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getting your pinky to move independently


Stazinish

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I am left handed but play right handed. My right pinky moves easily on it own but my left one doesn't move without it ring finger partner which kinda makes me wish I would have started out playing left-handed as I wouldn't have to deal with the curled up pinky that way. Oh well now everytime my 4 yr old son picks up his lil guitar or my mandolin he picks it up left-handed.

even when I put it in his lap right handed he changes it so i am just going with it .but I need to chamge the strings over

 

actually does anyone have any advice on what I should do about this. Am I right to just let him play it how he wants to???

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I don't want to dog you for letting him play lefty, especially with your experience. My opinion is that you should teach him righty so that he can play standard instruments more easily, and so people can teach him easier. No flames here, just an opinion okay.

 

On the other hand, you can get great deals on lefty instruments!

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I guess I really mean getting your pinky and ring finger to work independently from eachother.

 

 

Try this exercise:

 

Plant your index, middle, and ring fingers on frets 1, 2 and 3 of the G string. with a metronome play the following sequence of notes in time:

 

Beat 1: Pinky on A string, 4th fret

Beat 2: Pinky on B string, 4th fret

REPEAT for beat 3 and 4

Beat 1: Pinky on E string, 4th fret

Beat 2: Pinky on e string, 4th fret

 

 

When you can do that comfortably, try this

 

Plant index and middle, and fret them on 1 and 2 of the G string

 

Alternate ring and pinky (plucking both simultaneously) with this sequences of notes:

 

Beat 1: Pinky on A string, 4th fret, ring on B string, 3rd fret

Beat 3: Pinky on B string 4th fret, ring on A string 3rd Fret

REPEAT

Beat 1: Pinky on E string, 4th fret, ring on e string 3rd fret

Beat 3: Pinky on e string, 4th fret, ring on E string 3rd fret

 

I'm pretty sure I found that exercise a long time ago in the book "pumping nylon" by Scott Tennant, but I can't remember. It's definitely not something I came up with myself.

 

It's deceptively difficult to do (the second part at least), but it's great for working on that part of finger independence. You can simplify the second part, of course, by using strings that are closer together on the fretboard, and slowly working outward.

 

Hope this is helpful.

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i had a guitar teacher that had me do an exercise where i'd play 1 4 2 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4, then go up a fret and repeat. 1234 being the different fingers. other than that, i just use it

 

 

 

My pinky wants to stick straight up when not fretting. This problem has gotten better with awareness and daily training.

 

pawsable

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That is a fairly common problem. I know from personal experience it can be frustrating. With practice you'll see improvement. The quickest route is to cut off other fingers and pinky will then move independently, but man is it painful! and not recommended.

 

Wouldn't that render my other fingers useless? :confused::cop:

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I also have some problems with my pinky. It is significantly shorter than the rest of my fingers (about an inch and an 1/8th or 1/4th shorter than my ring finger) and it has a case of trigger finger (it moves very jerkily). Its really hard for me to play any chords above the 9th-12th fret on any neck, as well as any notes with my pinky above the 9th-12th fret on the E, A or D strings.

 

It has certainly gotten better the more I've played with it. I can bend with it accurately and without help, play legato and standard picking licks. It is frustrating for other stuff where it just won't reach, or just doesn't seem to be able to hit notes hard enough or accurately enough, you can still find ways around it.

 

Yours is probably more simply due to a lack of training with it, so stick with the stuff said above. If you find yourself just simply physically unable, though, just work with your head to do other things with your fretting hand, with barring or crossing :) Nothing is insurmountable with guitar!

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I also have some problems with my pinky. It is significantly shorter than the rest of my fingers (about an inch and an 1/8th or 1/4th shorter than my ring finger) and it has a case of trigger finger (it moves very jerkily).

 

I also have "short pinky syndrome" - pretty much the same as yours. In my case, when I started learning, I wasn't aware that my pinky was "too short" and simply assumed that this was something everybody grappled with, so I used drills (like the ones mentioned earlier in the thread) to build up independence and strength.

 

Persisting with these yielded real results - so much so, in fact, that now I often play licks with the 1 2 4 fingers where a lot of players would use 1 2 3.

 

I also used gentle stretching exercises (note, *gentle*, you can do real damage if you're not careful) to improve the reach between strings. I can now stretch my pinky a whole tone (2 frets) away from the 3rd finger even in low positions, which is invaluable for heavy riffing.

 

So in summary - persevere, you will be amazed at what you can achieve. :)

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I played classical piano for years before i picked up the guitar so luckily i didn't have this problem. Some of the students i have right now have this same problem and i have them do numerous scales. This helps with technique and theory. If they are really in ineed of a pinky workout, i will have them do trills with the pinky and the ring finger. Maybe get one of those finger excersising things.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gripmaster-Exercise-Tool?sku=429070

It is a strength issue.

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I don't want to dog you for letting him play lefty, especially with your experience. My opinion is that you should teach him righty so that he can play standard instruments more easily, and so people can teach him easier. No flames here, just an opinion okay.


On the other hand, you can get great deals on lefty instruments!

 

 

It's a controversial subject, some people don't express a strong preference. I've come accross left handed beginners to whom the guitar feels natural in either orientation and I've come accross lefties who only feel comfortable with the guitar orientated for left hand playing.

 

I'd say a left handed person that feel comfortable playing right handed should do so for the reasons you stated, but if it feels unnatural just get a lefty instrument. Learning guitar can feel unnatural and difficult as it is, without trying to force someone to play in a orientation that seems unnatural to them.

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I just found out my pinky was like 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch shorter than my ring...... either it's short of my ring finger is long. Regarless I want to recomend this excersice for you. Fret a chord with all your fingers but the pinky.

 

0

5

4

6

5

x

 

is a good one, use your pinky find to make a melody on the D string while keeping the rest of the fingers in their spots. Move it from open, 6th fret to the 7th fret and back and forth. Try that and it should help out alot.

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Depends what you mean, the pinky will never be entirely independant from the third finger, because they share the same tendon. Everyone's pinky will move when they move the the third... go watch some fast players on YouTube and you'll see that they have this 'problem' as well. Stop obsessing about not moving you pinky when it is not in use, as it is not worth worrying about.

 

That said you can increase the dexterity and independance between you fingers using a number of exercises. The 1,2,3,4, 1,3,2,4 etc. etc. cromatic exercises being a classic example.

 

If you want to focus on just 3rd and 4th fingers (typically most people's weak area), then try the following exercise using just third and 4th fingers (the frets given are arbitrary - play the exercise anywhere you like).

 

-------10-11---------etc.

-10-11-------10-11--etc.

 

Another point I'd make is that the tendency for the pinky to fly away will be reduced if you thumb is in the correct position... you should be able to find some pics of that somewhere that'll be worth a thousand words.

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To all those with "curly pinkies", I suggest you just take one or two evening trying to discover a better level of relaxation.

 

A simple exercise as the chromatic 1234 pattern should suffice. At no tempo (as slow as needed, no metronome), learn to keep your fingers really relaxed, to keep them close to the strings, to press only on the fret which you're playing, and when releasing the note to just release the pressure without moving the finger away from the board.

 

Doing 3434 exercises only is more demanding and could actually make the problem worse, if you're stuck with trying to follow the metronome.

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Seriously every time this pinky curling issue turns up I just hold my head in my hands. Trying to stop the pinky moving will create tension, the pinky and the ring ringer are controlled by some of the same muscles and tendons, they will never be completely independant unless you are a genetic mutant.

 

Watch Malmsteen's pinky when he aint using it here.

 

See Jason Becker

" rel="external nofollow">I'm sure I could go on... basically worry about technique issues that are worth worrying about. The best thing you can do for your pinky is just use it more.
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One that worked quite well for me was to play

 

-----------------------------------12-11

-----------------------------12-11-----

----------------------12-11------------

---------------12-11-------------------

--------12-11--------------------------

-12-11---------------------------------

 

-10-11-------------------------------------

--------10-11------------------------------

---------------10-11-----------------------

----------------------10-11----------------

-----------------------------10-11---------

------------------------------------10-11--

 

all the way to the first fret and back using only my ring and pinky. As always start slow with a metronome and build up.

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