Fretting habits

[captdg]

Okay.. I have come to the mountaintop seeking knowledge... If I am playing single notes above the 9th or 10th fret do I need to get in the habit of playing the 4th fret above wher I am at with my pinky or can I use my 3rd (ring) finger.. I dont want to get into a bad habit. Should the finger number directly correspond to the fret number ?

Thanks again

Dave

[Mikegarveyblues]

Whatever feels most comfortable. Once you get up that end you can comfortably just use 1st, 2nd and third. Depends on what lick you're playing, it may or may not be more economical to incorporate the pinky.

Lot of guitarists never use it... Seems a waste!

Edit: Must read posts more carefully!

Single notes... Yep one finger per fret is a good rule. But again, depending on the lick you can prety much play with just your first, second and third, but i'd definately incorporate the pinky below the 10th.

[rugerpc]

...with my pinky or can I use my 3rd (ring) finger..

yes

[captdg]

Well , I have heard over and over again about bad habits.. like holding a pick where the index finger and thumb are parallel instead of perpindicular. Soooo.. thanks for answering Mr. Garvey and Mr. Ruger...This might be easy for some but I wanna become proficient without doing it the hard way...

[rugerpc]

are you still gripping like a gorilla?

[Goldtop]

My take on a question like this is:

The rule is, there are no rules. If it (A) works for you, and (B) sounds good to you, then that is all that matters. IMO, this trumps everything else about listening to music, making music, making/buying music equipment, etc.

Every hand is different. Every playing position is different. If you try a way of holding the pick, or holding your guitar, or fretting, (or holding your tongue in the corner of your mouth, whatever), and it starts to cause you problems, then try something else. What works best for you? TO ME, the worst habit would be to do what someone else says simply based on the assumption that they may know what's best for others.

All of the above are just my opinions, so I could be wrong. I'm only passing along my own approach.

Lloyd/Goldtop

[captdg]

are you still gripping like a gorilla?

HA! well I have that same problem with a sand wedge....And to Goldtop... The reason Im kinda obsessive about this is when I played trumpet in High School, I was very competative. The Arbans book is THE primer on horn playing.. It says in order double and triple tongue "crisply" one must go, "tu tukutu and tu tutukutu" and not how most people do "da degueda deguda" etc.. well I was in the latter not the former category., I had a real handicap when I got to the big leagues....

[captdg]

My take on a question like this is:

The rule is, there are no rules. If it (A) works for you, and (B) sounds good to you, then that is all that matters. IMO, this trumps everything else about listening to music, making music, making/buying music equipment, etc.

Every hand is different. Every playing position is different. If you try a way of holding the pick, or holding your guitar, or fretting, (or holding your tongue in the corner of your mouth, whatever), and it starts to cause you problems, then try something else. What works best for you? TO ME, the worst habit would be to do what someone else says simply based on the assumption that they may know what's best for others.

All of the above are just my opinions, so I could be wrong. I'm only passing along my own approach.

Lloyd/Goldtop

Thank you! you are right..I am doing this for fun.. I obsess too much...Oy Vey.

[Goldtop]

Thank you! you are right..I am doing this for fun.. I obsess too much...Oy Vey.

Dave,

I honestly admire your desire to get things right. I imagine a lot of folks might suggest that I try that approach more often myself. But in this case, I think there are so many variables that it's a question that can't be answered in a black or white manner.

Also, your talk about the horns in school hit home with me. When I first wanted to get a guitar way back in the Dark Ages, I went to a little neighborhood music store. It was owned by a little old lady who gave lessons in the back room. I was beyond green, had no money, but I wanted to buy something to do with a guitar. This old lady could smell beginner all over me, so when I asked to 'look at some picks' she pounced on me. Before it was over, I was almost in tears. I left with no pick, no hope, and no self-respect. I thought to myself that 'someday I'll show her!' And now when I think of her and how she told me I could only play certain types of music with such and such a pick I just smile.

Lloyd/Goldtop

P.S. - She also told me that the only guitar strap worth having was a Fender, and that 'all the others were sh**'. If that's true, then I've missed the mark my entire life because I've never owned a Fender strap.

[Poffypoffa]

Using one finger per string is the technical approach, but I've seen plenty of brilliant guitarists who only use their pinky for chords.

I tend to use one finger per string.

"da degueda deguda"

Sounds like a Santana song! Or maybe Zappa...

[Serious Poo]

There are no hard & fast rules, only what works. FWIW, I've found the "one finger per string" thing can be a little limiting, it can keep you confined to only certain areas of the fretboard. If you're interested, here's a cool little exercise to really get your fingers moving, it's a 4 octave pentatonic, something you might hear a sax player like David Sanborn play. This exercise really made me learn shifting around the neck and made my fingers a lot stronger, including my pinky.

|----------------------------------------------------------------15--17--19--22~~~~
|--------------------------------------------------12--15--17--------------------------
|--------------------------------------9--12--14---------------------------------------
|---------------------------7--9--12---------------------------------------------------
|----------------5--7--10--------------------------------------------------------------
|--0--3--5--7--------------------------------------------------------------------------