To Pinkie or Not Pinkie is my Question

[DavidKOS]

Here's the answer for St. Anne's Reel. For the record, I'm a proponent of using the pinky. But when I saw this video I liked the way this sounded better. So I shift up to hit the B now. Although I can still do it the old way using my pinky if I want it to sound different.

And this is the best reason NOT to use the 4th finger - phrasing.

He is doing a slide where I am using a doublestop. Whenever you need extra strength for something other than a simple plink, the pinky may not be strong enough. Mine surely isn't.

Hence the exercises to strengthen the 4th finger.

I may have had a hidden advantage - I grew up playing both mandolin AND string bass. The Simandl fingerings make extensive use of the 4th finger in most playing positions, and I guess after years of playing those thick strings, my little finger has no problem with strength on either guitar or mandolin.

[catmandu2]

Pinkie power

[OldSausage]

Just do what works for you, and stay strong, people.

[Bertram Henze]

And this is the best reason NOT to use the 4th finger - phrasing.

Since I have to compete with fiddles, boxes and general pub noise, volume-wise, I hardly ever play single notes when high up the E course of my OM - especially corner-stone notes that make a tune recognisable are so much better when pronounced with doublestops.
And I am used to longer-than-mandolin scales where first position is hard to stay in anyway. Less pinky, more forearm for me.

Another thing about this pinky of mine is length - to be helpful, its tip should make a longer span from the index tip than the ring tip, but it doesn't. Pinky users have pinkies almost as long as their ring, but mine stops at 2/3. No exercises can change that, I'm afraid.

[catmandu2]

Pinky users have pinkies almost as long as their ring, but mine stops at 2/3. No exercises can change that, I'm afraid.

I've not observed that technique was dependent on anatomical proportion. My 4th is only 2/3 as long as my 3rd. Of course Jimmy there had a massive pinky, but you had to have some bones to keep up with Trane.

[Bill Kammerzell]

After a couple of years playing now, I force myself to use my pinky. It is becoming a more natural move however.

[JeffD]

One can, of course, use any kind of technique one wants.

But when you hear someone playing just tearing it up, that mandolinner didn't get there by play faster and faster. Its all these little things, using the pinky, keeping the fingers down, riding the thumb high on the neck, DUDU and other picking, glide strokes, holding the pick this way, not rigidly pinky planting, playing the tune up a fret or two if it is easier, not changing strings if it is easier to shift or sounds better, not shifting if it is easier to change strings or sounds better, all these things that can make one's playing crazy fast (if that is your goal) or crazy good (a better goal IMO).

We should not give up on that crazy good playing we used to aspire to that we now pretend we don't care about. It is not all genetic anomaly, there are very proscriptive relatively easy things you can do that OMG work.

It rarely happens by "doing whatever is best for you". Especially if you decide as a beginner what is best for you.

FYI, everything I think on the matter.

[foldedpath]

I've not observed that technique was dependent on anatomical proportion. My 4th is only 2/3 as long as my 3rd.

Same here, pinky only 2/3 as long as the ring finger.

[mandroid]

I'd hate to lose mine, I'm used to it being there.

[DavidKOS]

Same here, pinky only 2/3 as long as the ring finger.

My 4th finger ends at the first joint of my 3rd finger - 3 long fingers and one shorter one.

Like many of you.

Plus, I read through the 1st Calace method book the last hour or so to refresh
my fingerings on when to use the open strings and when to use the 4th finger, much like classical violin.

Earlier when playing some Italian music, I realized I used more open strings than Calace recommended.

When I looked in in the mirror, I discovered is that my own 4th finger STILL wants to move further from the fingerboard than I want. Yes it gets in place fast - or can stretch, or hold position - but is still wants to get out the way of the bigger fingers!

Mea culpa.

[muppet]

I have played guitar for nearly 40 years and played around with mandolin for 15. I found that using my pinkie on the mandolin strengthened it and increased ease of stretching for the next fret. All in all it helped improve my guitar playing as well.

I am firmly in the use your pinkie camp.

[Mr5150]

Surprised this has gone to six pages. Just rattled off Sweet By And By, I saw the light and a few hymns with the pinky on the fifth fret. Can’t imagine how not using the pinky is an advantage.

[Alex Orr]

I don't understand why this is even a topic of discussion. To me this is akin to someone seriously asking, "should I ever play notes above the fifth fret?" or "is there any reason to ever try and play in a key other than C or G?" Use your pinky. Sorry, it may be hard at first...that's what practice is for.

[DavidKOS]

I don't understand why this is even a topic of discussion. To me this is akin to someone seriously asking, "should I ever play notes above the fifth fret?" or "is there any reason to ever try and play in a key other than C or G?" Use your pinky. Sorry, it may be hard at first...that's what practice is for.

I've seen this in electric guitar world.

"Why should I work extra hard to learn something? SO-and-so is famous and doesn't play like that"

Basically it's a justification for not practicing more, or as Jerry Byrd put it, some players are as good as they want to get.

[catmandu2]

I don't understand why this is even a topic of discussion...

Dont let the unassuming appearance of the pinkie lull you into such oversimplification; it may be small, but is deceptively complicated (necessitating the companion thread - Pinkie 2). But, if you're still perplexed, be patient as "Pinky 3" may be in the works.