Fretting Technique

Like any other 'bad habit' you're going to have to force yourself to do the right thing until it feels good.

Technically, make sure your bass is set up properly so your pinky doesn't have to work any harder than it needs to.

Also, if you are pinching a nerve in your pinky, get to a doctor, one that specialises in hand problem and see what they have to say.

Keep at.... you really do need four fingers, if you have them.

 

just do some excercises that focus on all four fingers

do them everydya for a month and i bet you will be way more comfortable.

contact me if you need some excercises, i would be glad to help.

 

There are more details to consider before accurate advice can be given: Are you using 1234 (aka one finger per fret)fingering or 124 (aka URB) fingering? is your setup good? are you keeping your Left Hand wrist straight and curling your fingers? do you have small hands? is your bass strap slung low?

I fret 1-2-4 unless I'm getting above the 7th or 9th fret. when I fret with my pinky, I always have the other 3 fingers on the neck right behind it for backup support. Also, I do not slavishly keep my fingers spread out uncomfortably to span a 4 fret range: I move my left hand to reach as needed, keeping my thumb anchored so I can slide back to my original spot. IMHO it is more important to get your fingers where they need to go in a comfortable way than to not move your hand at all.

Also, keep in mind that you may be fretting much harder than needed: It does not require much strength to fret a note on a decent instrument. The weakness may have more to do with the reach, wrist angle and strap length.

Don't get me wrong: being able to make the stretch a good exercise, but in practice what matters is keeping your wrist straight and your fingers comfortable, not making the stretch.

 

Also avoid psyching yourself out. It's not going to be ridiculously hard to break that habit. It's only going to be hard to play with your pinky unless you start doing exercises to learn how to use your pinky.

It's just practice and it just takes being consistent. Set aside a small amount of time every night - even just a 1/2 hour and do your 1 finger per fret exercises on scales, 'spiders' and arpeggios, and before you know it you'll be using that pinky.

[EDIT: I just saw your last post]
Regarding others not commenting on you having bad technique; It's not all that often people will just walk up to you and say, "dude, you've got bad technique" - so it's not a surprise that no ones has offered such critique.

And I'd like to echo what others have said about having your instrument properly set up. If your action is high (your strings riding high over the fretboard), you could have a difficult time coaxing a weak finger to fret properly. So if you have not taken you bass to a tech and had it set up properly, all your practice could be doing you more harm than good and you could give yourself a nice case of tendinitis.

So definitely make sure your bass' action is reasonable. Then check around TB and other places for 1 finger/fret dexterity exercises and get to practicing. If you do it nightly, with a metronome for one month, I guarantee you you'll overcome your issue. Maybe sooner depending on how much and how well you practice each night/week.

 

I had the same problem. Been playing for 10 years (now 21 years old) and didnt use my pinky until recently when i found it difficult to jam well without it.

I would try just doing scales in a different set up that requires the pinky. such as a minor scale as such...

|-------------5-7-9--|
|-------5-7-9--------|
|---7-9--------------|
|--------------------|

Keep your index finger at the 5 , middle for the 7 and then 9 with the pinky. Use the pink everytime. It will get more comfortable the more you use it. It worked for me. I still dont use my pinky as much as i should, but i can use it when i need it.

 

wrist straight, very tips of the fingers, curvature in the fingers. Try to not use the rest of your left hand to clinch the deal for a little bit. If you're a "thumb in the back of the neck" guy, let your thumb off the back of the neck, touch just the strings and use leverage with your right forearm fret the note. This isn't a playing style, but it will let you lighten up on your fretting hand and help you learn to invoke other (bigger) muscles to help get the job done. Kick out that left elbow a bit when you're using the pinky.

A good setup and a lighter touch with the left hand will help a lot.

KO