Fretting With Little Finger On Left Hand

mrjim123 · #1 05-21-2008, 09:10 PM

I played for the longest time NEVER using the little finger on my fretting hand. It just always felt so strange, like my pinky wasn't made to do that. How unusual is that?

I have recently been forcing myself to fret with my pinky, but the progress is extremely slow. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Curtybob · #2 05-21-2008, 09:31 PM

When I first started playing the bass, the guitar player in the band told me that playing with your pinky was the mark of a good player. He was lying, but I worked real hard to make that finger do it's fair share. Took a few months to have it at the same level as the other 3 fingers (still a very low level

), but it happened.

It backfired though, I use it in most of the situations I should have my middle or ring finger. I guess my index and pinky are my mainstay.

Lonnybass · #3 05-21-2008, 09:37 PM

Just practice, practice practice and you'll build up the strength and flexibility over time. But don't practice to the point of pain - overdoing it can backfire on you. Low action and a good setup also helps because you won't have to fight so much against the string pushing back up under your fingers.

Lonnybass

Thundar · #4 05-21-2008, 09:57 PM

My pinky is my stronger finger....but I think thats cause I have small hands and short fingers...LOL...now if I could only use my right hand pinky as well...I think Im just destined to be a 3 finger plucker

jim primate · #5 05-21-2008, 09:58 PM

practice. proper left hand position helps.

HaVIC5 · #6 05-21-2008, 10:09 PM

It IS possible to play guitar without the pinky (blues guitarists get away with it all the time, and Django got away with only TWO fingers), but in my opinion, it is really the mark of an amateur to seen a bass player playing using 123 fingerings (index, middle, ring). In the upper register, fine, but you're forcing yourself to work a lot harder than you need to and play extremely inefficiently if you're not incorporating the pinky. A lot of people are lazy and don't want to take the time that is necessary to learn Simandl (124) or 1-finger-per-fret, and it shows in their playing.

mutedeity · #7 05-22-2008, 03:15 AM

Basically, it's like this. Using your pinky gives you more reach and therefore more "economy of motion". The less you have to slide your hand around the more efficiently you can play.

I played for a long time without using my pinky myself. It takes time and repetition to build it up to strength but once you can use it and all of your fingers efficiently it will only benefit you.

namraj · #8 05-22-2008, 03:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curtybob

When I first started playing the bass, the guitar player in the band told me that playing with your pinky was the mark of a good player. He was lying, but I worked real hard to make that finger do it's fair share. Took a few months to have it at the same level as the other 3 fingers (still a very low level

), but it happened.

It backfired though, I use it in most of the situations I should have my middle or ring finger. I guess my index and pinky are my mainstay.

Pinky is good, but not instead of a different finger, using ur pinky instead of another finger isn't the mark of a good player, but not using your pinky is the mark of a limited player, sorry.

HappyCakeOven · #9 05-22-2008, 03:53 AM

Learning to play with my pinky was one the things I learned in my early bass months,
one-finger-per-fret really helps me get better reach and raise my fretting technique IMO.
You should try some pinky exercises, not only on your bass, pushing things with it, build up strength. Building up strength in muscles I've hardly used before took longer than getting used to play with it.

Curtybob · #10 05-22-2008, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by namraj

Pinky is good, but not instead of a different finger, using ur pinky instead of another finger isn't the mark of a good player, but not using your pinky is the mark of a limited player, sorry.

Actually, now that I'm a little older and don't listen to that guitar player for what makes a bassplayer, I figured out that the mark of a good bass player can't be watched. You gotta hear it.

warnergt · #11 05-22-2008, 09:08 AM

By using all four fingers, you can play a whole scale without shifting. To me, that benefit alone is enough to justify learning with all four fingers.

And, with practice and time, you can even get a fifth fret with a stretch. Then you'll have all the bases covered. A three finger technique will never get you there; you will become a shift machine.

mambo4 · #12 05-22-2008, 09:45 AM

Don't forget:
the pinky can be 'helped' by the other three fingers. Whenever my pinky is fretting, all of my fingers are pushing down right behind, adding my whole hand to the strength of my pinky.

ThunderLizard · #13 05-22-2008, 09:58 AM

mrjim-
I just started taking private lessons and am seeing the importance of the pinky. When you start incorporating it into your playing, you'll eventually see improvement. It's taking a while for me, but I'm getting there.
You might want to incorporate some lessons or method books to help you utilize it.

artistanbul · #14 05-22-2008, 11:18 AM

anatomy plays a big part in this IMO.
my guitarist friend has really small pinkies, and it's easier to stretch his ring finger to fret.
mine is almost as tall as my ring finger, so it's easier to use it.

nysbob · #15 05-22-2008, 11:22 AM

I can't fathom NOT using it.

Hell, I'd grow another one if I could.

SwamiRob · #16 05-22-2008, 11:24 AM

I played for a good 4 years (which is half the time I've ben playing bass) without my little finger, It's starting to catch up a little now, but it was a pain in the arse to start learning stuff with it. If it's a major weakpoint try gradually using it where it feels comfortable when your practising with other people or gigging, just using it where you feel it's comfortable. But do plenty of practise by yourself with it, it opens up alot of different ways of doing things.

I don't really stick to any particular part of the fretboard for certain notes, to be honest (playing mostly rock stuff) I prefer the sound of playing higher up on the lower strings for high notes in heavier bits and using higher strings for quiet bits, so I'm not one for playing scales and stuff in one position. But my little finger has helped me develop my style a hell of alot.