Hi,
Iv noticed a lot of players use fingers 1,2,3 when youd expect em to use 1,3,4 in a solo...Why is this? Is it actually better or worse technique? I first noticed it with Yngwie, but since then Iv seen others do it like one of the Iron Maiden guitarists...I was thinking maybe its for speed, cos when you do it your fingers dont come very far off the fretboard...
It's worse technique if there's not a reason for it, and correct technique if there is.
Django only used 2 fingers to play everthing . . since the other 2 were damaged in a fire . . .and he did ok :)
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Maybe because it's hard to use that pinky. Has anyone ever tried to do a thrill with their pinky, now that is hard. As for as technique is involved guitarist do things different, (like thumb positions on the neck or fretting barre chord with one finger, or using the thumb). What ever technique works for them should be used, I just don't 3 fingers, because I would be confused with different scale positions.
"Failure is the key to success" Lee Wen; Champ vs Champ
it just feels right after awhile.
if you rest your hand on the fretboard, you'll notice that it covers more than four frets, unless you have small hands. playing one finger per fret actually requires you to bunch your fingers closer together.
also, it leaves the pinky free for bigger stretches.
Ok. So you found it just came naturally to u after a while? How long had you been playing when it got to that stage?
Maybe because it's hard to use that pinky. Has anyone ever tried to do a thrill with their pinky, now that is hard.
Yep, it's hard. That's why it needs to be practiced regularly.
More work, all of you.....
Best,
A :-)
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I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
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My left pinky is unusually small. It's really only useful to me higher up on the fretboard (near the nut) when I'm playing chords. My ring finger can actually reach farther than my pinky so theres no advantage in using it unless the ring finger is busy with something else or I'm fingering a chord that requires it.
Down on the fretboard past the 7th or 9th fret while soloing or whatever I really don't need it that often. The 1, 2, and 3 fingers do just fine, but I still need to build it up some more.
-Metaellihead
Simon,
I'm a little confused, I guess I never noticed this same thing but why aren't they using fingers 1,2,3,4 instead of either 1,2,3 or 1,3,4?
Are you saying all those guitarists never use their pinky?
The only thing I've really ever noticed when I watch videos of guitarists doing solos is that they always seem to have the index anchored on a particular note in a scale pattern and then kind of pivot from there if you understand what I'm trying to explain, but I never paid much attention to the other fingers.
I was under the impression that you should always strive to use all your fingers, including the pinky.
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It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
Yeah, you should. Learning to use your pinky won't do anything to hurt your technique long term, it's just a question of when you do or don't need it. It's up the the induvidual player really.
-Metaellihead
I think that the neglect of the pinky comes from learning the C scale near the nut where you only use the first three fingers.
Whenever I teach anyone from scratch, I introduce them to scales further up the fretboard so that the pinky gets its workout along with the other fingers. I think it is criminal to let someone go for 6 months without using all four fingers.
Once you are doing a solo, use whatever fingers work but don't just limit yourself to three fingers simply because the fourth has had no practice. Just learn a bunch of scales and learn them further up the fretboard. It doesn't take that long to get the pinky working.
Just play til your fingers bleed, then stop when it hits bone...
Simon,
I'm a little confused, I guess I never noticed this same thing but why aren't they using fingers 1,2,3,4 instead of either 1,2,3 or 1,3,4?
Are you saying all those guitarists never use their pinky?
The only thing I've really ever noticed when I watch videos of guitarists doing solos is that they always seem to have the index anchored on a particular note in a scale pattern and then kind of pivot from there if you understand what I'm trying to explain, but I never paid much attention to the other fingers.
I was under the impression that you should always strive to use all your fingers, including the pinky.
What I mean is a sequence like this:
---16-14-12-------------------------
---------------15-14-12------------
---------------------------15-14-12--------
...In a sequence like this i see loads of guitarists (good ones, as in like Yngwie malmsteen, Dave Mustaine) using the first three finger rather than fingers 1,3,4 or 1,2,4 i.e. not the pinky.
I think it does stem from the beginning stages, but it seems to be limited to blues players - I think it's due to bending.
I start rank beginners off with chromatic drills in higher positions to get used to using all fingers, but when it comes to sight reading we start in C in open position. As soon as they have all the notes down, I introduce the 3rd string B note - that uses the pinky, and gets them used to the fact that notes are in more than one place - a good segue into second position C fingerings.
I also introduce reading stuff with accidentals as early as possible - a few C#, F#, Eb, Gb or Db notes gives the pinky a workout too.
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Simon
I see what you mean but that high on the fretboard it is probably not surprising. The distance between the frets there just makes it more natural to use the fingers closest to the required frets. The pinky would still be used if a longer stretch was required say from 12 to 17 for example. But for the range you described, I think fret proximity just makes it natural to use 1,2,3
Just play til your fingers bleed, then stop when it hits bone...
It's important to develop strength and dexterity in your pinky right from the beginning. It's the weak unit that deserves attention. For stubborn students I've found that the superglue method works well. You have them cross their middle finger over the top of their ring finger and glue them together like that. Then have them practice their scales. No, I've never actually did that, for fear of lawsuits, but I threatened to on several occasions.
However, when improvising rock and blues leads, the "proper" fingering of scales can be very limiting. It can trap you in the box because no fingers can reach higher than your pinky. What I've found is that using your pinky to fret notes that can be reached with another finger eliminates the option to reach farther up the fretboard should that strike your fancy. If you fret the same note with your ring or middle finger you can then drop the index finger "anchor" that cnev was talking about and pivot off of that finger to pull off one of those screaming blues bends higher up on the fretboard.
As Noteboat observed, It's a blues thang. But if you have a weak pinky you won't be able pull off that bend anyways. So I think you should use the "proper" fingerings until you have advanced to the stage where pinky strength is no longer an issue. You gotta learn to walk before you learn to run.
Simon
I see what you mean but that high on the fretboard it is probably not surprising. The distance between the frets there just makes it more natural to use the fingers closest to the required frets. The pinky would still be used if a longer stretch was required say from 12 to 17 for example. But for the range you described, I think fret proximity just makes it natural to use 1,2,3
Not that I'm a know it all but, that's what I was going to say untill I saw this post.
The higher up you get, the harder it is to your pinky unless it's a good reach. Why use your pinky when your ring finger is already hovering over the fret?
