Notes on the same fret on parallel strings

[vishalicious]

Hi. I'm not sure if this belongs here or in the Technique forum, as I can see it applying to both.

I'm practicing major and minor triads and I've found that I'm having difficulty fretting if I add the high octave. Basically, for each of the triads (major or minor), the 5th and the 8th are on the same fret, but the octave is one string higher.

1. Should I use the same finger to hold down each fret? I've found this hard to do when its the pinky finger during the major triad. Its a little easier when using the ring finger for the minor triad.

2. If I use a different finger, it throws off my sense of "position". By this, I mean, that it confuses me when trying to maintain one-finger-per-fret and causes me to jump around a bit when moving on to notes after the 5th/8th (or reverse) movement.

Are there extensions to the idea of maintaining a position which include shifting for this particular scenario? The only shifting I've seen documented for a scale or chord has been for the minor (Dorian) mode, and I don't think that it affects a triad at all (the shift happens on the 6th).

3. For the above, is there a difference when moving up a string vs. moving down? Like going from the 5th to the 8th vs. going from the 8th to the 5th?

Thanks in advance!

[MalcolmAmos]

Major Scale Box. 

G|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string

The bass fretboard is a little larger than the 6 string guitar so the one finger per fret may not apply all the time.

In fact unless you came to bass from 6 string you probably have not used the one finger per fret method.

As I did come from 6 string rhythm guitar I tend to use the one finger per fret box, but, slide when needed. I've noticed I tend using my index on the 4th string when grabbing the Major scale root interval.

My point. If you are trying to use one fret per finger, IMO don't sweat it if you slide a little. Google can help.

[prd004]

Disagree. One finger per fret is exactly the way I was taught to play bass.

[tjh]

Regardless of how people have been taught, or learned on their own, its whatever works ... some may physically not be able to span for one finger per fret, especially if playing a full scale (34"+) neck ... also, in the first position many may need to use a slide type motion to make the span ... I have platypus hands, and have/had no problem with OFPF all my life, and trip over myself on a shorter scale, but as father time and arthritis catch up with me, I slip, slide, weeble, and wobble to do whatever it takes to get it done, and sometimes it isn't very technically correct or even pretty ... if you are able, try to do exercises which include making movements that are slightly wider than you are able to currently make to help build the muscle memory and ability to 'extend' your reach, and build strength in the weaker fingers ... but, whatever you do, DO NOT stretch your hands forcibly when they have not warmed up .. it is very hard on the tiny muscles and connective tissue in your fingers ... JMHO

[NCD]

One finger per fret is a guideline, not a rule. It depends on the situation. You do it when you can and abandon it when you have to.

The longer your fingers, the more you'll be able stick to one finger per fret. If you have hands like mine then your palms are one and a half times the length of your fingers and one finger per fret would cause serious injuries to my hands and forearms if I tried to do it lower than about the 9th or 12th fret.

I say "or" because as I said, I was taught that it's situation and you can't just follow something like that as if you were a robot. You're not a robot, so engage the brain and make judgement calls phrase by phrase as you play. Some days I'm more flexible than others so I need to make a judgment call as to if I'll try to use one finger per fret from the 12th fret or the 9th. Use one per fret when you can reach without straining so that you don't hurt yourself in the process. If you find yourself straining, then adjust and change before strainING turns into strainED, as in injury.

Over time your reach will improve too. You don't have to try to improve it. It happens all on it's own as long as you keep practicing.

Will you ever be able to do one finger per fret all the way down to fret #1?

I dunno, it depends on the size and shape of your hands. Most people probably will get to a point where they can do it but some of us are just stuck.

But never let anyone demand that you always do one finger per fret. There are never any absolutes, you always have to:

^^Apply Common Sense Here^^

[Jools4001]

As fascinating as the old 'one finger per fret' chestnut might be, I don't think that answers the OP's question; that being (if I understand it correctly) whether you barre across adjacent strings on the same fret or whether you use different fingers when you're required to play the 5th and octave of a triad (or riff that has that pattern).

The answer is that as with so many other things, there is no right answer. The easiest (laziest?) way for me is to play a major triad with my middle finger playing the root, my index finger playing the 3rd and then barre-ing the 5th and octave with my little finger.

BUT...I also play it using middle, index, ring, little finger depending on where I am on the neck (I too have small hands that makes this difficult below the 5th fret). I also use this technique when playing fretless because, for me, I get better intonation.

My advice, for what it's worth is to practise each alternative fingering (there are more than the ones I've sketched out) and get comfortable with using them all, then you'll find that you will play something without even thinking about it, and that will be especially useful when playing songs and tunes, since the notes won't come at you in exercise form - the triad may be buried in the middle of a larger and more complex pattern that may require a real time adjustment to how you approach it. Getting to the point where you don't even conciously think about your finger pattern should be the goal.

[alec]

For a minor triad, I would use separate fingers, ie 1,4,3,4
For major, I might do 2,1,3,4 but more likely forget the ring finger and use my pinky for the 5th and octave. Not quite barring, but jumping strings and using the fingertip for 5th and pad for octave.

Like others have said, don't get hung up on "rules".

[Schlyder]

- You should learn all the different fingerings with all the different finger starts.
(Index, Middle, Ring, and Pinky... for every kind of scale, arpeggios with inversions )

- Malcolm's major scale box is basically a one octave Middle or 2nd finger start shape, or fingering, for a major scale. (his example shows up to the 11th of the scale because he is showing the fingering across the entire position)

- There are what I like to think of as 5 possible types of fingerings depending on what finger and note position you are on, on the fingerboard, and where you are going next...
- There is Open string start shape/fingering, Index(1st)finger start fingering, Middle(2nd) finger start fingering, and Pinky(4th) finger start fingering. * Ring(3rd)finger start usually is the same as Pinky(4th)finger start. (..depending on the situation)

- Take all these fingerings and learn scales and arpeggios (and their inversions) with them.

- You will need to be able to use one finger and roll to the second note AND you need to be able to use two fingers. Depending on the situation... as in what happened before and where are you going.

-By learning all the different fingerings, you will become adept at both the above techniques.

[vishalicious]

Thanks, everyone. I think Jools, alec & Schlyder gave me a starting point for finding the information that I need. I didn’t mean to derail my own question right from the start with my mention of one-finger-per-fret, but a lot of that information was useful, regardless.

What I was asking about is - as Jools put it - whether to barre across adjacent strings on the same fret or whether to use different fingers. And, it was primarily due to my not knowing if there’s any prevailing method for efficiency or ergonomics.

It does appear to me that I need to learn about alternate fingerings for both chords/arpeggios and for scales. The box pattern that MalcolmAmos posted is the one that I use the most. I know one more pattern for the major scale across 5 frets on 3 strings that I rarely practice, but I’ll work on that.

It also appears that there’s no standard method as to whether to barre two strings on the same fret or use two different fingers. I’ll practice more and see if I can figure out what’s most comfortable based on what note I’m coming from and what note I’m moving onto after the 5th/8th notes are played.

[FretlessMainly]

Generally, if the same fret/adjacent string notes are the highest notes I'll be playing, I'll barre with my pinky. If there is a higher note to be played, I'll often "stack" my ring finger and pinky (pinky plays the higher note). Part of the reason I use the barred pinky technique is that on fretless, it's difficult to rapidly stack the ring finger and pinky so that both notes are properly intonated. With the barred pinky, it's a breeze. So, that technique gets carried along to my fretted basses as well.

However, I have been working on some chordal voicings recently (ha - who'd want a bass player plays bass like that?) on fretted bass and the stacked ring finger/pinky has proved invaluble at freeing up the G string for chord tones at the top of the chords.

[vishalicious]

Thanks, Fretless. I've actually been testing that out a bit and found it useful to maintaining intonation.