'zouks, oms, and small hands

[shiloh]

Hi everyone,
Thru the Cafe I've had the opportunity to meet EdSherry (a frequent CBOM contributor). I recently moved to the Bay area, and finally met Ed last night at a Pub in Berkeley where he regularly plays (anything with strings - well, okay, not the fiddle I guess).
Ed brought his Crump 'zouk, which I noodled with for a bit. I was SO surprised to find out that my smallish hands could actually navigate this lovely instrument. The neck has such a wonderful feel and was very easy and comfortable to play. I must say that I only play rhythm (almost only) and I use partial chords and substitutions, but it was really a treat.
I'm still more comfortable with shorter string lengths, but what a nice surprise. This may just open other doors? The 'zouk has a tone which I prefer. And to think, I've been avoiding the longer scale all these years!
Thanks, Ed.

Jill Geary

[otterly2k]

Cool report, Jill.
I think for chording, especially partical chords with open strings, small hands are not a particular liability with the relatively thin necks of zouks (as compared to, say, 12 string guitars). As long as you can MOVE to where you need to place the chord (and move quickly enough to not break the rhythm). I like the sound of zouks too... and for chording, I might even prefer them. Because I also play melodic/harmonic lines and need to reach intervals, I stick with the shorter scale. But good for you for experimenting... you never know til you try.

[steve V. johnson]

Hey Jill,

Your description of your playing is similar to the way I'd describe mine, and I love my Crump, and it's 25.4" in scale.

But... Phil will build you almost any length you want! Heeheee!

Enjoy,

stv