Left hand fingering question

[George VI]

Been playing celtic mandolin for about 6 years now. Generally use recommended fingering ie pinky on 6th and 7th fret, ring finger on 5th fret. Having a few problems with this tune Okarina which is in D minor. The tune is featured on 25years of celtic music cd2.
The tune makes frequent use of F,Bflat and Eflat on 1st fret of E, A and D strings respectively. Also D (A string 5th fret) and G (D string 5th fret).
So there is a continual stretch between the 1st and 5th fret throughout the tune which may be easier to deal with using the index and pinky rather than index and ring finger.
I just want to try and avoid getting into a bad habit here (if there is such a thing).
Comments on how you would approach this appreciated- Thanks.
Link
OKARINA

[rico mando]

that is an easy reach for me . but for you it may be to much if you have small hands . guess you have to decide weather it is unfamiliar and a little challenging or difficult . I use my ring finger on 5th and 6th and pinkie on 7th and 8th .

[George VI]

Thanks Rico. My reach is not too bad, just gets clumsy in the last section. Still experimenting with both methods.

[Barbara Shultz]

I'm no expert, but I think that if you can play those tunes, in those keys, using the pinky on the 5th fret, and then play tunes that use the 'normal' fingering (index on the 5th fret), what's the problem in that? As long as you don't get into the habit of always playing the 5th fret with your pinky! It's just the same as moving your position. I'm an average sized woman with average sized hands, and I know there are a couple of tunes I play with that same reach. I think I play it with the index, all the while, wishing that I had the time to take the time to try to remember playing it with the pinkie, instead!

[Beanzy]

F on 1st fret of E is also the 8th fret of A with your E right below it on 7
Bb on 1st fret of A is also the 8th fret of D with your A right below it on 7
Eb on 1st fret of D is also the 8th fret of G with your D right below it on 7

Sounds like someone may need to untie the moorings and sail the hand up the fretboard river a bit.
If the stretch is wrong for your hand then re-think the shape of the line of music so it falls right for you.
We're really spoiled for choice on the little mandolin fretboard in terms of ease of reach.

[JeffD]

My preference would be either to try and reach it with conventional fingerings, in first position, or to move up as Beanzy recommends and catch it on up on the 8th fret of the string below.

The reach is a conscious stretch for me, but not onerous. The move up the neck is fun because of all the opportunites for notes and harmonies presented if you get good at this kind of thing.

Using the pinky on the fifth fret will work, but, to my thinking, provides neither practice with the stretch, nor new opportunites for notes and harmonies.

Thats my thinking anyway.

[JeffD]

Actually a move up the neck is kind of awkward at that place in the tune. Oh well.

Great tune. I love it.

[George VI]

Thanks for your comments guys.
Beanzy, you're dead right of course. I rarely go pass the 7th fret.
Ah Barbara (the lady with the smile). What you say is pretty much my thinking also.
Jeff, glad you found moving up the neck awkward - makes me feel much better.
After much practice I have more or less settled on standard fingering for the first part, then slide the positioning down a fret and employ the pinky for the second part. It's beginning to sound more fluid now.

[August Watters]

Sounds like you've found half position: that place where your first finger is on first fret, second on second fret, ring covering 3/4 and pinkie covering 5/6. Half position is most useful when you have melodic phrases that require consecutive notes on frets 1 and 2 of the same string. Usually we play these by sliding the first finger, but sometimes it's easier just to slide down into half position and nail it that way. There's lots of classical mandolin music that calls for this fingering, and it's not too unusual to find folk tunes like the one you found, that benefit from it too. Just think of half position as a temporary change in your point of reference, and enjoy exploring!