Three finger technique and the pinky. Need Help.

[Mingus Addict]

I'm working on my right hand three finger technique in the style of Billy Sheehan. However, my problem could also apply to Steve Bailey's approach to three finger plucking. I need to figure out what to do with my pinky. Should I tuck it in, stick it out?... I've seen on some Cliff Burton videos that his right hand pinky is sticking straight out like he's daintily sipping a cup of tea. I don't know if that's the best or most comfortable approach for me though. I need to decide on something to do with it though because right now it's sort of wagging along with my other fingers and slowing them down. Any ideas?

[Corbow]

If you dont have any other action for your pinky and you want to focus just for three finger picking tech, my suggestion is to leave it just as it is. Your body will take care of it in some time. You should focus to picking and dont get disturbed about your pinky position.
PS: why dont you try to pick with your pinky too?

[El-Bob]

i use 3 fingers, and my pinky is flappin all over the place most of the time, i wouldn't worry about it if i were you. it may look ridiculous, but it works. btw, Demystifying Metal styles, how to make fingerstyle playing heard in Metal have you seen this thread? it's helped me alot in a short period of time with my 3 finger picking speed.

[hunta]

I don't really do the 3 finger style anymore, but when I did I had my pinky just kinda tucked away slightly. Like if you hold your fingers out straight, and just bend your pinky as far as you can without bending your other fingers. I'm sure it wiggled around a bit while I played but it was roughly bent back like that.

[OtterOnBass]

I've been using my pinky too, though I have to concentrate in order to keep it from pulling way back before plucking. Is there a reason to only use 3 fingers? TBH with 4 it's harder for me to keep time at high speed, but that's what I'm working on.

[Mingus Addict]

I try to use as few fingers as possible at any given time. If I can play a part with one, than I do. I will only be using three fingers for really fast stuff. I think four is more than I need to use at this time, maybe more than I'll ever need.

[Rickett Customs]

I have had this same conversation with other players over the years.

It definitely varies from player to player. Some are convinced that using the same finger (example: index) gives a more uniform attack, like James Jamerson for an example (first ex.There are many more that play this way also,just thought I'd throw out one).

I myself, use all four fingers and use various exercises to keep good dexterity. I used to play with three fingers, especially after watching Steve Harris and Sheehan play, I just found that adding in the last digit was easy to do.

Whether you use one,two,three or four fingers, ultimately it's what you feel comfortable with, without hindering your playing.

If you have to think too much about it while you're playing, don't do it, It will be detrimental to your playing. For I've seen players that used one finger and play circles around players that used three fingers.

Not a sermon, just a thought.

[nysbob]

My pinky is significantly shorter than the other three, so I never bothered incorporating it. I sometimes will use it as anchor (similar to what you do if anchor a thumb somwhere) but if you're really concentrating on what the 3 playing fingers are doing, I don't really see how it can get in the way much.

[hunta]

Who actually uses their pinky on their right hand to play? Here's an excerpt from a Sheehan interview in Dec 2006 Bass player:

"Q: Can you describe your three-finger plucking technique, and the key to making it work?

A: I play a lot of driving 16th- or 32nd-note things that are smooth and fast. It’s somewhat of a Rocco Prestia [Tower Of Power] vibe, but more rock- or metal-oriented. It’s essential to string the notes together consistently in time and flowing with the groove of the track. I always pluck my fingers in the same direction. You can hear accented groups of four, even though I’m playing with three fingers. So for each bar, the beat one accent is played with a different finger—index, middle, ring, and repeat. It’s totally confusing; that’s why thinking about it will never work. I just drilled it in over thousands of gigs and created a machine out of my hands. I try to make my playing flow as naturally as breathing, blinking, or swallowing—it’s automatic, even during a solo. I just fly by the seat of my pants."
Three fingers can work if you just want to shred notes really fast and you don't care about consistency of tone or real rhythmic accuracy. The guys that play 3 finger are just trying to belt out notes as fast as they can, and it comes out sounding pretty tight (and flashy), but there are flaws. "Thinking about it will never work," straight from Sheehan. He's playing triplets because that's how it comes out when you just rip as fast as you can with 3 fingers. If you start thinking about it and try and play consistent steady notes really fast like that with 3 fingers, it falls apart.

[El-Bob]

Originally Posted by hunta

Who actually uses their pinky on their right hand to play? Here's an excerpt from a Sheehan interview in Dec 2006 Bass player:

"Q: Can you describe your three-finger plucking technique, and the key to making it work?

A: I play a lot of driving 16th- or 32nd-note things that are smooth and fast. It’s somewhat of a Rocco Prestia [Tower Of Power] vibe, but more rock- or metal-oriented. It’s essential to string the notes together consistently in time and flowing with the groove of the track. I always pluck my fingers in the same direction. You can hear accented groups of four, even though I’m playing with three fingers. So for each bar, the beat one accent is played with a different finger—index, middle, ring, and repeat. It’s totally confusing; that’s why thinking about it will never work. I just drilled it in over thousands of gigs and created a machine out of my hands. I try to make my playing flow as naturally as breathing, blinking, or swallowing—it’s automatic, even during a solo. I just fly by the seat of my pants."
Three fingers can work if you just want to shred notes really fast and you don't care about consistency of tone or real rhythmic accuracy. The guys that play 3 finger are just trying to belt out notes as fast as they can, and it comes out sounding pretty tight (and flashy), but there are flaws. "Thinking about it will never work," straight from Sheehan. He's playing triplets because that's how it comes out when you just rip as fast as you can with 3 fingers. If you start thinking about it and try and play consistent steady notes really fast like that with 3 fingers, it falls apart.

good advice, but i don't know that it's entirely true

[Chad.mundt]

Your pinky is of utmost importance when playing with three-fingers. Always, ALWAYS allow the pinky to move along with the "A" (you know, PIMA). The tendons are connected. Anatomically, it can be very damaging to not do this in the long run. The tendon running up to your elbow can even grow weak and snap, requiring surgery to fix. Classical guitarists have to fight the urge to hold the pinky in place when using pimama or pima (flamenco) technique. What a classical guitarist that I have complete respect for recommended me to do is tape your a and c (pinky) fingers together when practicing ima or pima techniques.

I know a very good bassist that holds his pinky out when playing pima, and I'm very worried about his wrists.

[Chad.mundt]

honestly, four finger (imac) technique is the most useless and poor sounding right hand technique I can think of. It is extremely difficult to play with your pinky with any authority. Plus, anatomically it is not ergonomic at all. If you really need anything more than three can provide, and I can think of only one case that would require it (tremelo), just use pima or amip.

[iceshaft07]

Mr. Chad, have you ever truely tried 4 finger technique? And I mean given it more than a few days?

I profess to be no master, but I definately see it's potential.

With four finger technique you can do extremely fast sweeps. I don't play fast, but it is nice to change the sound up-- where someone else would play a quater note, i will play a sweep instead.

Further more, it makes time much easier to keep track of when your playing.

It also develops the 2 finger and 3 finger techniques-- I can play with four fingers, or three, of two and switch between them in the middle of a song.

You may be wondering about the two? Well, for example, we play in 4/4 for most of a song, and then switch to 6/8. I chug 8ths out the whole time, so just switch from 4 fingers to three and then back.

I will not say this comes easy, and if done wrong it does sound bad, but that is why I am still working on it.

[El-Bob]

Originally Posted by Chad.mundt

honestly, four finger (imac) technique is the most useless and poor sounding right hand technique I can think of. It is extremely difficult to play with your pinky with any authority. Plus, anatomically it is not ergonomic at all. If you really need anything more than three can provide, and I can think of only one case that would require it (tremelo), just use pima or amip.

try telling this to erlend

[jollygiantchris]

Originally Posted by Chad.mundt

Your pinky is of utmost importance when playing with three-fingers. Always, ALWAYS allow the pinky to move along with the "A" (you know, PIMA). The tendons are connected. Anatomically, it can be very damaging to not do this in the long run. The tendon running up to your elbow can even grow weak and snap, requiring surgery to fix. Classical guitarists have to fight the urge to hold the pinky in place when using pimama or pima (flamenco) technique. What a classical guitarist that I have complete respect for recommended me to do is tape your a and c (pinky) fingers together when practicing ima or pima techniques.

I know a very good bassist that holds his pinky out when playing pima, and I'm very worried about his wrists.

-I am unfamiliar with this pimama and pima terminology could you elaborate?

-And I am curious but when you say classical guitarists tape their a and c fingers together are you saying we should tape our pinky and ring fingers together on our plucking hand when we practice 3 fingered technique!?!?!

[hunta]

With four finger technique you can do extremely fast sweeps. I don't play fast, but it is nice to change the sound up-- where someone else would play a quater note, i will play a sweep instead.

Usually the mantra goes "Less is more." More often than not I'm trying to figure out how to play less notes, not more. I've been playing for 15 years, and my first several years of playing I was big into slapping crazy patterns and 3 finger plucking on my 6 string. Now I play a 4 string, rarely slap, and 2 finger pluck. The only time I'll pluck with my 3rd finger is when I'm tired at a long gig, I'll start alternating with my 3rd finger when my first 2 are getting stiff.

Further more, it makes time much easier to keep track of when your playing.

I'm not sure I see what you mean? I play in 6/8 and 7/4 and 5/4 and whatever else with 2 fingers. You can use as many or as few fingers as you want, you still have to adjust your playing and feel for different meters. 3 fingers can be ok for playing superfast triplets, and I imagine 4 fingers could be useful for superfast quadruplets. The 3 finger triplet thing has it's applications (although it's really very limited unless you're in a primus cover band). 4 fingers just gets an instant red flag for me because I can't see how you could ever play CLEAN. If anyone has a link to a video of someone playing with flawless 4 finger technique, please share. I did look and couldn't find anything I would consider clean.

It also develops the 2 finger and 3 finger techniques-- I can play with four fingers, or three, of two and switch between them in the middle of a song.

If you can really play with 2 finger, 3 finger, or 4 finger, and it's clean and tight, then kudos. However I think most likely if you step back and really listen to your playing, you will hear a huge difference between the clarity with 2 fingers vs. 4 fingers.