i really want to learn bass but i have incredibly small hands

I have comically small hands and I play a full scale bass. You could get a short scale and make it even more manageable while learning. The Ibanez Mikro is tiny!

Don’t let size stop you. Really, don’t let anything stop you. Your brain will come up with all kinds of reasons why it’s just not your thing, because learning is hard. But the world is full of people that learned to do things like painting with their feet because they don’t have any arms, or other much crazier obstacles. You got this!

Check out the YouTube EllenPlaysBass

Are your hands smaller than hers?

There are Chinese kids with hands as small as raccoons shredding out there, just believe in yourself.

Technique trumps hand size!

My hands are small. I play for a living.

I have really small hands. Like, my hands look like they stopped growing when I was 12 and the rest of my body kept growing to normal size (I'm just under 5 foot 8). My pinkie is only about 2 inches long. Regardless of people will tell you, it IS more difficult to play bass (or guitar) with very small hands. Bigger hands DOES give you a natural advantage. HOWEVER, that being said, you can still totally play bass or guitar, you just need to find the right bass that's comfortable for you and make some adjustments. I'm a beginner bassist/guitarist (lifelong drummer) and have finally figured out that I need a short-scale bass with a narrow (1.5" nut) neck. I got a Squire Sonic Bronco Bass and it's quite comfortable to play. I still can't do many of the things that players with large hands/long fingers can do, but I make micro-adjustments instead of doing big stretches. Besides, I'm not interested in playing anything super technical or that requires much stretching anyway. But yes, a short-scale bass with a narrow nut/neck is definitely something you should look into. It makes a world of difference! 😊 The Squire Sonic Bronco or the Ibanez Mikro would be good places to start. You can do it! 👍

I see a few comments recommending you try a 3/4 scale instrument. I don’t want to sound like I’m downplaying those suggestions, because they’re good, though I would be more inclined to agree with them if you’re young and you still have some growing to do. Otherwise I might suggest you go straight to a full scale instrument. It might be hard at first, but this way you’ll learn to overcome whatever physical challenges present themselves. And honestly, I don’t think they’ll be as bad as you think.

Get yourself a bass, and get busy on it. Take notice of whatever difficulties crop up, and make mental notes. You’ll adapt. People are very resourceful and you’re a people! Best of luck to you!

Fender Mustang Bass. They rule and sound like a mini P.

A friend of mine is similar to you, she has a short scale bass and she loves it, give it a go!

Start with a short scale bass learn the technique and when that's all good u can look at getting a larger scale technique is more important than hand size

It's gonna be hard because it's an instrument. None of us have ever been able to master the bass, and we have all different hand sizes. Can you move all your fingers and press down on large strings? Then your hands are perfect!

Carol Kaye's hands weren't extra large as far as I can tell.

Short scale basses are your friend. I have two Univoxes from the 70s that I absolutely love and wouldn't trade for any bass in the world.

So get a short scale bass. In a 5'5" man, and I need a short scale to play my best. You'll be fine.

Find a short scale bass and use light gauge strings.

a lot of people saying that you can play a full scale with small with practice and technique, which is absolutely true, but a short scale will be more comfortable and will probably be more enjoyable and inspiring to play. there’s no meaningful disadvantage to a short scale bass, no real point in playing a full scale just because that’s the traditional scale length. it’s just common sense that an instrument with a shorter and thinner neck will be easier to play for someone with small hands.

3/4th basses are actually built pretty well so no shame in buying one

Get a short scale bass

My Ibanez mikro sounds amazing, was $90 used, and is small enough for kids to play according to YouTube, but also rips.

I’m mostly a dabbler in bass, but I think this is a serious enough instrument for you to make good music

You don’t need big hands to play bass! Find a bass that suits you and feels good.

The Squier mini-P is a great feeling little bass. Cheap, good place to start.

Sure, you could likely play a bigger bass but especially for your first and being a new player — you want something that makes you want to pick it up.

The hohner ignition viola bass has a small neck also you don’t have to wrap your fingers around the entire neck to play just go for it

Hand strength and dexterity is a far greater factor. Work those forearms.

Lol… mohini dey is around your height. Look her up

You can get a short scale bass like a fender mustang or equivalent, but even with a fullscale bass it shouldnt be much of an issue. With guitar you might have to stretch your fingers more to hold multiple notes to play a chord but with bass its generally one note at a time so you dont necessarily need to be able to hold two notes at a time that are far away from each other

TLDR: just start playing, it’s gonna be a non issue

I have the hands of a 12 year old girl (I have compared) and I play a a big ass scale. All you gotta do is learn how to shift your hand quickly instead of always stretching and you'll be fine.

You'll get a lot of good suggestions about short scales. One thing worth noting is that some have necks as wide as a regular bass, they're just shorter. You'll want one that has a thinner neck too. The standard for a thin neck is 1.5" at the nut (the far end of the neck where the strings rest before they go to the tuners. Fender jazz basses have this kind of neck even though they're full length. So you may want to try a jazz bass, but your arms may be too short so that's where an Ibanez Mikro or (my recommendation) a Sterling short scale stingray come into play.

It's also worth noting that playing chords on an acoustic guitar (which typically has a wider neck than a bass!) can be harder to reach strings because you're trying to twist your fingers into shapes. It's a lot easier to reach the bass string because as a beginner you're just pressing one or two fingers down on a single string.

Don't give up! Linh Le from Bad Cop Bad Cop is extremely short and has her own signature bass! You'll be fine when you find a bass your size.

I have very small hands and I find it's easier to play a 3/4 scale rather than a small scale, it's just small enough for my fingers to reach everything, and it's big enough to where it doesn't look like I'm handling a toy.

Your limitations may prevent you from becoming the world’s best bassist, but you could still be above average and have fun. One of the most difficult things in life is accepting the fact that, despite of the chatter about you can be anything you want with enough desire and practice, you are destined to be less than the best. If you are not born with the muscle structure to give you exceptional speed, you will never be a safety in the NFL. Happiness comes when you can enjoy the abilities you do have and become the best you can be, Above average is good. To give you the best chance at bass, start with a bass that is easiest for you to manage, like a short scale, micro, or one with a narrow “fast” neck. There are methods where you do not have to use all 4 fingers and one finger per fret. You can find a way that will allow you to become good enough to have fun playing bass.

I'm 5'0 with small hands even for my height. I find a short scale much easier to play, I really love my fender mustang. I do have an ibanez full scale as well but I don't play it anywhere near as much

5'1 male here. I started playing bass almost 12 years ago and during the first 10 years I used a regular scale Jazz bass.

It was during 2021 when I finally got me a Mini Precision bass which is actually shorter than a 'short scale' bass (28'6 inches instead of 30') and it has become my main and favorite bass to play.

It's very lightweight so your back will thank you on the long run and it's so easy to transport because it fits in a guitar gig bag! I actually have more freedom to move around on stage and in practice sessions because being so small it makes me feel less worried about hitting something or someone on accident which added to the lightweight makes it feel so liberating to play.

Also one advantage sharing the same height, looks-wise, is an instrument that doesn't look out of place while being on our hands since it actually looks more proportional to our compact bodies, lol.

I now own three short scales, a Squier Mini Precision, a Harley Benton Beatbass Fretless and a Glarry GW101 (which is the smallest at 25'5 inches, though strings for that particular bass are hard to find, not so much with the Squier or Harley Benton which is great).

Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't take me too long to play my regular sized Fender Jazz Bass, probably about 2-3 songs on average, it is all about muscle memory which you only have to worry if you plan to play multiple basses, but if it's your first or only one for quite a while, I'd give short scales a fair chance.

Now about the sound of a short scale compared to a regular scale bass I'd say the short scale has a more even sound across all the strings and frets and the notes have more focus on the fundamental frequencies, it's hard to describe.

I recently recorded an EP with both my regular and short scale basses if it helps to hear the difference I talked about.

Tracks 1 and 3 were recorded with my short scale Squier Mini Precision while Track 2 was recorded with my regular scale Fender Jazz Bass:

https://open.spotify.com/album/18oxb7dAHGJK6lTSnbkGu6?si=nKLYKVO8TZS0PdF1JzLVSw

I have an incredibly small dick but that doesn't stop me from fuckin. Practice makes perfect!

If I can fuck with an incredibly small weiner, you can play bass with your incredibly small hands!

This is where I like to reference the video of the Korean kindergartners playing full size classicals.

It's okay. Little kids play bass!

it doesnt matter u can be good easy, ive seen crazy good japanese girl bassist

Many women play professionally with exclusively short-scale basses.

You dont need big hands, it’s all about technique. My daughter is a petite bassist with tiny hands. Mine are smallish, and I’m self taught. I can do things now I couldn’t when I first started. Using the pinky is crucial, so my advice would be to use that instead of the ring finger from the outset, it’ll build strength and help with stretch and transitions.

I have the smallest hands of all the girls ang guys in my class but I play bass pretty well. So size doesn't really matter

Yes! You can learn. There are many short scale basses that are small. My wife is under 5 feet, and she's learning. Don't let a little thing like that get you down.

Heyyy 5'3 woman with child-sized hands (literally). I play a 5 string full scale, you're gonna be fine.

Look up a technique called "shifting".

I have hands the same size as my 5’1 female coworker and I’m a 5’8” male. I play full scale. I can also comfortably play multi-scales and 35” necks. It’s all in your technique, and practice, practice, practice.

I’m an old guy who started playing young I have relatively small hands and my first decent bass was a 70 P. You eventually get quicker with hands to play things others can just reach without changing positions. I have several basses now including a fretless which I love playing and a Garz short scale among others. There are a lot of great short scale basses out there if you find full scale too difficult. But don’t let anything deter you You’ll never regret being a good bass player. Good luck. Play hard have fun.

My bass teacher had pretty short fingers. He could play his ass off. There are certain fretting positions that might not work for you, but I don’t think most bass lines require very large hands.

I’m a fairly small guy at 5’5”, and I have hands to match. I’ve only been playing since Sept 2023. I got a short scale bass (Fender Mustang PJ) and it’s been great. I actually think I could go up to full scale without trouble. Besides, if that tiny 9 year old girl can play full sized bass, then surely us smaller adults can too.

Hand size really shouldn't hold you back. Go watch Ellen plays bass on YouTube. 11 year old girl rips it on the bass.

You can probably still play a full scale bass. Obviously try one in a store first, any one, just to make sure. If for some reason you find the instrument too long, you have a couple options. Short scale basses are a thing and some of them can be really tiny, as someone else mentioned: Ibanez Micro. But you can go one step further and go for a u-bass. Kala recently came out with a really cool electric u-bass. It's beyond tiny. Worst case scenario, I can't imagine one of those being too big for anyone.

Leland Sklar is the most recorded studio session bass player of all time. In a recent video, he explains that he had childhood nerve damage in two fingers on his left hand, that Make it difficult to use them when he plays. So, he developed a technique where he plays with his good two fingers and slides between all the notes. It gives him a very smooth style that fits in with bands and singers of all musical genres and records very well. He has remained in high demand for decades and has played the bass parts in countless hit records. So, the size of your hands is not the determining factor in playing bass. In Syed it is technique and learning to play the right note at the right time. Playing in rhythm is the most important key to playing bass well. I have an old Hofner violin bass, which has a short scale and a narrow neck. As a guitar player who dabbles on bass when the occasion presents itself, I find the Hofner much easier to play than my Fender P bass, but it has a much thumpier tone, which works for some songs but not as well for others. Paul McCartney did ok with one.

I started playing in November last year and am also a 5' small person with small hands! I started on a squire jazz bass (it was lent to me) and it was HARD at first but with practice, things became easier. Now I bought my own used RBX 550 and it is much lighter and feels easier to play. It came with flatwounds on it and I love playing on them. I used Bass Buzz classes to get started and feel that helped a lot too! Look up microshifting too! Anyway, hope this helps!

Try this Guild Jumbo Jr Bass It has a shorter scale length than a regular guitar and sounds great sitting on the couch noodling around. Good for picking up and learning IMO.

Transitioning to a full sized instrument isn’t that hard once you develop the technique and are able to make your hands do what you want. I’ve gone from playing that tiny thing to an extended range 5 string in back to back songs without any issues (note I do NOT have small hands but I do have short stubby fingers.)

A Gretsch G2220 bass sounds great, is small, and doesn't cost a lot. I like mine a lot!

Hand size doesn't matter in the long run from what I've seen on YouTube. There are tons of small hand people going wild. All comes down to your dedication to the instrument.

Use the fingering patterns from upright bass (which is how bass is taught now anyway). You you should be fine with a full 34" scale).

Play bass on a synth

Hey welcome to the tiny hands bass club! We're all a little disadvantaged here but we make it work.  

My only advice is just to say things seem impossible when you're just beginning to learn a shape, or shift, but it's all muscle memory and it does grow with practice. Just be aware that what might be an easy stretch for somebody else might mean a shift or an different fingering for you, and as long as you pay attention and make sure your wrists are at an angle that's relaxed and don't hurt, you'll find the way that works.

Having big hands is nice, but not needed at all. You may just need to move around the neck more than some people, but you adapt. You learn to just shift slightly

You could also go for something like the solid body Kala Ubass... 24" scale great for smaller hands

Hand size shouldn't be too much of a problem if you learn correct left hand technique.

Stretching is much less important then micro shifting when you play

Just avoid the dreaded baseball bat technique and you'll be fine.

I started playing bass when I was 10 with little baby hands and I still have small hands but you will adjust and your hands will spread farther just keep playing

It’s possible! I would suggest trying a mustang bass if you can find one in a store. It has a smaller body and shorter scale length. That said, I believe that you could play a full scale bass as well!

Either get a short scale bass or you'll do a lot of hand position shifting. I'm 6'2" and have small hands so opt for the latter.

I have small(ish?) hands, and that did not stop me. I started on a short scale, but after 2 years I transitioned to full scale 5 strings without problems.
I say, go to your friendly music shop and try out some short scale basses.

My bass teacher had a really simple solution for every problem I brought him. Here's his solution for any variation of "I can't reach"

Move your hand. There's almost no reason to maintain a rigid position. If your hand geometry would require you to make an unreasonable stretch to properly fret a note - just move your hand. You may need to get better/smoother at moving your hand than some giant handed cyclopes, and that's just fine.

Some 9 year old kids play on standard basses so I doubt you really need a short scale but those are cool instruments though

Bronco bass. 

I'm a six foot tall 220lb guy with the hands of a petite woman. I've been playing bass for years.

It matters a lot more for piano than bass. You are rarely playing more than one note on bass. So the size of hands is not really an issue. If you are smaller overall, lots of folks find it easier to play with the bass positioned higher. So try shortening the strap. Similar to how Mark King wears his.

I’m a 5’1 dude and managed to play a 6 string for years. Don’t let hand size intimidate you. Funny thing is while I recently got a short scale and a Mikro, I still find myself going back to my full scale 4. They each have their place.

Microshifting. Check out the bass buzz YouTube channel. He does a video about small hands and shows you children playing full size bass phenomenally

Cici Powell on YouTube plays long scale basses and I think you've got a couple of inches on her

I’m a 5’4 dude with small hands and play a full scale bass. One thing that helps me is buying basses with Jazz-bass string spacings (Ibanez SoundGear is a nice choice for that). Also try out some short-scale basses. Don’t be afraid to head to a guitar store (especially Guitar Center) and pick up several basses to see what feels comfortable.

Do it

I wouldn’t let this stop me. I have average sized hands and play a G&L version of a P bass. You could probably get by with a Fender Jazz bass which have a thinner neck. Also get good at using your pinky

My Höfner v63 reissue is a really good short scale.

Django Reinhardt lost all but two of his fingers on his left hand and still became an awesome guitarist. Small hands are not going to stop you being a bass player, how good you become is up to you. You can try short scale basses if you like but it’s not necessary. A slimmer neck profile might help, best to try lots to find one that feels right. I don’t have big hands and have played shorty basses like SG and Hofner violin bass, currently playing a Marcus Miller Sire (Jazz bass) which is beautifully easy to play for me.

To echo others, you can absolutely do it. I see little kids play at a high level and they're undoubtedly smaller handed than you. I'm a fairly small guy myself and while having giant spider hands is a bonus, I don't have any problem. I do play a 32" scale bass and it helps, but I also play a standard 34" on all my other basses. You'll learn to micro-shift a bit as you improve and you won't be limited by your hand size. If you want to do it, don't let this concern stop you, it really won't matter much and even if your goal is to be an elite player, it won't get in the way of your goals.
Learning proper technique from a teacher and practicing that will pay so many dividends down the road if you decide to stick with it.

My bass teacher is probably 5’2 and has small hands. But man, can she move them around! Sure, big spider fingers would make our lives easier, but you can still do it!

I’m a 6”, 200lb guy (part from lifting, part dad bod), and have small hands. I’ve always had hands only marginally bigger than my girlfriends.

I’ve had no problems playing bass. Hell, I spent a part of my youth playing multiple times a week and touring.

You’ll be grand!

As a woman with small hands and health problems, ukulele bass was where I found my instrument. The 20in scale length is just right (although I do have a 23 that I can manage too). It is small with a big sound so a lovely contrast. Good luck finding your instrument.

Personally I wouldn't say a short scale bass is needed, I'm a big fan of how longer scales feel and sound. As you say your average bass part doesn't involve chords played all at once as on guitar, so I don't really see the problem. You just may have to develop a faster hand or a better index-pinky stretch than the average bear.

I have pretty small hands for my size but play 35" basses no issue, just realize there's always more than one way to play something, if you can't imitate a video exactly then find a way to fake it til you make it, and have fun most of all!

It’s all about your wrist and thumb placement you can have small hands and play the bass great! Making those adjustments will open your hands up so you can reach what you need to! Good luck!

I am a woman with small hands and play bass guitar for a recovery group at my church. I started off on a 4 string Fender P-bass and now have a few 5 string basses, with my Ibanez SGR 305 as my main go-to. I just like the way it fits my hand and how the tone blends with just about anything I’m playing.

As you learn new riffs, they’ll be hard at first. However, your hands will learn to stretch to allow you to hit those trickier notes that, at first, seemed just out of reach.

There may even be some hand/finger stretching techniques online you could try to help hone those skills faster. I started learning bass before YouTube was a thing, so I just simplified what I was playing until I could play the whole thing.

It’s a new skill you are learning. Be patient with yourself and, above all, have fun!! Welcome to the bass fam!!

I have an old Hofner HCT-500/1 Contemporary Violin Bass. I don't think they make them anymore but neck is small. I know that wooden sound may not be contemporary enough, but with todays amps, its pretty versatile.

I have Trump hands and I rock a Rickenbacker no problem. Just practice and loosen up those wrists like the tin man with a can of grease

As I’m sure many have said, get a Fender Mustang, if you get one with PJ configuration you’ll have a lot of tonal variety. A good ole Jazz bass or a PJ, would probably be fine too, because both would have a slender jazz neck. Another option would be any four sting in Ibanez’s SR series. Those are known for their narrow thin necks, and would also give you a ton of tonal variety as well. Overall I do think everybody can adapt to any bass.

Your fretting hand will gain flexibility the longer you stick with it. I'm mostly a guitarist for sure, but after playing over half my life now, I can fan my fingers apart on my left hand significantly wider than those on my right.

I'd also recommend a short scale on top of just playing and practicing.

Edit: typo

They make a TON of short Scale Basses dont worry plus you're not the only person who's had that problem YouTube Google etc lol you'll find players

Let me start off by saying that if your are still very new to playing then you're hands won't have the flexibility or strength to play what you think your should be able to play. It might not be that you have small hands, you just don't have the technique or dexterity to play chords. And you might not need to play chords on a bass, but getting around the neck will require that you develop similar hand strength and flexibility.

That being said, I don't have small hands, but I'd do love my short scale Fender basses. Just a lot of fun to play. I'd say that there is nothing wrong with going that route. The Squire Mustang looks killer and is actually a very solid bass for the price.

I’m a 5’4 girlie…my hands are tiny, I get laughed at all the time for my small hands, but I still play a full sized bass. With practice, your hand size shouldn’t matter too much, if at all, in my opinion.

Does not matter. Once you know where to hit, you find a way to get there…some people only have two or three fingers…it dont matter…someone said small scale bass, that might work for you. Just do it. Now.

I feel like as long as you can reach from the 1st to the 3rd fret you're fine. Having bigger hands does make certain things easier, but it's never a requirement.

Check this out. Guy on a bass plucking and slapping but he has no fingers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFu93176clo

Do "micro shifts". Watch some Bass Buzz videos on YouTube, Josh mentions it in a few videos

Small hands are no impediment. Truly. You're typically using one finger at a time, and there are some nice and very small basses, should a full scale instrument not be your thing.

Rock out!

There's something cool that happens in every musician, no matter how amateur or pro, where unique behaviors and qualities about them physically and mentally shape their own unique way of playing. With smaller hands, you might feel more comfortable playing local arpeggios, or playing higher tones further down the neck. Me having large hands (6'5" M), I might gravitate towards stretching fills with octaves and stuff like that because it's harder to play stuff close together. No matter what, you'll find a way to play bass that makes you feel good and fulfilled with pursuing it. You just have to discover it for yourself!

I also have dinky arse hands and have no issue playing. I am a 5’5” female and wear a ring size 6 on my thumb for reference. My fingers aren’t long at all either. I mostly play on a 5 string Peavy Millennium.

Some wise words I like to remember, "no matter how good you are, or think you are somewhere out there, there is an Asian kid doing it better," and if their tiny hands can than so can yours

No idea why so many are immediately recommending short scale... Unless OP has super short arms too scale length and hand size has very little connection

Neck profile is going to be the biggest make or break... I recommend looking into ibanez... I've got a couple 90s soundgear basses that have the thinnest necks of anything I've owned

I echo what others have said: get yourself a small scale bass. Also you should try out a Fender bass VI, the fret spacing would be great for you

Mine: short and girthy, wait we are talking about fingers, right?

Hey! beginner bass player here, near your height, I play full scale with funny small hands, I’m not even kidding when I say that my friends who are shorter than me had bigger hands than me; I really like bass and I try to improve whenever I can, something that I found works for me is to jump within the frets instead of stretching my hands to something I can’t reach (I still stretch my hands and exercise my hands tho) but practicing makes a difference so practice, practice, practice that way you can increase the velocity little by little, I promise that most people won’t be able to tell the difference, if that still doesn’t fit you, you could always try with a smaller scale

Edit: I forgot to add that I’ve been playing with a broken ring finger that hurt my whole arm all the way to the shoulder for at least 2 weeks and can still play with no problems

I have dainty, feminine like hands. Any 4-string should do you find to start. Over time, the fingers on your left hand will stretch - not the actual length, but your ability to stretch between frets and strings which will make playing easier.

When you decide you want to graduate to a 5 or 6 string bass, you'll want to look for basses with a narrower string spacing. The Ibanez soundgear series is a good place to start.

Shift.

I feel you on the 5’1 and hands LOL but idk if I would consider my hands really small but theyre def not big enough for me to reach the 3rd fret from the 1st fret comfortably and with no buzz

I think you should play bass especially bc it helped stretched out and make my hands a bit more flexible even on a full scale bass and you can honestly just adapt to whatever is comfortable to you (I hate doing the four finger fret technique so I end up doing the Simandl technique)

and this video from Bass Buzz also is very helpful!

I have incredibly small hands too and I've just bought my first bass which is a long scale 34" 5 string and I'm able to play just fine. I say go for it!

There are smaller scale basses. Try a fender mustang.

u/dolleyes77

I'm not sure how small your hand is, but mine is 16.6 centimeters from the start of my palm to the tip of my middle finger.

You can get a ruler and compare that to your hand to get a good idea of how big it is. And I'm 5'52 feet tall.

These are my tips for the beginners.

As long as your index and pinky fingers can reach from the first fret to the third fret(about 9cm), I can promise that you will have literally zero problem playing a normal-sized electric bass (34-35 inches).

Playing the bass is a lot like playing a platform jumping game like MEGAMAN, you just jump across the fretboard quickly and press the strings.

And when you press down on the strings of the bass, you don't need to press down hard.

Just press lightly, but **pull your elbows slightly together towards your body**.

This will drastically reduce the overall force going into all the fingers of your left hand (especially your thumb).

Also, don't tilt your left hand's wrist too much. Just keep your left hand as relaxed as possible.

It is absolutely important in the long run. Sit down, put your bass on your lap, grab your bass's neck(put your index finger and pinky from the first fret to third fret) with your left hand with no force attached, and see how your wrist position and thumb lines up with other fingers(mine lines up with my middle finger with 45 degrees).

Move your left hand to the higher frets and check the same thing you did on the first fret(mine lines up with my index finger with straight 90 degrees).

What I was trying to say is that your finger and wrist's degree changes while you are playing this.

Understanding this thing prevents A LOT OF injuries.

Finally, it's important to consider the height of the strap.

If you play mostly (90-100%) between the lower frets (1st and 9th), it's not a bad idea to strap your bass a little lower.

If you only play base notes (1st-4th frets), you can probably get away with wearing the bass quite low.

However, if you're doing a lot of general playing, bass solos and slapping (1-18 frets), you'll want to keep the bass as high as possible.

I recommend that you strap the bass at the same height as you would sit and play it.

It makes you play far better and easier for you.

Hope it helps!

just get a small bass / guitar ???

I’ve seen a little girl, meaning something like 12 yrs old, maybe younger, playing astonishingly well on a long scale bass… bass, like she had played for 40 yrs… she is tiny… I’m not sure if it was YouTube or TikTok or Insta, but she has very tiny hands and does extremely well… I’m sure you can do it too😎😉

I’m the same size with small hands. My little finger is 2 inches long :) and I play a short scale (bronco) and enjoy it a lot. My teacher teaches children as well and I find him very understanding of how to shift and adjust with playing with small hands, as opposed to my previous teacher who mostly taught adult men who expected me always to stretch. So maybe a teacher who has experience with younger learners may be helpful for you.

Almost everyone who starts playing an instrument thinks that there is something wrong with their hands. I did too when I started 30 years ago. You’ll figure out somehow anyway. I guarantee it. And yeah, look into short scale basses. They are incredibly underrated, comes in all sorts of shapes and colors, I think they look amazing, and the sound from them are cool and pretty unique.

It’s easy to start bass just go for it. I’d try a short scale like a mustang/jaguar/bronco bass.

You could probably look at short scale basses, like 30 inch. Also you can probably work on technique so your your hand more rather than stretching your fingers

Ibanez mikro is quite small, might be worth checking out

i have a similar struggle !! my first and only bass is full size and, even though its a little tricky at first, became easy to play relatively fast.

Victor Wooten himself has rather tiny hands.

I really don't think you have to worry. I have very small hands and I play bass without any problems at all. Just make sure you try the bass out before buying it, so you get the one that's most comfortable for you.

I am 5'3 and my hands are pretty proportionate to my body. I bought a 2nd hand full scale bass, not a lot of choices were available. I haven't had any issues playing it. I found that once I started playing regularly, my fingers adapted to it and can comfortably span 4 to 5 frets. No issues so far. Go for it. It is fun!

I am 5'3 and my hands are pretty proportionate to my body. I bought a 2nd hand full scale bass, not a lot of choices were available. I haven't had any issues playing it. I found that once I started playing regularly, my fingers adapted to it and can comfortably span 4 to 5 frets. No issues so far. Go for it. It is fun!

If you are wanting to try a very narrow neck bass, the Hofner bass used by Paul McCartney is very narrow. Feels almost like the neck was meant for a 3 string instead of a 4 string, if that makes sense. John Myung of Dream Theater uses a bass with a similar build, but it’s a 6 string bass with closer to a 5 string’s neck width, if I remember correctly.

Don't let small hands stop you. When I first started playing I genuinely couldn't reach the third fret from first and had to do a full shift but as you carry on playing your fingers get used to it and stretch! Basically slightly harder for us but don't ever let it stop you, bass is so fun!!

I guess you’ll just need an incredibly small bass (or a short scale lol).

i’m 5’0 female with baby hands too! I play a long scale Ibanez and it’s been great. I would avoid a short scale bass if you one day want to get other basses because then you’ll be used to the length of the neck and won’t have trouble adjusting.

Short scale bass guitars are perfectly fine. They are every bit as good and legitimate as any other bass. Some very respected pro bass players use them. Get a short scale and rock out!

My very short answer to this dilemma is to look at Esperanza Spalding. A very petite woman who absolutely crushes the upright bass while singing! If she can do it, anyone can play electric bass and guitar in spite of hand size

I don't think Tina Weymouth from the Talking Heads is particularly tall. Just try different instruments until you find one that feels comfortable to you. There are a fair amount of short scale options available.

My best advice is full scale. Go big or go home(I don’t have any actual advice I’ve never had this problem)

You may not be able to pull off the stretches that other players do, but so what? There are ways to get around that by changing your hand position.

For what it's worth, Django Reinhardt only had two fingers in his left hand. Listen to his guitar playing and I promise you'll feel a lot more confidence in those tiny mitts of yours!

Your fingers are never too short. It is the muscles and tendons that need work. A gymnast does not start out by doing the full splits, or at least I think that way, because the body is not used to it.

The best piece of advice for learning to play a stringed instrument: everything hurts in the beginning and will continue to hurt throughout your lifetime when doing certain things. Once you get over the beginner stuff you will start to recognize abnormal pain. Anyone who has been playing for long enough knows how much cramping can happen from playing barre chords a little too long no matter how much experience you get.

There is unusual pain of course and that should be checked out but what most beginners don't realize or wasn't informed of is that learning hurts. From the sore fingertips to the cramped hand it is all part of the learning experience. No one started out stretching from the 1st fret to the 5th. It develops over time.

No matter what scale of bass you learn on you will always have to get through that introductory pain threshold. It gets better it just doesn't feel like it at first.

Listen, I still have not found a person, male or female, that has smaller hands than me.

I play guitar and bass.

As I had this "problem", I started with a normal size Harley Benton, then I hurt my hand (not because of bass) so I sold it and got a Ibanez mikro gsrm20 or something like that. It's a pleasure to play for people with small hands like us!

Nowadays, I have and play a 5 string M3 bass from Marcus Miller. I won't say it's easy but I'm getting used to it. Also, the MOST important thing it's to bring the instrument to a tech so it leaves the bass as playable as possible. This is probably the most key thing.

Also keep in mind that if it hurts, stop! Don't force yourself and you will eventually find ways to do it.

April kaye is super short and a great bass player :) it's all about holding your hand right. I struggled so much at first and I have average hands. I still do sometimes, just need to get the technique down

Although I know you'll be fine because my own 5'0 mom plays bass without any problems, one option is that you can learn to play the bass lines on a piano. You won't have any physical issues with that instrument and it's actually pretty easy to learn plus there's no end to what you can do with a piano or synthesizer

Shifting can compensate for small hands. Check out some of the prodigies that are under 12 years old online. The have tiny hands and can shred a full scale because they understand shifting.

Don't be out off.

Coming from playing guitar, I found the 34" scale on my Jazz base daunting, so I picked up a Gretsch G2220 Jet bass, which is short scale and was rediculously cheap ($239 with free shipping). What I found was that the shorter scale was easer for me to adapt to, but it wasn't everything. I found that there is simply a bunch of learning that I have to do on this new instrument. From guitar, I know a lot about what or why, but I lack the experience with the instrument. With that realization, I've been switching between the long and short scale bass depending on what room I'm in or what sound I want and just working hard to be able to hit the notes on both. Where I might stretch on Gretsch, I slide or reposition on the Jazz.

One (mindless but skill focused) exercise that I've been working on is a set of three notes on the same string, but with different intervals. On the E string play the F, then F#, then G. That's all half step intervals. Now slide that pattern up a fret and repeat. Keep sliding and repeating the pattern up the neck. You'll notice that the spacing changes as you go up the neck and some will be easier or harder depending on where you are and may require a bit different technique. Now do the same exercise, but in reverse (G,F#, F). Now repeat that set on the other strings. It's kind of mindless, but a good technical exercise where you can focus on the tecnhique without worrying about note selection. Use a metronome and work on being consistant and later, as you get more confident, on speeding things up while still being in control.

Now change the pattern to F, F# G# (half step, whole step) and repeat the pattern up and down and across the neck.

Now try F, G, G# (whole step, half step) and repeat the pattern up and down and across the neck.

Now try F, G#, A (whole step, whole step) and repeat the pattern up and down and across the neck. This will be the hardest and you will likely not be able to stretch, you will have to slide or preposition your hand. Use the metronome and work on being consistent and clean before worring about being fast.

By doing those exercises, you will have worked on the mechanics of the possible intervals as you play a sequence of notes.

I’m a dude with smaller hands, I’ve been playing bass for over 15 years. Don’t let it stop you! The Player Series PJ Mustang Basses are an excellent option for smaller hands. Another short scale that I love playing is the Squier Paranormal Rascal. That bass has an extremely slender and small short scale neck that is really easy to play.

I have massive shovels for hands and I don't think it helps my technique or speed. Yes, I can comfortably fret the 1st and 5th frets on the low E without moving my hand, but it doesn't make me faster or able to play better than anyone else who's prepared to put in the effort to get good, regardless of hand size. That mobility comes from your forearm and wrist anyway.

Get a short staff. Smaller frets, shorter neck

You can over come this! Even if it means developing your own style to comfortably play. You will succumb to any self imposed limitations you put before yourself. If the dude from Nocturnal Depression can play guitar , you got this too.

Other have mentioned short scales. I would say go to local stores and try all the basses (full, med and short). Even full scale feel different between models because of neck shape and nut width (how wide at nut at 1st fret). And how bass fits on you can make end of neck feel closer or farther away. Find the one where neck feels the best. Try other nearby stores if have multiple. And go every so often to see if anything different in stock. Also technique can impact how you "reach" the lower notes. Lots of ways around feeling hands to small, if it even impacts playing.

Easier to stick with playing if you find a bass that feels good in your hands or at least the one that feels better than rest you have tried. If not sure can always get one that you think you like and start learning. Then go back and try other basses again to see if any now feel better or not. I always like trying models I haven't seen before no matter the scale.

Get a short scale. Honestly, they sound fine. My buddy is in a 3 piece band and he and the other guitar player switch back and forth on bass depending on the song. He has like 3 high end PRS guitars (Like $3-$5k each) and the Bass he plays is a cheap $150 Ibanez short scale. It works just fine.

If you do want a full-size bass. Try out a Jazz bass, or something advertised with a Jazz style neck. They have a 38mm nut on them and are easier for smaller hands.

Also, check this girl out. Shes like 12 now and her channel is like 3 years old. If she can do it, so can you!
Best of luck!

EllenPlaysBass - YouTube

I'm 4 11 and 14 years old but I can still play full scale bass so just go for it you will look cool

Just play the damn thing girl! You got this.

Imagine if that had stopped Victor Wooten.

Preface this with: Victor Wooten is actually a pretty small guy. Lol

Someone else mentioned upright bass finger patterns, that too.

The way you hold the bass will impact your ability to move around the fretboard, and there are like 69,420,666 ways to hold a bass. (We aren’t like classical guit*rists. We won’t chastise you for doing what you must.)

I'm 15 and have baby sized hands, if I can do it you can too.

Look up Ellen plays bass on YouTube. 11 year old girl playing great on full size basses. Hand size is not a limitation.

Watch a few videos of kids playing full-scale basses and get back to us. If you don't want to learn, that's fine, but don't blame your hands. You'll have those the rest of your life.

Get a short scale.

Squire had a killer Jaguar Short Scale in their Vintage Modified line.

You're the only one who can limit you. Just go and do it and learn and practice. Things will be hard, but they will get easier. 

When you start to play bass you’re going to want to blame the difficulty on your hand size, but it’s actually just your lack of bass playing experience. There are literal children that can play full scale bass just fine.

There are ten year old girls SHREDDING bass.

Ashley Adam's is about your size and plays full size upright masterfully.

Don't buy a short scale bass unless you love that bass.

Imma just leave this here.

I know a man who plays solos a grown man with years of experience cant play... with his feet! You got this :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVDZTDa6kYs

Look at this video and feel encouraged... or discouraged.

My friend is a bit smaller than you and plays a 34” scale length bass, I think it would just take practice. A shorter scale bass isn’t a bad idea though