

The long term side-effect of 53mm nu...

Because of my passion for flamenco I've been practicing on a wide neck guitar for the last few months. I still love playing steel string acoustic and e-guitar though. I play them much less than before. What I noticed is my left hand fingers get confused whenever I play my narrow neck guitars. Somehow I feel playing both 52mm and 45mm nut guitar is counterproductive. Does anyone have the same issue?

_____________________________

Say No to Fuera de Compás!!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 24 2020 23:03:38

Stu

Posts: 2526
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

RE: The long term side-effect of 53m... (in reply to devilhand)

Not really any more. When I used to play acoustic/electric and I first played a nylon I remember thinking urgh. This is tricky.I don't like this at all. However, I'm now the other way.I can't recall the last time I played a steel string guitar but I do know I don't like it. Too small and like razors cutting into me.

Im sure some guys probably play both very well and with ease. But for me I've no desire to play anything with steel strings any more so I'm happy to live with the fact that if I do ever happen to pick one up it'll be painful and awkward and annoying...so I'll put it back down and smile to myself and think of my flamenco blanca

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 25 2020 1:09:05

devilhand

Posts: 1598
Joined: Oct. 15 2019

RE: The long term side-effect of 53m... (in reply to Stu)

quote:

But for me I've no desire to play anything with steel strings any more

To me it is wishfull thinking. My muscle memory is really working against my wish. This time I really need to make a pact with the devil hand.

_____________________________

Say No to Fuera de Compás!!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 25 2020 19:38:57

Stu

Posts: 2526
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

RE: The long term side-effect of 53m... (in reply to devilhand)

quote:

To me it is wishfull thinking. My muscle memory is really working against my wish. This time I really need to make a pact with the devil hand.

You've lost me a bit here.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 26 2020 21:35:57

JasonM

Posts: 2054
Joined: Dec. 8 2005
From: Baltimore

RE: The long term side-effect of 53m... (in reply to devilhand)

Yeah, I sometimes have this issue too. I don’t find it counterproductive though. It just takes a little time to adjust if you’ve been playing on one guitar for a long period of time. Actually, I find that different scale lengths trip me up more than nut width. Usually if I pick up a steel string or electric I’m playing with a pick so the right hand is not an issue.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 26 2020 22:38:46

Ricardo

Posts: 14801
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: The long term side-effect of 53m... (in reply to devilhand)

True Passion of Flamenco is mainly due to, sadly, the wide fingerboard at the nut. Gitanos figured out this ancient secret and guard it closely. It comes at a dangerous price however. Long term effects lead to paralysis or even death. To avoid, only use an entry level classical and stick with safe fakemenco material.

_____________________________

CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 27 2020 18:23:58

Auda

Posts: 246
Joined: Sep. 28 2019

RE: The long term side-effect of 53m... (in reply to Ricardo)

quote:

Long term effects lead to paralysis or even death. To avoid, only use an entry level classical

Whew! You had me worried there for a second.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 27 2020 21:54:58

ernandez R

Posts: 737
Joined: Mar. 25 2019
From: Alaska USA

RE: The long term side-effect of 53m... (in reply to devilhand)

Not to be pedantic, anything closer would be anal, but the mistro of the hand con heavy D did say a 53mm left nut...

I'll leave the rest up to you or perhaps the recently resurrected Banana San will bless this thread with with his wit most egregious.

On my last two Flamenco builds I made the fretboard a few millimeter wider then the standard, I don't recall exactly at the moment and am still indisposed with my foot condition, I'll measure whilst I can. I have fat fingers and thought I should try for more room, not some micron of a millimeter spread out six ways to Sunday but a fat five or more.

The other day I had a steel string player on one of my earlier guitar builds, #4 I think, and he loves the width, the latest wide girth one not so much. Ha, what does he know! Thinking he was more put off by the sinful 666mm scale only he didn't know what those numbers mean. Guessing he thinks I'm a Penatenas playing Satinest rather then the Dog worshiping, bad spelling, Atheist that I am in secret.

I've found that just mixing up the widths teaches your mind to flexible. I find many get locked up in the details and forget to just play. Watching players tune insescently, and retune, and tune again, is more I nerves tic miss learned. I was a Bartender at a well known west coast club, The Catalyst in Santa Cruze, and watched bands three or four nights a week. It became a joke with us bartenders, ah he is tuning again: DRINK! Walked back to his amp to tweek mid song: ANOTHER LINE! Is it any wonder my mind is still flexible enough to play anything with frets to some degree?

For me it is all about the action. How low the strings are so my tired old fingers can fret a cord and bar up to the six fret or so without muting half the strings I didn't intend to. As a builder this is my challenge and has been my failure. Getting better. As a player I feel a I will need a double hand transplant to ever play more then the most basic cords. So low action and fat frets for me, a wide left nut ;) , string pop and buzz galore, and I don't care, I am playing to impress no one, for joy alone, and if someone hears me and comments, hay man sounds good!, then all the more better. Couple months ago my partner says to me, I had to stop hooking* for a moment and listen because what you were playing was really good...

HR

*hooking a rug...

_____________________________

I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy,
doesn't have to be fast,
should have some meat on the bones,
can be raw or well done,
as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.

www.instagram.com/threeriversguitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 28 2020 0:55:58

Stu

Posts: 2526
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

RE: The long term side-effect of 53m... (in reply to ernandez R)

quote:

*hooking a rug...

Thanks for the asterisk and the explanation underneath to clarify what hooking meant..

I think I need another asterisk and explanation for your explanation!

Is that like making a rug? Maybe a hook is used to weave the thing?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 28 2020 11:52:12

RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

RE: The long term side-effect of 53m... (in reply to devilhand)

I don’t think you should worry about any long term effects. It’s just a matter of adjustment. No need to give up playing your steel string acoustic or air guitars.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 28 2020 13:50:05

Richard Jernigan

Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA

RE: The long term side-effect of 53m... (in reply to Stu)

Rug hooking. Short lengths of woolen yarn are pulled through holes in the substrate with a rug hook. Sometimes the loop side is displayed, sometimes the loose ends (on the other side of the substrate here) are sheared to make a smooth surface which is displayed.

My mother-in-law made beautiful hooked rugs to her own designs. They are still in the house where my ex-wife and I lived--she still owns it--and where our son lives now.

Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px

Attachment (1)

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 30 2020 5:48:45

Auda

Posts: 246
Joined: Sep. 28 2019

RE: The long term side-effect of 53m... (in reply to Richard Jernigan)

quote:

My mother-in-law made beautiful hooked rugs to her own designs.

My wife has also hooked phenomenal looking rugs but all the accoutrements (surprising how many there are) were given away when we moved out of the UK. She spends her time writing novels now.

Cheers

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 30 2020 12:38:31