Thumbless underhand grip on frets 12, 13, 14 and higher?

[Trader56]

This may sound a bit crazy, but has anyone used a thumbless grip where the thumb is actually under the bottom of the neck as opposed to over the top - especially on the 12th, 13th, 14th frets and higher?

I have short fingers, and reaching to the, say, 15th fret on the sixth string with my little finger is an uncomfortable - and therefore very slow - stretch. Quite by accident, I just grabbed the guitar and kept my thumb under the neck, and the reach was much easier.

I got to thinking about this again when viewing Lesson 1 on Metal Method. Doug talks about using a pulling motion with the triceps and back muscles to pull the fingers to the fretboard, rather than squeezing the neck between the the thumb and fingers. If this is the case, then perhaps my under-the-neck grip might be one possible answer for my situation. Of course, maybe I just need more practice...

Just thought I'd throw this out for comments, thanks for any replies!

Dave

[Sarah Spisak]

I remember seeing a pro guitarist play that way one time. Also, on cello I learned to put my thumb on the fingerboard when playing high.
Are you playing in a standing position? I find it easier to reach the low (thick) strings on the high frets when standing.

[jlogicalor]

did somebody say cello?

[Trader56]

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for reply!

I play both seated and standing, and there doesn't seem to be a noticable difference in the way this works. After posting, I played around a bit, and it's really at those 15th, 16th, and above frets that this pinky stretch starts to become an issue.

I figure we all have to solve our own problems in a way that works for us individually, so I guess I'll keep practicing the conventional way and add in the underhand grip. I'm guessing that over time, it'll naturally sort itself out - sound resonable?

Thanks again!

Dave

[Sarah Spisak]

did somebody say cello?

Dave, keep working on it. Yes, it should get easier! And remember that tension is the enemy.