problems with hands

Does anybody else have any problems with their hands that effects your playing that you have to have worked around. I have cut the tip of my left index finger 1/2 off, I had no medical ins so I just tried to line it up as best I could and just taped it back on hoping for the best, It healed, (thank God) and is no problem as long as I use light gauge strings. My left pinky finger was 1/2 cut off and could not be put back on, my left ring finger was mangled and now is slightly twisted and bent towards my middle finger. I cut down 1/2 way thru the knucle on my left thumb, and the tip of my left middle finger was crushed. it healed and is no problem now. also I cut to the bone and severd some nerves on my left index finger again healed and is no prob. I am right handed and as you can imagine I can't play like every one else, it took me MANY years to work out a way that I can play, and I am still developing and refineing my style. I have 3 and 1/2 fingers on my fretting hand, I play in standard tuning most of the time. As far as lead playing I can play as fast as almost any one exept for SOME of the best, but I have to pick most notes. I use 5 fingering patterns for all major and minor scales and pentatonics which cover the intire fret board, and I can move from one to another with ease. Hammer ons are no problem but pull offs are a little tricky. Fret taping? forget it, I can do some but not much to talk about. sweep picking? again can't do it with my hand like that.

Chords are another story. As you can easily see I can't play chords like every one else, but I can play most chord voicing the same as anyone can BUT I do it a little different . for example, with E shape barr chords I barr with my index, then I hold both the A and D string notes with my ring finger, the G string with my middle finger, all notes ring clear and true and I can finger them as fast as anybody else. with A shape barr chords I hold the root note on the A string with my index finger and I ues my ring finger to bar the D,G, and B strings muting the high E string, ( I think that is how most players do those anyway), again all notes are clear and dead on, and I can finger them and go back and forth between those 2 shapes as fast as anyone. I can't finger the full C shape barr chord so I finger just part of it, either high tones or low depending on the need in the song. G shape barr chords? no problem, bar with my index hold the e string with my ring and the B string with my middle then the high E with the 1/2 of my pinky finger. With most chord voicings such as with 9's sharp and flat 5ths and many others I omit what ever note I can an stress the notes that are the most important. What makes it possible for me is the fact that with most chords you can play just the triad with the upper extentions you need and you can omit some of the triad like the bass note especially if you have a bass player. My favorite style of music is Jazz and in jazz you mostly just play 3 and 4 note chords anyway. There are some chords where I use my index finger to barr strings on 2 frets at the same time, example with one Maj7 th voice I use my index finger to barr the high E string on one fret and the B string on the next fret and use my other fingers to play the other 3 notes, This is called a Knucle Barr chord as far as I have heard. there are MANY different ways of voicing any chord so I can ALWAYS find something that works.

In case some one might think I don't play well, remember Django, his lfet hand was worse then mine is. I play lead in a Praise and Worship band and we play EVERY Sunday and I get MANY compliments on my playing and no one knows about my hand exept for the band and very few others . Our rythumn guitar player once said that he would have to cut off a finger to play as good as I do.
Sorry about the long post

impressive story. not really any thing wrong with my hands but the occasional arthritis from using them too much. but hey, if you can work through your problem, more power to you.

Arghhhhhhhhh... I need paragraphs!

TL; DR

I've broken the knuckle and joint of my pinky and middle fingers on my left(fretting) hand, they healed as they do but I cannot make them flat so I have trouble barring and also getting enough air to prevent string deadening.
I have real bad pains in my ring finger if I try to do a bar chord like:
D:2
A:2
E:2
mostly due to it being lower then my other fingers on my fretting hand, I don't know why but it goes about 5mm lower then my other fingers and the joint bends backwards when I try to straighten all the fingers on my fretting hand. Also have real bad joint pains sometimes, like arthritis but the doctor said its not -.-
My right (strumming) hand is fine compared to the fretting hand, just a few arthritic pains sometimes. I have long 'piano' fingers though so I don't really have to worry about chords unless its a bar, as I can't bar the bottom two strings fully when I do a 4 or more strings bar.

Put really, power to you mudnreo, your tale is quite one that makes me go 'Damn that's dedication'.

My left wrist right now is broke and I have shaved my left pinky allmost off but they sewed it back on,but I dont have any feeling in it.It threw my timing off for a very long time and really I'm still working at it.

Well, let's see. I do have a bit of that "Carpal tunnel" thing from typing so much. Not a huge problem, though.

??? Maybe I'm just missing something but what is this???

It means "Too long; Didn't read". It's an internet joke.

check this guy out!

I'm not touching that guitar, he might not of washed his feet -.- But wow got some good talent.

How people learn to do that shite, I'll never know.

ive seen tht b4, ifs really amazing how he can play like tht

...i just screwed my self ovr, i just like sprained my picking hand (acctually just the fingers, not thumb) and pretty much screwed myself for about a week.

Ahhhh, bad luck. Maybe a week long break might be good though for progression. Why not spend it studying theory?

I agree with Doz, would be a great opportunity to study up on theory!

ye maybe, i can play, not tht well, my picking is off, was thinking bout practicing hammerons and pull offs, due to it. my fingers arnt sprained, but i cant really use them, if u get what im saying. i have a very short attention span for things i dont wana do, or dont like (skool) but i can sit and play guitar for hours, i just dont like music theroy, yes i know it helps, and will make me a better player, but i just cant focus on it. thts y im taking it at skool, so then im forced to do it.

ya dude sucks when ya work with your hands....really dont know what to say,I have been dealing with this for so long I really dont think theres a answer.....

No way I've seen this guy and talked to him personally. He performs in Balboa Park in San Diego.

lol. Small world, if you got his autograph I hope you let him keep the pen!

Really seeing that makes me feel bad about complaining when I'm having a hard time on my guitar, I bet dude had to overcome a lot of frustrating moments to learn to play like that.

imagine if you could play with you feet and your hands at the same time...rythm in the feet lead on the hands...that'd be tight beyond all pants...

well.... i broke my left arm twice in a year in the same bone. turns up i had a benign tumor on that bone

@THE UNDYING

Wait....Beyond all pants? Wat?

Think he's making a joke at tight jeans that some people wear.

Oh, like the emo-fags and such.

A lot more than emo's wear tight jeans, y'know. -_-

lol...most all the glam rockers and 70s rockers wore tight jeans/spandex lol. almost all the singers wore them.

@DOZ

Yeah, but the emo's wear chick's pants....

Hey before you knock emo's remember that Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin wore women's bell bottoms

Lol, yeah... a shed load of glam rock, classic rock and old hard rock bands wore womens clothes...

robert plant, hendrix, david roth, freddie murcury, tom scholz, axle rose wore really short shorts, wolfgang van halen all wore womens/spandex...it goes on and on....

Tony Iommi of Black Sabath is missing the tips of his two middle fingers. and hes still amazing so go for it man

like Dave Mustaine! back in 1986 =p

dude i saw that a couple of weeks ago that's insane that guy has mad skills. you can't say it's impssible to learn the guitar after watching this guy!

Yeah that guy is fkin crazy!
In a good way cause he is a decent singer and HOW he can play with his FEET... I have no idea how you can do that.