Fingering

[IcyScythe]

Alright this is something I really don't know what to do about.

 

I'm just wondering... is it better to always try to keep all the fingerings close together

 

Basically... what dictates how you should do the fingerings? Obviously the tone is slightly different as well depending on where you play a note.

[fmw]

As a matter of practicality, I tend to put my left had in the general vicinity of the chord being played at the moment and play melodies around that area. I'm sure there aren't any rules but, in my experience, guitars sound and play best when they are played in the easiest manner available. There is fluidity to simple fingering. Thumbs up for keeping things close together in my opinion.

 

By the way, I do the same thing with chord changes. I tend to choose a chord form that is nearby my current position on the fingerboard or then next place I need to go. While the different chord forms will change the voicing of the music, you will gain fluidity by moving around the figerboard as little as possible.

[Samilyn]

 

As a matter of practicality, I tend to put my left had in the general vicinity of the chord being played at the moment and play melodies around that area. I'm sure there aren't any rules but, in my experience, guitars sound and play best when they are played in the easiest manner available. There is fluidity to simple fingering. Thumbs up for keeping things close together in my opinion. By the way, I do the same thing with chord changes. I tend to choose a chord form that is nearby my current position on the fingerboard or then next place I need to go. While the different chord forms will change the voicing of the music, you will gain fluidity by moving around the figerboard as little as possible.

 

 

+1

 

Though I will experiment in order to get the voice that I want, this usually works best for me, too. Less wasted motion = more fluidity.

[Krash]

You can also use different fingering on the same chord depending on where you're going next, for a smoother transition.

[fmw]

I got to thinking about this a little. I'm currently working on a Santana tune called Europa. I play it in Eb and most of the chords are between the 3d and 6th fret so I move my hand very little with the chord changes. Bb7sus, Bb7, Ebmaj7 on the 6th fret and then down to the fourth for Abmaj7 then the third for G7sus, G7, Cm7. It's all right together with very little hand movement.

 

However, the melody is way up high on the E and B strings for the most part. That's an example of a tune in which I put the chords in one area of the neck, move up the neck to play melody and back down to play chords again. I guess I could play the chords up high also but the voicing doesn't seem right and they wouldn't be as close together so I go back and forth. Like I said there aren't any rules. There's a good example of a glaring exception to what I said earlier.