Frets and fingers

  1. kriskane
    kriskane
    So, I started googling jazz/blues mandolin stuff and I found this JazzMando.com and started to trying to play this thing: http://jazzmando.com/FFcP.pdf

    and I am struggling with which fingers for which frets. I read somewhere (maybe on this forum?) that each finger is responsible for two frets instead of the 1 to 1 for like guitar. is that true? so my index would play the first and second fret, middle third and fourth, and so on? or should I be moving my hand to get the 7th fret. My pinky feels very weak when I try to get that 7th fret, but I probably just need to practice it.
  2. Louise NM
    Louise NM
    Hi, kriskane.

    Yes, it is true: each finger is responsible for two frets. These exercises are designed to teach you to play scales anywhere up or down the fretboard. They have you use the fourth finger—always—instead of open strings. It is indeed a reach if you're not used to it. You don't want to move your entire hand frame up the neck to reach the note. (As you build speed you will see why!) Make sure your hand position is correct: wrist straight, fingers angled toward your face, no death-grip on the neck. On a guitar fingers are parallel to the frets, but that's not so on a mandolin. Time is your friend, as your pinky gets used to the new regime.
  3. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    Wow. That's a great exercise. The whole ffcp system is a great exercise. My pinkie is willing but still weak. For me ffcp means "fumbly fingers can't play."

    Yes, you have the fingers' responsibilities correct. Shouldn't be moving your hand to grab the seventh or eighth fret. There have been some great players who rarely use their pinkies but I think one should strive to get that pinkie stronger and more agile regardless of how clumsy it seems. I haven't given up on it yet even though I have been sorely tempted to.
  4. kriskane
    kriskane
    I am definitely holding my hand wrong because my wrist is killing me, but I will try angling my fingers and focusing on my wrist.
  5. FredK
    FredK
    Hello Kriskane. Be sure to keep the neck of the mandolin up, too. If you're coming from guitar - other than classical - it's common to keep the neck closer to parallel with the floor. To help with good posture and fingering, the neck should be elevated. How high depends on several factors. Watch some of the pros like Mike Marshall to get the basic idea. Happy picking!
  6. Ellsdemon
    Ellsdemon
    Kriskane; that is a great exercise and I use to be able to remmeber how to play the whole thing through! It's shows you how and where you need to have your fingers. Like Louise said, each finger is kind of covering 2 frets with one finger. It's going to take a bit to get to using your fingers to be able to reach and get to places you need to be. The pinky was hard for me, as I'm sure everyone, to first get it where it needs to be and also apply it with pressure and accuracy to produce the right tone/note.

    FredK is right on with having the neck more angled towards the direction of 90*. It's not drastic, but it's something that will help a great deal with your wrist. I've had ligament issues in my hand from playing a different way. I was either doing something funny for to long or I was working on getting clean notes and thinking that my hand had to be in a extreme position that it shouldn't have. Always work on getting comfortable and prevent injuries first, I would think, then start working on proper technique. But FredK's advice is important.
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