Chris Glen's Hands ...

[uwe]

I've always rated Chris Glen as a bass player (eg Alex Harvey, Michael Schenker and Ian Gillan) and I was aware that he has very large gigantic hands:







But I've only learned now that his hands are actually the result of a hereditary gene mutation, giving him extra phalanxes and extra length:





I found out via an interview by Beth-Ami Heavenstone, Grahamm Bonnet's bassist and significant other, where she said that some of Chris Glen's bass lines are impossible for her to replicate because she has small hands.

[Pilgrim]

Some basketball players and wide receivers have such big hands they could play stuff that most humans can't. Mike Irvin and Kareem could darn near span an octave.

[Basvarken]

Yes, back in the early eighties I read that he had an extra joint on each finger. I always thought that was a bit of a bogus story.
Seems to be true though!

[uwe]

And these men spent their life dribbling an orange ball? What a waste.

I'm just jealous: I could never get that dribbling and running at the same time thing right. My Yank PE teachers thought it was because I was European, but I was just as uncoordinated with a soccer ball!  To this day, I dread having to catch something round. Some demons never leave you. 

That coordination defect is also why I can't slap or play speed metal 16th notes accurately, even if I just stay on the root. 90% of all players I know become faster just by continuing to play, even if they are one trick ponies. That never worked with me, it's like I have some secret inbuilt cruise control. I'd say that I can nowadays perhaps play  2 1/2-times as fast as when I started out on bass in 1977. For 46 years of playing, that is not a lot.  There are inherent limits to what I can do, I can't even do freestyle swimming, I'm a breaststroker (I use the term in all innocence though stroking breasts is nice too, even for uncoordinated people!).

[uwe]

Yes, back in the early eighties I read that he had an extra joint on each finger. I always thought that was a bit of a bogus story.
Seems to be true though!

He's from Up North, Scotland, DNA diversity - except with sheep - has never been high on their agenda (furtively: Is Alanko around?). His parents should have perhaps moved about a bit more before settling down with a partner, just sayin'.

If I'm not mistaken, the extra-phalanx only grows on the thumbs (making them three digit like fingers, not just two as is "normal"), but there is also the effect that fingers/phalanxes just don't stop growing due to the gene defect which is why the fingers (incl. thumb) of the people thus afflicted tend to be of similar size as they grow beyond a point where growth would regularly be arrested.



Chris Glen's pinkie on that pic where he does the devil horns has index dimensions for instance.


If you can do any of this ...




... go see a doctor and/or ask your parents some very stern questions. 

[TBird1958]

Damn, that dude has some fingers! Mine are stumps by comparison.

[uwe]

Now don't get ideas.