SV_T_oud
Oud Maniac
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Registered: 8-27-2014
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Personal baglama question
I know, I know! This is oud forum, but... I see baglama questions are not disallowed here. Right?
I have a very personal question regarding baglama. I have small hands and I doubt I'll be comfortable with baglama. For reference: my hand span fully
open thumb to pinky, tip to tip is 21 cm.
When I watch baglama/saz players on YT I notice that majority of them have rather long fingers. In fact when watching YT I haven't seen anyone playing
baglama with small hands like mine.
Any ideas or experience?
Just to give you an idea of I what mean. If you like Jazz guitar you of course know John Stowell. He claims that he has rather small hands and because
of that he plays his guitar neck high up. That's how I play electric/hollow/semi as well. In the "neck parallel to the floor" position I hardly can
play at all.
Also I can't play electric with the thumb-over the neck. Baglama is played exactly in this manner with the thumb on top. What gives me some "hope" is
that baglama neck is much narrower than the average electric's neck.
Actually, when I watch John Stowell I see that his fingers are probably longer than mine.
John Stowell:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2alwMHZZbo
I can't try before I buy because I'm only able to order it online.
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abc123xyz
Oud Junkie
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I don't imagine it will be a problem, lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnYNsMqCt38
But seriously, my own pinky- to thumb-tip span is only 22 cm, yet I've never thought, nor been told, that I have particularly small hands. I've never
played guitar nor bağlama, but I have played other long-necked lutes without any problem, ones with 30-mm wide necks. If I'm not mistaken, the
average width of bağlama necks is around 30 mm.
There's no extensive use of chords either, in traditional bağlama music, that would require awkward finger stretches. I think the thumb seldom
frets any but the highest (spatially) string course of the bağlama, which runs very close to the edge of the neck and is an easy reach.
David
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pvk
Oud Admirer
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I really don't think you have a problem here. My main instrument is bağlama and my hand span is if anything slightly less than you. I've not had
any problems - unlike, say, trying to play ney!
You may have to get used to a slightly different hand/wrist position than you might be used to on a guitar. Forget Segovia - on the bağlama using
the thumb to fret the strings is critical. If you have a long necked bağlama and use karadüzen the meldody is played mostly on the top string
with the thumb assisting on leading notes. In this style you move the hand up the neck relying heavily on fretting with the first finger. So it is not
so much about big stretches. With bağlama tuning you play mostly in first position and it does require some chording across strings with a bit of
a stretch, but I've never found it a problem.
I'm not sure if this Facebook page is open to all (can't find the video on YouTube sorry) but it shows the sort of stretches requıred. The
player, Tuğba Ger, does not have huge hands 
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=494868530572262
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SV_T_oud
Oud Maniac
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Thank you abc and pvk, sounds convincing!
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yavaran
Oud Addict
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Don't forget, there are MANY sizes of saz. Baglama is just one size. I messed up and bought a larger one my first time and never really connected with
it. However when I get a friend's in my hands i am really jamming. Try to buy something smaller! Avoid the baglama/full size at all costs.
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spyblaster
Oud Junkie
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Location: Iran - Karaj
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when someone complains about such these things, I always mention Django Reinhardt.
The Oud is my life, n my life is the Oud
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SV_T_oud
Oud Maniac
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And not only you do it! 
That partly applies but if we consider specifics we can see it's very limited comparison. Sort of generalization.
For instance, I once asked a similar question on an acoustic guitar forum in respect to playing "thumb over" in the Travis style. It's a well known
problem among short-fingered guitarists: many can't fret the low (top) E string with the thumb and make a chord formation underneath at the same time.
Yes, it's a real, not some subjective problem.
What is advised in that particular situation:
- get as narrow and thin neck as possible;
- file a new low E groove in the nut as close as possible to the edge of the fretboard;
- consider different voicing (it works sometimes but is not what often is required by the style);
Django did very fast single-note runs with his two fingers. He was good at that. But, if you asked him to play C7 in the open position he would
quickly send you packing.
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spyblaster
Oud Junkie
Posts: 285
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Location: Iran - Karaj
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Of course there are limits. What i'm trying to say is that body limits is not a reason to give up on an instrument. there is always a work-around and
good practice is the solution of all problems.
The Oud is my life, n my life is the Oud
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