Fingering a pattern in E minor

[Trilobita]

Well as you can see from my previous post I have been thinking about fingerings.

Let's say you are in E minor and the following pattern shows up:

|------------------
|------9---7-------
|-7-10---9---9-7-9-
|------------------

You have to play this four times in a row as quarter-notes/crotchets at around 160 BPM. You start fingering the pattern with your index (fret 7) and your pinky (fret 10).

Which fingers would you naturally use for the remaining notes?

E: index
G: pinky
B:
F#:
A:
F#:
E:
F#:

(Edited because there were leftovers and confusing bits.)

 

[feterpatch]

For me...
B: ring
F#: middle
A: index
F#: ring
E: index
F#: ring

 

[mambo4]

E: index
G: pinky
B: ring
F#: middle or ring (barre)
A: index
F#: pinky
E: index

But if course there’s other options. Do I have to use your choice of frets, or are other frets with the same notes allowed?

 

[Trilobita]

But if course there’s other options. Do I have to use your choice of frets, or are other frets with the same notes allowed?

By all means go ahead and let me know your favorite "anything allowed" fretting and fingering choices for those notes.

I was asking because I find that I like to play it like this:

|------------------
|------9---7-------
|-7-10---9---9-7-9-
|------------------

E: index
G: pinky
B: pinky
F#: ring
A: index
F#: ring
E: index
F#: ring

Even though I usually play minor triads index-pinky-ring like mostly everyone, in this particular figure I found that the slightly wacky "double pinky" fingering from G to B (I just kind of slide it one string up and back a fret) made for a more comfortable transition back to F# with my ring finger, hence the question.

 

[Trilobita]

Curiously enough, the exact bit that made me ask the question (...G-B-F#...) has three different playing preferences out of three people so far. I had initially tried the same pattern suggested by feterpatch, as well as just moving the ring finger from B to F# as mambo4 suggested (though using ring instead of pinky for the second, unrelated F#), but in the end I settled on the double pinky thing.

 

[Les Fret]

14331313 for me

 

[Flamingo21]

the slightly wacky "double pinky" fingering from G to B (I just kind of slide it one string up and back a fret) made for a more comfortable transition back to F# with my ring finger

That's interesting. I wonder if I'd have thought to try this.

My first thought was to play it closer to the nut, on the G and D strings, to take advantage of the open G string.

But I'm all for unusual fingerings, and now I have to try yours. So thanks for the suggestion.

 

[StereoPlayer]

I try not to think about it…

 

[Bass]

....as well as just moving the ring finger from B to F# as mambo4 suggested...

Mambo is suggesting using a barre with the ring finger. That's different than moving the ring finger.

I do it the same as Mambo, one finger per fret, only I am moving the ring finger rather than barring. I used to barre but about three years ago I switched over to moving the finger.

 

[Trilobita]

I try not to think about it…

Lately I've been trying to teach myself to play stuff like this:

It would be great if my fingers instinctively knew what to do out of those notes, but (at least for me) that's far from being the case: in order to practice it and try to make it sound good I have to first decide which fingerings I am going to use. Hence "I have been thinking about fingerings" as per the initial post.

 

[Trilobita]

My first thought was to play it closer to the nut, on the G and D strings, to take advantage of the open G string.

I usually avoid open strings whenever that seems practical, to the extent that even when playing 4-string parts on my 5-string bass I often move open Es to the E on the 5th fret of the low B. Including open strings as part of a moving pattern is something I instinctively avoid, though I guess that is purely a question of personal taste!

But I'm all for unusual fingerings, and now I have to try yours. So thanks for the suggestion.

Great to know you are getting something to try out from the discussion.

 

[Trilobita]

Mambo is suggesting using a barre with the ring finger. That's different than moving the ring finger.

You are right. Now, actually barring those two notes with the ring finger is something that wouldn't ever cross my mind. Interesting to see how such a short and simple progression results in so many small differences in how it is approached.

 

[Loring]

14331313 for me

yep

 

[J_Bass]

I do it like this:



1-4-3-2-1-3-1-3.

 

[SteveCS]

Curiously enough, the exact bit that made me ask the question (...G-B-F#...) has three different playing preferences out of three people so far.
...

Here's another possibility. Setting the barre with index on 4 makes the rest fall really easy under the fingers:

As discussed in the other thread, it can all be moved over if needs be:

Fingering in both cases is 4, 2, 1, 1, 4, 1, 4, 1

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Well as you can see from my previous post I have been thinking about fingerings.

Let's say you are in E minor and the following pattern shows up:

|------------------
|------9---7-------
|-7-10---9---9-7-9-
|------------------

You have to play this four times in a row as quarter-notes/crotchets at around 160 BPM. You start fingering the pattern with your index (fret 7) and your pinky (fret 10).

Which fingers would you naturally use for the remaining notes?

E: index
G: pinky
B:
F#:
A:
F#:
E:
F#:

(Edited because there were leftovers and confusing bits.)

Index, pinky, ring, ring, index, ring, index, ring. And I'd never move.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Well as you can see from my previous post I have been thinking about fingerings.

Let's say you are in E minor and the following pattern shows up:

|------------------
|------9---7-------
|-7-10---9---9-7-9-
|------------------

You have to play this four times in a row as quarter-notes/crotchets at around 160 BPM. You start fingering the pattern with your index (fret 7) and your pinky (fret 10).

Which fingers would you naturally use for the remaining notes?

E: index
G: pinky
B:
F#:
A:
F#:
E:
F#:

(Edited because there were leftovers and confusing bits.)

my thought is why not play this riff in the first position? Using E on the D String G open to B then open G to A index then F# 3rd finger E index F# 3rd finger.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

I do it like this:



1-4-3-2-1-3-1-3.

Yup.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

my thought is why not play this riff in the first position? Using E on the D String G open to B then open G to A index then F# 3rd finger E index F# 3rd finger.

Yeah, I tried both. I had trouble with the tab using several different fingerings hitting 160bpm. My suggestion to use E on the D string using the open G string is much less work, you avoid using the the 3rd and 4th fingers alternately which can slow you down in a best case scenario, more than likely for most awkward.

I was able to hold 160bpm starting off the the 2nd fret of the D string for about 3 minutes clocked on a metronome. That said, with truth in advertising, my meters that speed isn’t 100% perfect but it was close enough for Jazz. I suppose working on it for a day or two, I could hold it steady for quite awhile.