is a three finger fret hand possible?

As I recall, Django Reinhardt was able to play amazingly with two functioning fret hand fingers :)

If you really enjoy playing, you'll find a way. There are no rules, you can make it work!

There are many well known guitarists, who rarely, if ever, use more than 3 fingers, when soloing.

Watch Brian May and Eric Clapton solo - little finger is basically redundant.

As I recall, Django Reinhardt was able to play amazingly with two functioning fret hand fingers :)

If you really enjoy playing, you'll find a way. There are no rules, you can make it work!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzz6fAdFFis
and related videos.

heyjason, you will definitely be able to play the guitar normally, don't let the accident with your little finger put you off.

thanks guys! really appreciate all your replies. i'll follow all your suggestions.

I know you want to be able to play the best you can but there is something EVERYONE needs to know early on.

You will likely not play like a pro but you probably knew that. You will (by pure accident) develop your own style of play (fingering, rhythm, positions) and that is a really fantastic thing. Even "deficiencies" you think you have may, in fact, be things that other people wish they had!

I'm not a mushy, hippie, free-for-all-everything-is-good type of guy, but your style is unique so roll with it. Learn as much as you can (and practice) but be sure to just embrace what you have not what you don't!

In the book "Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude" there's a phrase that's used over and over: every adversity has the seed of an equal or greater benefit.

Years ago I really studied Django's style. I watched every video of him that I could find, and thought a lot about how he did things. And I realized that he changed the way we play guitar today because of his disadvantage. Every time you see someone do a three-octave run, they owe Django, even if they don't know it.

What I mean is, guitarists play what they hear, and like anybody doing something, they want to do it as efficiently as possible. So if a guitarist wants to play an Fm7 arpeggio, they'd do this:

1-4
1-4
1
1-3
3
1-4

That's very efficient, because you stay in one place. But Django had only two functioning fingers on his fretting hand, so getting from the 1st fret F to the 4th fret Ab meant he had to move his hand... and moving back and forth isn't very efficient. So he did this instead:

8-11-13 (shifts to 10th position for Eb with the 2nd finger, and slides to F)
6-9 (reaches one fret for F, shifts one position for Ab and he's in 8th position)
5-8 (shifts to 7th position to get Eb)
3-6 (shifts back ONE fret to fourth position and reaches for F; moves back to 5th for Ab)
3-6 (1st finger C, 2nd finger Eb puts him in 5th position;
1-4 (1st finger F, moves to 3rd position for 2nd finger Ab)

The end result: his runs weren't inefficient, and he got an almost a full additional octave with them. Other guitarists heard the extended range, and started copying Django. Yeah, they could do what he did more efficiently with fewer reaches - but he showed them what was possible.

Just figure out what you can do, and do it as well as you can. Just because you can't follow what others do doesn't mean you won't end up leading the parade.

Just because you can't follow what others do doesn't mean you won't end up leading the parade.

Great sentiment. :D

Fascinating account of Django's playing too. Thanks for posting the details, most interesting.

@ heyjason, just for fun click on the link below and then close your eyes and listen to the music for a little while without looking at how they are playing it. :)

When you open them and watch, you'll see yet another intriguing way of doing it. But do listen for a little while first without looking.

Cheerful Guitar

Cheers,

Chris

You can easily play with only 3 fingers. A few bar chords might be tricky (or you can just play a variation), but it's not anything that would make you want to quit. I'm a pretty average player and I never use my pinky when I solo, and only use it on a couple of bar chords. You'll be fine!

Yes you can, I run the fretboard with only three fingers but I do use all to play chords

A man used to complain that he had no shoes...until he met a man who had no feet.

Go with it...

Cat

Slash is another player that rarely uses his pinky. Make it work for you. There is a video out there of a gentleman who has prosthetic arms and shreds. It can be done.

My pinkie seems to snap like a spring as If I have no control over it, which I really don't. I want to use it but it slows me down and I can get along without it

You don't say in your post what style of guitar you enjoy playing. I also had an accident to my fret hand and lost the tip of both my 3rd and ring fingers. I play acoustic finger style. I tune my guitar by raising the B string a semi-tone to C. Then many chords in the key of C can be played very effectively with only two fingers.

Works well for fingerstyle
Works ok with a plectrum.

Great for folk/country style music. not going to win you any friends in the heavy metal department probably.

:D