when & how often do you use your pinky finger?

[natep]

I'm new here, so, hello!
I have been wondering about use of the pinky and would love to hear some thoughts.
Say you're playing a song in G that uses the high B, like Blackberry Blossom, which you can start out with a quick G - A - B - G, etc. Would you always use your pinky for the B note? what about if you slid up to the C or D or higher during a break?

Initially, i used my pinky for that melody, and it was difficult but manageable. But i was not improving at it much with practice, and then noticed my guitar-playing friend switching positions on the neck more often while playing melodies. I soon found that i could play the song Blackberry Blossom better using only my first 3 fingers, although it requires a little switching of positions and sliding around. Similar story with a couple other songs.

But, i still believe that i SHOULD be using the pinky, and that as its strength improves, the problem will end. is this true, you think?

Thanks, & this board is great.

[mandroid]

when my ring finger is occupied, one note lower than the next one i want to hear. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[John Craton]

i still believe that i SHOULD be using the pinky, and that as its strength improves, the problem will end. #is this true, you think?
Definitely use the 4th ("pinkie") finger. The more you use it the stronger it will become. I also teach violin, and many of my students come from the local school system that uses a method which totally ignores the 4th finger for the first year. The method I use introduces the use of all four fingers in the first lesson that goes beyond open strings. The idea of playing with only three fingers is like saying we're going to learn to play the piano, but we're not going to use the thumbs. Crazy! The 4th is by nature the weakest finger, which is all the more reason it should be exercised a lot. Go for it! You'll be amazed after a few weeks how much stronger it will be, and how much your overall playing improves as a result.

[Steven]

Yes opera guy is correct,its much faster,more flexable,and allows more of your other fingers to stay planted for the next pattern of notes.It IS difficult and requires alot of practise especially on the mando as it is so much more difficult to note cleanly than the violin.I will admit I dont have alot of experiance on the mando but much of the violin technique is transferable...at least for me.

[evanreilly]

Monroe was a heavy user of the four fingers; he likened the pinkie to a 'shortstop' in that it reacehd out to grab all the notes.

[steve in tampa]

Those FFcP movable scale patterns from Jazzmando.com (http://www.jazzmando.com) have really helped me utilize my pinky, among other things.

[Peter Hackman]

I'm new here, so, hello!
I have been wondering about use of the pinky and would love to hear some thoughts.
Say you're playing a song in G that uses the high B, like Blackberry Blossom, which you can start out with a quick G - A - B - G, etc. Would you always use your pinky for the B note? what about if you slid up to the C or D or higher during a break?

Initially, i used my pinky for that melody, and it was difficult but manageable. But i was not improving at it much with practice, and then noticed my guitar-playing friend switching positions on the neck more often while playing melodies. I soon found that i could play the song Blackberry Blossom better using only my first 3 fingers, although it requires a little switching of positions and sliding around. Similar story with a couple other songs.

But, i still believe that i SHOULD be using the pinky, and that as its strength improves, the problem will end. is this true, you think?

Thanks, & this board is great.
I would probably play those first four notes
in second position, then slide down quickly
to the next note, which I believe is an f#.
Seems a bit awkward to start that tiny phrase
with my second finger, and I do like to move about
along the fretboard (even more so on the guitar).


On the other hand I quite often use
the seventh fret, and then of course the pinky, in
first position. My fretting is partly dictated
by my desire for smooth pick motion.

[jbrwky]

only when the rest are occupied or too far away

[JiminRussia]

I try to pratice my scales in the closed position (no open strings) just so that I can play things like the high B in "Blackbery Blossom". I'm not quite "there" yet, but I am making significant progress lately with the little finger. If you really want to give that pinkie a work out, try playing otaves and the Osbourne shufle the way Andy Statman teaches it in "Teach Yourself Bluegrass Mandolin" or Mc Reynolds cross picking the way that Sam Bush teaches it in "Bluegrass Mandolin". Whew! No wonder those guys are my heros.

[natep]

thanks for the suggestions.

some things:

i definitely do use the pinky, esp. for chop chords and when it fits well in the melody line.

BUT... This song Blackberry Blossom in particular(for example) is not hard to play without the pinky (the slide of 1 fret is very manageable), and, more importantly, the ACCENT on the high B is very important to the feel of the song! For that reason, i just wonder if i will ever get AS STRONG a sound (and thus as flowing a melody) from using the pinky.

On similar notes (ho ho), when the song is played in the second position, the sound quality just doesn't measure up to what you get in the first position. (i do need a better mandolin though).

so, to clarify - what i wonder is if I should I aim to eventually be able to use the pinky with the SAME strength and agility as my other fingers, or consider it a finger that is definitely useful but not for all purposes?

cheers!

[John Flynn]

I don't disagree about the importance of the pinky, and I am an avid pinky user, but I just want to make the point that this, like everything, is not absolute. There are some great players, who rarely, if ever, use thier pinky. I have heard Adam Steffy is one of them. I would give my pinky to be able to play like him!

[natep]

I've been messin with the Four Finger Closed Position lesson from this site recently and it seems like some great stuff to get to know. Also, have decided to make myself use the pinky and make it strong.
thanks for the comments!

btw, i really prefer Blackberry Blossom when it starts with G-A-B-G to other versions ive heard. i'd recommend it.

[Tom C]

I use the pinky alot -especially while practicing. If I'm playing with others and the tempo is too quick, I'll go to a different note or in blackberry start in 2nd position. Same with trplets, if the tune is too quick, I'll leave them out, but use them while practicing.

[Ron Landis]

It's true Adam Steffey only uses his first three fingers, but then again, his fingers are about 10" long. With my fat little stubs, I have to use my pinky ALL the time. It took a while to develop strength, but now I use it more than my ring finger. But, in blackberry blossom, I still use only three fingers on the first four notes, and slide down for the rest. It just depends on the particular lick or passage you're playing and what works for you.

[Tom C]

"when & how often do you use your pinky finger?, pinky & technique"

I see many people on the road using their pinky when they think nobody's looking.
Techniques range from the "sneak slide" to the "rotor-rooter"
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif