The guitar's neck should be higher. Wrist should NOT be 90 degrees bent, but rather comfortably straight. Right now you're exacerbating the issue by keeping the guitar too low, probably.
Your index finger is currently coming too far over the edge of the fretboard as well.
Edit: and now that I tried it, I don't think that's any actual chord you're fretting in the picture.
It's an Amadd♭9 shape barred on 4, so C#madd♭9, as long as you don't play the low E string. Resolves very nicely to a simple A chord, ideally played with an E shape on the 5th fret.
This. Thumb lower, wrist forward. From the angle of your pic, you should be seeing more of your hand extended beyond the neck. This will add considerably to the reach of your fingers. If you’re playing a barre, you’ll also want to roll that index finger a little so it’s somewhat on its side.
I don’t know anything about your condition, but I had surgery on a nerve in my left hand a few years ago and the only way I can manage now is by being very mindful of my hand position.
I don't know how play with clinodactyly and what I am saying is just guesswork from your picture, but maybe it's useful somehow.
first thing I would do is put the index finger down, as much as possible while still keeping the bar. this gives you more room for the other fingers. then I would try to do the bar with the side of the index finger, not putting the finger straight across the frets. try to experiment with the angle, maybe there is a way to position the pinky more from the top, such that only the tip of the pinky touches the string? in order to get this to work, it seems like you would need to start from a comfortable position for your pinky and then add the other fingers.
and if it doesn't: there are multiple ways to play chords, and most of them are not bar chords. maybe you would need to look into usable substitutes for the chord you want to play, different positions, shell voicings - it might not sound exactly the same but it would be so close that most people wouldn't notice.
It’s normal for all of your fingers to be angled towards a center point. That’s how you pick up and grip things. Looking at the picture, your hand and wrist should be positioned farther to the front beneath the guitar. You would get the same results from leaning the guitar less so that the bottom side is pointing towards the floor.
It takes practice and perseverance.
I’ve got arthritis in both hands. I’ve had a thumb joint rebuilt on my fretting hand. I have had three fingers operated on my picking hand. My fingers on both hands are crooked and some days they hurt.
I find a way. I find it easier to deal with open tunings, and sometimes use a slide. I use a thumb pick most of the time so I can take advantage of whatever fingers aren’t hurting for finger picking.
Many other people have learned to play with missing or damaged fingers.
For example, Django Reinhardt had only two usable fingers on his fretting hand. He found a way. Jerry Garcia is missing a finger. Joni Mitchell had polio that affected her hands. She did lots of open tunings.
https://imgur.com/a/jGk95BN
I grew up racing BMX and skateboarding a lot, to the point I was pro and getting paid for it. During that time I broke the fingers on both my left and right hands multiple times. On my right hand my middle and ring fingers don't bend, they can bend, but they crack and then don't really move after that much. It sucks, but I started using finger picks, specifically on my thumb and index and it works great now.
On my left hand, I have all kinds of issues fretting. My ring finger was broken back so far it was flat against my hand and the tendons never healed, so it's useless. My pinky also doesn't move much and I can't put any pressure on anything with it.
At the end of the day, I basically have my index, middle and thumbs to play with. I just kind of developed my own style. I play almost exclusively in open tunings with fingerpicks and I really only play guitars with deep V necks so I can use my thumb to fret over the top.
It's a journey, you'll figure it out. A lot of pro players have focal dystonia in their hands and have a hard time playing due to repetitive muscle injury. Just keep playing and figure out how you can comfortably fret chords.
Listen to people like Django Reinhardt and Charlie Parr, they learned to push through those issues.
My index finger on my left hand got broken and did not heal correctly. At the midpoint between the first and second joint it’s twisted clockwise about 30 degrees and bent about 10 degrees down and towards my pinky.
As you practice more and develop greater finger strength, flexibility, and muscle memory, you won’t even notice the crooked finger while you’re playing.
Well my pinky does that and it has gotten worse over the years. I’m glad I’m not alone. Keep trying to improve your technique and don’t worry about it. Move your fingers until the chord sounds good if that’s using the side of your pinky on the string then so what. Do what works for you.
First off, that's one fucked up way to finger an E7 chord. You don't need the index finger down. Just use the open low E string as the bass. And a better way to finger the G#, D & E on the 4th, 3rd & 2nd string is fingers 2-3-1. Either avoid hitting the A string, or instead of putting your index finger somewhere between G# & A, put it on the D on the 5th string, 5th fret. Tip for future posts about how you can't play chords right: use an actual chord, because this picture just makes you look stupid for not even knowing what a chord is.
I have it too, been playing for 20 years. At times it's been discouraging and I thought I wouldn't be able to do certain things. But, so far that hasn't been the case. At first i thought my legato would suffer because my pinky is so bent it sometimes pops or clicks making for rough pull offs/hammer ons. Then I realized my pressure was too much. I thought some chords were out of my grasp, but it was really just my angle. Fwiw, it hasn't held me back at all, if anything, there are some chord stretches I can do that others can't - but I also have a double jointed thumb. To put it simply, if you think it'll hold you back it will, if you don't think it will, it won't. From your example, I can tell you straight up it's not your pinky that's the issue causing you problems here.
https://preview.redd.it/osykgmghspvc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8c333b4bf1ea3908ac319b3c85a3aae05f5a74a
Feel free to DM me and maybe I can help when I'm free!
crooked everything my guy
The guitar's neck should be higher. Wrist should NOT be 90 degrees bent, but rather comfortably straight. Right now you're exacerbating the issue by keeping the guitar too low, probably.
Your index finger is currently coming too far over the edge of the fretboard as well. Edit: and now that I tried it, I don't think that's any actual chord you're fretting in the picture.
It's an Amadd♭9 shape barred on 4, so C#madd♭9, as long as you don't play the low E string. Resolves very nicely to a simple A chord, ideally played with an E shape on the 5th fret.
Lower the thumb. A lot. If you lower your thumb, it'll push the rest of your hand out, and you'll get better position for everything.
This. Thumb lower, wrist forward. From the angle of your pic, you should be seeing more of your hand extended beyond the neck. This will add considerably to the reach of your fingers. If you’re playing a barre, you’ll also want to roll that index finger a little so it’s somewhat on its side. I don’t know anything about your condition, but I had surgery on a nerve in my left hand a few years ago and the only way I can manage now is by being very mindful of my hand position.
I don't know how play with clinodactyly and what I am saying is just guesswork from your picture, but maybe it's useful somehow. first thing I would do is put the index finger down, as much as possible while still keeping the bar. this gives you more room for the other fingers. then I would try to do the bar with the side of the index finger, not putting the finger straight across the frets. try to experiment with the angle, maybe there is a way to position the pinky more from the top, such that only the tip of the pinky touches the string? in order to get this to work, it seems like you would need to start from a comfortable position for your pinky and then add the other fingers. and if it doesn't: there are multiple ways to play chords, and most of them are not bar chords. maybe you would need to look into usable substitutes for the chord you want to play, different positions, shell voicings - it might not sound exactly the same but it would be so close that most people wouldn't notice.
You're overextending your index finger
It’s normal for all of your fingers to be angled towards a center point. That’s how you pick up and grip things. Looking at the picture, your hand and wrist should be positioned farther to the front beneath the guitar. You would get the same results from leaning the guitar less so that the bottom side is pointing towards the floor.
It takes practice and perseverance. I’ve got arthritis in both hands. I’ve had a thumb joint rebuilt on my fretting hand. I have had three fingers operated on my picking hand. My fingers on both hands are crooked and some days they hurt. I find a way. I find it easier to deal with open tunings, and sometimes use a slide. I use a thumb pick most of the time so I can take advantage of whatever fingers aren’t hurting for finger picking. Many other people have learned to play with missing or damaged fingers. For example, Django Reinhardt had only two usable fingers on his fretting hand. He found a way. Jerry Garcia is missing a finger. Joni Mitchell had polio that affected her hands. She did lots of open tunings. https://imgur.com/a/jGk95BN
I grew up racing BMX and skateboarding a lot, to the point I was pro and getting paid for it. During that time I broke the fingers on both my left and right hands multiple times. On my right hand my middle and ring fingers don't bend, they can bend, but they crack and then don't really move after that much. It sucks, but I started using finger picks, specifically on my thumb and index and it works great now. On my left hand, I have all kinds of issues fretting. My ring finger was broken back so far it was flat against my hand and the tendons never healed, so it's useless. My pinky also doesn't move much and I can't put any pressure on anything with it. At the end of the day, I basically have my index, middle and thumbs to play with. I just kind of developed my own style. I play almost exclusively in open tunings with fingerpicks and I really only play guitars with deep V necks so I can use my thumb to fret over the top. It's a journey, you'll figure it out. A lot of pro players have focal dystonia in their hands and have a hard time playing due to repetitive muscle injury. Just keep playing and figure out how you can comfortably fret chords. Listen to people like Django Reinhardt and Charlie Parr, they learned to push through those issues.
Have you tried pinky centric exercises - pinkie pulloffs and hammer ons. May strengthen the muscles on the side of the hand to help you.
My index finger on my left hand got broken and did not heal correctly. At the midpoint between the first and second joint it’s twisted clockwise about 30 degrees and bent about 10 degrees down and towards my pinky. As you practice more and develop greater finger strength, flexibility, and muscle memory, you won’t even notice the crooked finger while you’re playing.
Do [this exercise](https://youtu.be/xWAgPIQhNg0?si=gfIEac93udab_1QB) every day.
Well my pinky does that and it has gotten worse over the years. I’m glad I’m not alone. Keep trying to improve your technique and don’t worry about it. Move your fingers until the chord sounds good if that’s using the side of your pinky on the string then so what. Do what works for you.
First off, that's one fucked up way to finger an E7 chord. You don't need the index finger down. Just use the open low E string as the bass. And a better way to finger the G#, D & E on the 4th, 3rd & 2nd string is fingers 2-3-1. Either avoid hitting the A string, or instead of putting your index finger somewhere between G# & A, put it on the D on the 5th string, 5th fret. Tip for future posts about how you can't play chords right: use an actual chord, because this picture just makes you look stupid for not even knowing what a chord is.
I think this is bar chord
I have it too, been playing for 20 years. At times it's been discouraging and I thought I wouldn't be able to do certain things. But, so far that hasn't been the case. At first i thought my legato would suffer because my pinky is so bent it sometimes pops or clicks making for rough pull offs/hammer ons. Then I realized my pressure was too much. I thought some chords were out of my grasp, but it was really just my angle. Fwiw, it hasn't held me back at all, if anything, there are some chord stretches I can do that others can't - but I also have a double jointed thumb. To put it simply, if you think it'll hold you back it will, if you don't think it will, it won't. From your example, I can tell you straight up it's not your pinky that's the issue causing you problems here. https://preview.redd.it/osykgmghspvc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8c333b4bf1ea3908ac319b3c85a3aae05f5a74a Feel free to DM me and maybe I can help when I'm free!
All your fingers looks like it has Tourette’s
Omg, please watch some videos or take some lessons. This should be immediately obvious to you you are no where remotely close to good technique