NationStates Jolt Archive

I can't. Not on my fingers, at least. I wouldn't care, except that it's causing me a few problems learning the guitar, which I started recently after inheriting one.

I just want to see if I'm alone in this or not. If you have a moment, please try the following:

1. Thumbs up! You're Fonzie: Ey!

2. Index finger out. You should have a "gun" like you're a kid playing Cowboys and Indians.

3. Middle finger out. You've got three fingers out now.

4. Ring finger out. This is where I fall off the haywagon. Nothin' doin'. I can half-raise the pinkie finger, or raise both of the last two, but the last two don't move independently.

5. Still with us? Count "five" using your pinkie finger and you've crossed the finish line.

How many made it? I'll post a poll soon.

---

Edit:

I just noticed that this thread was locked momentarily. If my topic is too narrow, I apologize and invite anyone else to contribute anecdotes about your biological quirks,whether they're limiting in any way, and what people around you make of them. Thanks!

+1.

What's that about?

+1.

Lulzpuppetspam

I'm not sure what you mean. Just based on how the human hand is constructed, barring something seriously weird, you can't have your pinkie flat on your palm and your ring finger extended. Is that what you're asking? Because I can certainly move the pinkie and ring finger independently - I play the piano, after all - but I'm not a freak of nature who can get them more than 90 degrees or so off each other. :p

I'm not sure what you mean. Just based on how the human hand is constructed, barring something seriously weird, you can't have your pinkie flat on your palm and your ring finger extended. Is that what you're asking? Because I can certainly move the pinkie and ring finger independently - I play the piano, after all - but I'm not a freak of nature who can get them more than 90 degrees or so off each other. :p

I was the "freak" according to a friend, when I explained my trouble with pinkie flexibility. He could easily do the movement described in my first post, whereas I can't, at all. Anyway, my pinkie and middle finger don't move independently even when I'm not counting to five,but I thought it would be a good example to use, because it makes it very obvious.

try counting down from 5. or count from 0 to 4 or from 4 to 0.

try counting down from 5. or count from 0 to 4 or from 4 to 0.

It's the finger movements that are the sticky part. Counting is where I'm a viking. :p

It's the finger movements that are the sticky part. Counting is where I'm a viking. :p

i didnt think vikings were know for counting, or having all five fingers.

I was the "freak" according to a friend, when I explained my trouble with pinkie flexibility. He could easily do the movement described in my first post, whereas I can't, at all. Anyway, my pinkie and middle finger don't move independently even when I'm not counting to five,but I thought it would be a good example to use, because it makes it very obvious.

Hmm, I think I must be reading it wrong or something; either that or your friend has one hell of a weird set of hands. Basically, as far as I am aware, what is "normal" is for those two fingers to move together by default, but for one to be able to, say, curl the ring finger completely while only curling the pinkie slightly. What you described seemed to be leaving the pinkie in "fist position" against your palm, so to speak, while straightening the ring finger completely, and that just...shouldn't be possible. I mean, I have more flexible hands than the average person, and that's way beyond what I could do.

Hmm, I think I must be reading it wrong or something; either that or your friend has one hell of a weird set of hands. Basically, as far as I am aware, what is "normal" is for those two fingers to move together by default, but for one to be able to, say, curl the ring finger completely while only curling the pinkie slightly. What you described seemed to be leaving the pinkie in "fist position" against your palm, so to speak, while straightening the ring finger completely, and that just...shouldn't be possible. I mean, I have more flexible hands than the average person, and that's way beyond what I could do.

I hope you're right. I've been a woodwind player all my life, and having a defect in the fingers would be shameful for me, even if it made no practical difference. But no one I've asked in "real-life" (although that only means three people) have any problem counting five beginning with the thumb. When I'm at "three fingers out," the remaining two feel completely frozen against the palm if I try to budge the ring finger.

What you described seemed to be leaving the pinkie in "fist position" against your palm, so to speak, while straightening the ring finger completely, and that just...shouldn't be possible.

It's completely possible. It's as easy as flipping someone the bird. Just do the same gesture only with the ring finger instead of the middle one.
In my grade school it was considered funny to do that, and then make some tattletale look unobservant when they tried to claim we made an obscene gesture.

It's not much harder to do it with all fingers up (except the pinkie)...testing now, the other fingers were only held back by a couple of degrees on my right hand. The left is more uncooperative, but its my non-dominant hand. What position I'm holding my hand in matters, too. It's easier to move those fingers with my hand at the Bird angle (hand facing up) than in the "gun" position (hand facing out).

Just a matter of practicing until those tendons/ligaments stretch out enough to allow it to happen.

I usually just yell numbers at random until five comes up. It's more natural, more organic that way.

I usually just yell numbers at random until five comes up. It's more natural, more organic that way.

You don't happen to work for the government, do you? You sound like one of the crack economists we've got running things. :p

Fergi America;14537385']It's completely possible. It's as easy as flipping someone the bird. Just do the same gesture only with the ring finger instead of the middle one.
In my grade school it was considered funny to do that, and then make some tattletale look unobservant when they tried to claim we made an obscene gesture.

It's not much harder to do it with all fingers up (except the pinkie)...testing now, the other fingers were only held back by a couple of degrees.

Just a matter of practicing until those tendons/ligaments stretch out enough to allow it to happen.

Ahhhh, okay....I was misinterpreting a bit, I think. It's really hard to explain this stuff in text instead of with pictures. :p

you don't happen to work for the government, do you? You sound like one of the crack economists we've got running things. :p

seventeen!

seventeen!

Ah, there go the interest rates again. Quit monkeying with it, I say!

For me, it`s easier to do with the left hand and I`m right-handed. Fingers on the right have been smashed too many times over the years.

And if I only have four fingers...?

And if I only have four fingers...?

Depends which four. I'm mainly wondering about the pinkie and ring finger.

I just noticed that this thread was locked momentarily. If my topic is too narrow, I apologize and invite anyone else to contribute anecdotes about your biological quirks,whether they're limiting in any way, and what people around you make of them. I'll add this addendum to the OP too. Thanks!

I wouldn't care, except that it's causing me a few problems learning the guitar, which I started recently after inheriting one.I refer you to Django Reinhardt:

At the age of 18, Reinhardt was injured in a fire that ravaged the caravan he shared with Florine "Bella" Mayer, his first wife.[5] They were very poor, and to supplement their income Bella made imitation flowers out of celluloid and paper. Consequently, their home was full of this highly flammable material. Returning from a performance late one night, Django apparently knocked over a candle on his way to bed. While his family and neighbors were quick to pull him to safety, he received first- and second-degree burns over half his body. His right leg was paralyzed and the third and fourth fingers of his left hand were badly burnt. Doctors believed that he would never play guitar again and intended to amputate one of his legs.[6] Reinhardt refused to have the surgery and left the hospital after a short time; he was able to walk within a year with the aid of a cane.

His brother Joseph Reinhardt, an accomplished guitarist himself, bought Django a new guitar. With painful rehabilitation and practice Django relearned his craft in a completely new way, even as his third and fourth fingers remained partially paralyzed. It is said that he played all of his guitar solos with only two fingers, and managed to use the two injured digits only for chord work.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhardt

A little stiffness with a pinky can be overcome with practice. Or you could learn to play without it altogether.

I refer you to Django Reinhardt:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhardt

A little stiffness with a pinky can be overcome with practice. Or you could learn to play without the it altogether.

Heh. Thanks for that. I had forgotten all about old Django. He was absolutely amazing.

What you described seemed to be leaving the pinkie in "fist position" against your palm, so to speak, while straightening the ring finger completely, and that just...shouldn't be possible. I mean, I have more flexible hands than the average person, and that's way beyond what I could do.
I can do it.

Well, sort of. Basically, when I try to extend all four fingers straight out but leave the pinky "closed", it tends to hover about a centimeter off my palm. If I try to force the pinky back down to make full contact with the palm, my ring finger folds back in a bit, to the point where it's about 20 degrees off the line the others form.

Granted, I can't fully extend one while fully folding the other in, but on the functional level, I can leave one mostly folded in while the other is extended (which is all you really need to play guitar). I also find it easy to do the "devil horns (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of_the_horns)" and the "surfer gesture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaka_sign)".

What I CAN'T do, however, is the Vulcan salute (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_salute). I just cannot get my pinky and ring finger to stay together once I separate my ring and index fingers. Even if I try to force the fingers into place with my other hand, the instant I let go, my pinky and ring finger just fly apart.

I can do it.

I'm missing the little finger on my right hand, but you'd be surprised how little that matters, day-to-day. I'd tried it with my left, but no dice.

I can do it.

I'm having a problem with the ring fingers.

hmmmm, with both hands I can get my ring finger to 'halfmast' with my pinkie still flat against my palm which I think gives me 4.5/5

Oh the shame!!

Yep, I sure can.

But I'm not too sure about the girl working the cash register at the shop I was at yesterday. She had to use a calculator to figure out ten minus seven was three.

Isn't todays edumacational system great? :p

I'm not sure what you mean. Just based on how the human hand is constructed, barring something seriously weird, you can't have your pinkie flat on your palm and your ring finger extended. Is that what you're asking? Because I can certainly move the pinkie and ring finger independently - I play the piano, after all - but I'm not a freak of nature who can get them more than 90 degrees or so off each other. :p

I play the piano, too, but my ring finger is hampered by the position of the middle finger. If the middle finger is extended the ring finger can move freely, but if the middle finger is flat on the palm (like in a closed fist), the ring finger can only half-extend.

Some of my fingers also raise at about 120° independently. My hands are a bit weird, I guess.

Isn't todays edumacational system great? :p

I love the Japanese education system which produced her, and other such wonders - like the student who, in all seriousness, when looking at a map of the capitals of Europe, told me Paris was in London... :eek:

Without this wonderful system where students come out of 6 years of compulsory English classes unable to answer a simple question like "What's your name?", I'd be out of a job...

I love the Japanese education system which produced her, and other such wonders - like the student who, in all seriousness, when looking at a map of the capitals of Europe, told me Paris was in London... :eek:

Without this wonderful system where students come out of 6 years of compulsory English classes unable to answer a simple question like "What's your name?", I'd be out of a job...

Oh my.:eek:

4. Ring finger out. This is where I fall off the haywagon. Nothin' doin'. I can half-raise the pinkie finger, or raise both of the last two, but the last two don't move independently.
They wouldn't. It just means you're normal. The pinky and ring finger are controlled by the same tendon flexor, making it the weakest of your fingers.
Quoth wiki:
It is the weakest of the fingers on the hand, as it shares a flexor muscle with the middle and little fingers. It is the only finger that cannot be fully extended by the majority of people, in itself separately.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_finger


Edit:
one way to train your fingers is to lay your hand palm down, fingers extended against a flat surface and concentrate on raising them one finger at a time and wriggling them back and forth before doing the next one. Do this several times a day and it'll strengthen the fingers and the signals to them, making them more 'independent' of each other.
I had to do this when I stuffed my rotator cuff as it was pinching the nerve to my hand. When I first tried, I raised my middle finger instead of my ring finger - that's how mixed up the nerve signals were!

I can move my ring finger down independantly of my pinky but I cannot move it up without also moving my pinky unless its already up.

Strange biological things? I can bend the very last knuckle on the end of my fingers without bending the others.

What?

I can do it just fine, but then again, I also had no problem licking my elbow...

I can do it just fine, but then again, I also had no problem licking my elbow...

That's impossible! Pics or it didn't happen.

That's impossible! Pics or it didn't happen.

Buy me a camera.

I can't. Not on my fingers, at least. I wouldn't care, except that it's causing me a few problems learning the guitar, which I started recently after inheriting one.

I just want to see if I'm alone in this or not. If you have a moment, please try the following:

1. Thumbs up! You're Fonzie: Ey!

2. Index finger out. You should have a "gun" like you're a kid playing Cowboys and Indians.

3. Middle finger out. You've got three fingers out now.

4. Ring finger out. This is where I fall off the haywagon. Nothin' doin'. I can half-raise the pinkie finger, or raise both of the last two, but the last two don't move independently.

5. Still with us? Count "five" using your pinkie finger and you've crossed the finish line.

How many made it? I'll post a poll soon.

---

Edit:

I just noticed that this thread was locked momentarily. If my topic is too narrow, I apologize and invite anyone else to contribute anecdotes about your biological quirks,whether they're limiting in any way, and what people around you make of them. Thanks!
ya but what does this have to do with playing the guitar? is there some time where you stick one finger straight "up" while the other is curled?

Buy me a camera.

*Opens mouth*

...

*Closes mouth*


Good retort. :tongue:

Even with dry, cracked skin. Win.

There! Are! Four! Lights!

Dexterity Exercise (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkezJz_ibuk)

Hey Pope, watch that video and it should help with your finger movement.

ya but what does this have to do with playing the guitar? is there some time where you stick one finger straight "up" while the other is curled?

The lack of independence of the two fingers screws me up when trying to do runs or even some chords when playing full-barre down the neck. My ring finger won't clamp properly when stretching the pinkie; to keep it down I have to concentrate and use more muscle than you're supposed to, and even then I can't stretch the pinkie more than two frets downward in the fifth position, for example, whereas I can stretch five frets downward (again in the fifth position) if I lift both the fingers, even when I have my index finger clamping the D string at the sixth fret.

I think this thread has taught me that my descriptive writing skills aren't too sharp, but hopefully that makes some sense. I'm working on flexibility overall, though, so hopefully I can recover a bit of mobility in those last two fingers.

Dexterity Exercise (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkezJz_ibuk)

Hey Pope, watch that video and it should help with your finger movement.

Thanks! YouTube has been great for instructional stuff. I wish I had it when I was a kid learning other instruments. :)

Yeah, mostly the same problem -- I have a hard time moving my fourth and fifth fingers independently. (Or my third and fourth fingers, if you play a stringed instrument.) I can still count to five if I start with the index finger and put the thumb last, though.

absolutely no problem there, as described in the op, even fallowed by a vulcan live long and prosper. but i still can't get/manipulate my way around a fretboard either.

so i'll stick to keys, or for acoustical, monophonic brass, reeds and winds, and or just something to beat on.

besides synths are more fun, with all those dodads to play with and make different sounds, plus i have this feeling, to me, its just more real to see keys as a midi controller then strings. i sort of feel when performers are using strings as a midi controller they're sort of insulting my intelligence.

no offense to some very good musicians who do, and i'm sure that's not their intention, but that's still how i feel about it.

I can't. Not on my fingers, at least. I wouldn't care, except that it's causing me a few problems learning the guitar, which I started recently after inheriting one.

I just want to see if I'm alone in this or not. If you have a moment, please try the following:

1. Thumbs up! You're Fonzie: Ey!
I'm Fonzie! Ey!!!
2. Index finger out. You should have a "gun" like you're a kid playing Cowboys and Indians.
Check.

Injuns!!!
3. Middle finger out. You've got three fingers out now.
Still works fine to this point, although my right ring finger already wants to join in...
4. Ring finger out. This is where I fall off the haywagon. Nothin' doin'. I can half-raise the pinkie finger, or raise both of the last two, but the last two don't move independently.
Same here. Left hand, however, is doing fine: I can move all fingers independently. But the tendons in my right hand are shortened, I take it, because I'm right-handed.
5. Still with us? Count "five" using your pinkie finger and you've crossed the finish line.
Uhm... nope.

Same goes for the "I love you" in sign language:

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:zcHCLMkfbjCpwM:http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y117/tattooedporcelain/ASLIloveyou.jpg

Doing fine with my left hand, yet with my right I either need to put my thumb on the two fingers in the middle to counter the stretched pinkie (if that makes any sense in writing). If I don't, the pinkie will half-way roll in.

No problem in moving the fingers sideways, though: Vulcan greeting and the anti-Vulcan move (ring and middle finger together, the rest apart) are fine, and neither is switching between the two.