Unruly Pinky Finger

[Kate D.]

How do you teach a wayward pinky finger on your fretting hand to stay close to the fingerboard? I was watching a renowned fiddler from Cape Breton last night, and that little pinky of his was right there, nestled right next to his ring finger, ready to hit the string in a heartbeat. Four of my fingers are way better at that than they were a year ago. But that pinky is not a team player. That little finger flies way up there, if not in use. any solutions short of super-gluing it to my ring finger, to get down next to the frets where it should be?

[Jim]

I do finger exercises when I'm doing other things. This just consists of tapping fingers in a particular order that I make up. For instance thumb, middle,index,ring, middle, little or index, middle,index,ring,index,little,index,ring,index, middle. Any order you want really, I start out slow and try to speed up. Then go to double taps or backwards. I feel it's helped with my minor motor control. Good luck!

[Jim Rowland]

You see all positions for pinkies at the ready. Sam B. keeps his cocked way back like the hammer on a western colt till he pulls the trigger. He is very fast with it,though.
Jim

[Ivan Kelsall]

There seems to be more than one opinion re.where your fingers should be in relation to the fingerboard. Some players have their fingers close to the f/b & some flap them around like a headless chicken - Ronnie McCoury being one of the latter (no disrespect intended), it's a matter of what suits you. If it works,go for it,just play the music,no one will give a hoot where your fingers are,
Saska :grin:

[fredhicks]

If it is like mine....fairly small hands.....and when I reach for longer chords I end up having to put the pinky on the fret stretched out straight with the last knuckle hooked so I can get my finger down without touching another string. Kind of the point in my bringing up the "big hands" thread. One of the reasons I am kind of leaning to getting an electric solid body as well. I haven't been playing much lately...go through stages. But if I am playing an hour a day, my pinky knuckle gets kind of sore from the pressure of pushing down with it straight. On a solid body, I should have less tension to fight so my theory is it won't bother my finger as much.

[Ted Eschliman]

One thing to keep in mind about fiddlers, from day one a violinist uses the fingers as a tactile reference for where the notes are on the fingerboard. Absent of frets, it's really the only way one can "mark" where they are both in feel and in sound. Mandolinists can afford to be sloppy in their wayward finger throwing, but a violinist can't really stray far from the ebony, fingers hovering the wood the majority of the time. Their mindset is always where is one note relative to the next finger, ours is "which fret are we on?"

We can learn a lot about good finger position from our fretless friends...

[Bud Barnwell]

I have the same problem. I don't know if it's true but I've never seen Ricky Skaggs use his.

[billkilpatrick]

... That little finger flies way up there, if not in use.

yeah, mine too - like it has a mind of its own. we probably got the habit from lifting daintily painted porcelain cups and saucers.

i've always wanted to play with "quiet" hands - sometimes i do and sometimes not. the ultimate solution is probably not to be too bothered about it.

- bill*

[lenf12]

Not to be a contrarian but I think the ultimate solution (now that you are aware of the "problem") is practice. If your fingers are flying around, it takes longer to get them to the fretboard to play the note cleanly. If you consciously keep your fingers hovering just above the strings, it doesn't take as long and you will eventually become faster. Also, it will become the automatic or default way for you to play.

My 2 cents,
Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Man of Wax]

I suspect there are differences of style among fiddlers too. Michael Cleveland's pinky points straight up when he's not using it.

I think Skaggs does use his pinky sometimes on melody lines and solos, but it is noticeably less active than other top players. I think one of his guitarists doesn't use his pinky either.

[KimRoulias]

I use my pinky a lot, especially in songs like Bluegrass Special, where there's opportunities for big finger stretches. Every chance I get, I use my pinky. The way I trained my pinky to behave, and get stronger, is by taking a ponytail holder from my hair, and attaching the pinky to my ring finger. That really works, because it trains your pinky to stay with the ring finger. Also, I practice closed scales a lot. That will really do it. Let me know how that works for ya!!

[Rick Schmidlin]

We can learn a lot about good finger position from our fretless friends...[/QUOTE]

I love going to classical concerts and watching the masters in action.

[AW Meyer]

I spent the last couple of years trying to tame a flying pinky that just wanted to "stand at attention," particlarly after I had just used it to fret a note. I concentrated hard on keeping the offending digit close too the fretboard. It's pretty good now, as long as I think about it. But then I ask myself if thinking about it actually detracts from my playing. I think it does. I saw Andy Statman in concert a couiple of weeks ago. I had a seat close to the stage and one of the things I noticed was that his fretting pinky was flying all over the place, usually sticking stright up after he used it. Now, he can tear it up, speed-wise, and I don't think I've heard anyone play more smoothly. I'm thinking he just doesn't worry about that free-flying digit.

[Randi Gormley]

I usually don't have trouble with my pinky -- i play melody and seldom do chords -- but occasionally it'll ding a string all on its own (much to my surprise and occasional embarrassment) when I'm playing fairly fast. so there's a downside to keeping it too close to your ring finger.

[GTG]

I usually don't have trouble with my pinky -- i play melody and seldom do chords -- but occasionally it'll ding a string all on its own (much to my surprise and occasional embarrassment) when I'm playing fairly fast. so there's a downside to keeping it too close to your ring finger.

Yup, that has happened to me too. Usually it hits the E - "pinnnnnnng!" - right at some inopportune moment. I suspect practice and a focus on keeping fingers relaxed but close to the strings will eventually cure this.

[Capt. E]

I recently was watching a fellow player (much much better than I) and noticed that when not in use his pinky is tucked in below the bottom edge of the fb, ready to reach out when needed. When he was first learning, his teacher stressed keeping fingers as close to the fb as possible. Just good technique. The tuck position seems to work nicely.

[Bob Borzelleri]

I started having less pinky problems when I decided to rename it just another finger. I have four fingers at the ready and each of them has a role to play. None are on the outside looking in and neither is more or less important than the others (this is not the NBA).

Yes, one started out a bit less independent than the others, (if you want the anatomical detail, go here: http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2005-05/1117326759.An.r.html) but training can allow most people to fire on all four cylinders.

GHS make an exerciser that works both flexing and extension (http://www.firstqualitymusic.com/itemdetail.asp?item=GHS-HMP). I have one. It works well. Don't over do the extension at first, those muscles don't get out much.

[farmerjones]

It's been said similarly, but it seems to work better if i don't think about it.
IOW - if i think about the note instead of the finger it's usually there. If i think, "come on pinky." It's usually late.

[kestrel]

"Four of my fingers are way better at that than they were a year ago. But that pinky is not a team player."

Dooooood - there's your problem. You've got an extra finger, and the pinkie is just trying to stay out of the way of the other four.

Hey, just kidding. I have the same problem. When I first started playing, I worked and worked trying to tame the bloody pinkie. If that's all I think about, I can keep it where it should be, but then the other three get confused. I finally gave up, and just taught the rascal to be fast, instead of proper. :)

Gene

[Ivan Kelsall]

It's next to impossible to play ''good'' Bluegrass Banjo without using your 'pinky'. I have the opposite problem,i want to use my pinky on frets which are 'too close' to where i'm playing & find myself having to make split second changes to my fingering to get my 3rd finger on the fret instead. I'm just too used to 'widely spaced' frets,
Saska

[Jim DeSalvio]

I like Kim's idea of practicing closed scales, and this is consistent with Jazz Mando teachings too.

[mandozilla]

Every chance I get, I use my pinky. Also, I practice closed scales a lot. That will really do it

I agree with Kim on this. I've been doing the FFcP scales more lately. Not only has my up the neck playing improved but it's helped me get my pinky more under control. Like Kim, I consciously use ole #4 every chance I get...I want that little sucker do do its share! :))

My pinky isn't where I want it to be exactly, but its improving all the time. I'm consciously trying hard to keep #4 closer to the strings and that's a challenge. I like the fact that when I use it, I don't have to change my hand position as much...I guess I'm lazy. :grin:

I wonder if taping the ring finger and pinky together would do the same thing that Kim was talking about? :confused:

:mandosmiley:

[Capt. E]

Practicing closed scales does seem to be the answer, but sometimes you just want that big ringing open note.

[EggyToast]

Good double bass playing requires you to use "the claw," where all of your fingers are set up based on where you are along the fingerboard, so you can do both half steps and octave jumps quickly. However, I've also noticed that my ease of using my pinky, both for double bass and for mandolin, comes a lot from typing.

My wife has the "errant pinky" while fiddling and complains about it, since it does slow her down, yet her typing style is similar to her violin style -- pinky out of the way, never used, unless absolutely necessary. I try not to bring stuff like that up because she hates when I talk about her typing style (2-3 fingers per hand), but I probably should...

Anyway, you could ask any virtuoso if there is "one true way" to play an instrument, and the wise ones will tell you no -- it's based on the person playing it. No one's going to have the same proportions, so they end up holding and playing an instrument slightly differently. I think it's worthwhile to practice with your pinky, of course, but there isn't a holy grail of proper pinky usage.

[testore]

I was happy to see Andy Statman not using his pinky very much. ........cuz I don't either

[hank]

I have noticed that the faster I play the more the reflex action of my 4th finger extending outward when I fret with my 2nd finger. Like others have noticed with attention to the finger instead of speed it stays closer to the 3rd finger or I can tuck it like some suggested in this thread but when I push the speed envelope it pops back out. I've also tried using a rubber band etc.(pony tail holder) but this restricts it's use when needed. I've started doing finger exercises without the mandolin trying to train my 4th finger to move inward instead of out ward when I move my 2nd finger inward. I don't know if this is going to work or I wouldn't be searching the forum for help. There's no doubt about it for me, having my 4th finger extending outward when my 2nd finger frets is slowing me down. I'm hoping it's a matter of retraining the body memory of those two fingers to make it happen subconsiously.

[Pete Martin]

How do you teach a wayward pinky finger to stay close to the fingerboard?

Try this. Hold your left hand (or fingering hand) up to your mando in playing position. COMPLETELY relax your left hand. What is the pinkie doing? It is softly curved, usually over the fingerboard. If it isn’t softly curved, you are NOT relaxed.

Folks often train excess tension into the fingering hand. Some of this excess tension is in the pinky, often causing it to 1) extend straight out or 2) flex all the way into the palm of the hand, sometimes even under the fingerboard!

When you start to use the pinky as much as the other fingers, you start to relax it more. All the above suggestions of how to practice using the pinky more are great. I have a .PDF file of pinky exercises I give to students when they are ready to tackle pinky problems. I will send this .PDF out to anyone who wants it if you email me through my web site.

Here’s another thing I do a LOT when I practice: Take a tune that only uses the index, middle and ring fingers to play (lots of simpler fiddle tunes are this way). Play them using no index finger. Substitute the middle for the index, ring for middle and pinky for ring. Play SLOWLY, being extra sure you keep the pinky bent, land on the tip and get a clean note sound. Do this a few minutes a day and in two months, you will be much more fluid and relaxed with the pinky.

I play as many tunes this way as I play in normal fingering. My pinky loves the attention!!:grin:

[Herzen]

I guess this is a problem that affects me less than many for one simple reason; I'm missing the end of my pinky and can use it only in a limited way. Lucky me!

Its the reason I simply cannot do certain things, like play any chord that requires my pinky to be anywhere but the 1st string. Alas...

[hank]

Thanks for your help Pete. I use my 4th finger easily and I think all fingers are equally strong but I will try your suggestions. I believe that the final outcome of this focus and retraining of my left hand will be two fold. I was putting too much downward pressure on the strings when hurried, exaggerating the 4th finger extention when pressing down with #2 finger or backing off with #3 finger. I understand it consiously, now it's a matter of subconsious training. Thanks again.

[PhilTod]

I am missing one of the tendons in my pinky finger (born that way!), the one that helps keep the finger in a curved position when the finger applies pressure. Also in general makes for a weaker, harder to control finger. I went to a hand therapist a number of years ago and was fitted for a splint made out of sterling silver- http://www.silverringsplint.com/. It is a very sleek device, looks alot like a ring on your finger, and has done wonders for effectively using and controlling my pinky on fretboards.