How much affect does it have.........

Dioxide

Dioxide

New member
So how many of you actually use your pinky finger when playing??? I only ask because I was born w/ out one on my left hand and i'm right handed so fret wise im down a digit. I've been playing for over 13 years and I'll never know the difference btwn playing w/ one and w/ out one. Is it really that crucial to have one for lead playing? I'm not much of a lead player because I figuered it would be pointless w/ out the 4th digit. let me know your thoughts on this. Thanks.
 
lead playing

i use mine quite a bit at the lower end of the neck . anything past the 15th fret it gets in the way cuz i have huge fat fingers... but thats just me ..... you could probably do pretty good w/ out it ... how is your reach beteween your 1st and 3rd finger ?? if you have good reach you should be cool ... a little speed wont hurt as well ... most important practice all you can .... :cool:
 
it certainly helps. i use my pinky all the time for playing bass and guitar, but i didn't use it much when i first started playing. i'm sure that you can do just fine without it though, people always seem to make do with what they have. if you've been playing for 13 years now, it seems like missing a pinky isn't gonna stop you now. :D
 
lead playing

just remember .... it's all in how you use what you have ..... a good friend of mine was born w/ half a arm and a few disfigured fingers attached to it .... he is one of the better guitar players that i know ...... :cool:
 
Dioxide said:
So how many of you actually use your pinky finger when playing??? I only ask because I was born w/ out one on my left hand and i'm right handed so fret wise im down a digit. I've been playing for over 13 years and I'll never know the difference btwn playing w/ one and w/ out one. Is it really that crucial to have one for lead playing? I'm not much of a lead player because I figuered it would be pointless w/ out the 4th digit. let me know your thoughts on this. Thanks.
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As Maria Maldaur once sang, "it ain't the meat but the motion". I use mine sparingly on guitar, but all the time on bass. We've all got our own ways of doing things and no one's is absolute. I knew a bass player who had no thumbs, and he got quite good, so I don't wanna hear your excuses! ;^)
 
I use my left pinky all the time (and all the way up the neck) and usually anchor with my right pinky for fingerpicking. I'm not a shredder or anything and actually not super fast with lead runs but I definitly use all the digits at my disposal.

However, just because you were born without a pinky doesn't mean you can't play fast. For example, Tony Iommi is missing the tips of two fingers on his right hand (which he uses for fretting since he is left handed) and Django Reinhardt would have played circles around me and he basically had no use of his third and fourth fingers due to severe burns. Don't let it get you down. You should be able to play just about anything if you put in the work.
 
Oh yeah ive adapted my playing accordingly. I tend to use alternate tunings and such. I was just curious as to what others had to say about it. I had been starting to tinker with the Idea of workin on lead playing and just thought 'd get some input from the group thanx for the comments.
 
Dioxide said:
So how many of you actually use your pinky finger when playing??? I only ask because I was born w/ out one on my left hand and i'm right handed so fret wise im down a digit. I've been playing for over 13 years and I'll never know the difference btwn playing w/ one and w/ out one. Is it really that crucial to have one for lead playing?
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not really. the pinky comes in handy for more complex patterns but it's not crucial at all for good lead playing.

[QUOTE-Dioxide]
I'm not much of a lead player because I figuered it would be pointless w/ out the 4th digit. let me know your thoughts on this. Thanks.[/QUOTE]

aw, you gotta get on that man. a good guitarist can burn up the fret board with only three fingers so why miss out on all the fun. =]
 
Are there any techniques you can recommend for lead playing something to point me in the right direction??
 
Honestly I would just start with the pentatonic minor scale in its various shapes up and down the neck and work from there. You should be able to reach across a four fret radius without much problem. You could also get a book with some basic exercises and start working on those to build speed.

Honestly, I could use my ring finger interchangeably with my pinky for almost everything. It's nice to have a pinky for reaching certain notes especially when working inside a chord but I don't think you will have too much trouble.
 
rileykill said:
Honestly I would just start with the pentatonic minor scale in its various shapes up and down the neck and work from there. You should be able to reach across a four fret radius without much problem. You could also get a book with some basic exercises and start working on those to build speed.

Honestly, I could use my ring finger interchangeably with my pinky for almost everything. It's nice to have a pinky for reaching certain notes especially when working inside a chord but I don't think you will have too much trouble.
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Yeah, I'd think that the lack of a finger would be much more of a prob for playing rhythm than lead.
 
ggunn said:
Yeah, I'd think that the lack of a finger would be much more of a prob for playing rhythm than lead.
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Well I guess after playing for so long I adapetd my rythm playing to it. I'ts just weird I can't fathom what its like to play with another finger there. Pretty much most bar chords are out of the question for me. But im mostly a metal guitarist so there hasn't been much call for it.
 
lead playing

+ 100 for the pentatonic scales ..... learn them ... all of them maj. min. all the way up the neck... all key's .... once you get the feel of how they all fit togeather ... you wont be able to stop playing leads :cool: :cool:
 
rileykill said:
Hey Gordon I'm in Austin also. (Sorry to hijack). Do you play around town?
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Yes, I do. My band's URL is in my sig, and we are playing at Nasty's a week from Saturday and the Saxon Pub on Friday a couple of weeks after that.
 
All I can mention is the insanely brilliant Django Reinhardt. Three usable fingers on his left hand, including the thumb. Outplayed virtually everyone, impressed Segovia, looked really cool doing it.
 
I actually use my pinky more for rhythm guitar than for lead. I mean I do use my pinky for leads, but I have a fair strech between my index finger and my ring finger, and it feels more comfortable for me to do it that way. I'm pretty sure you can pull off some pretty good leads without a pinky. I definitely wouldn't say it wasn't worth it.
 
ggunn said:
Yes, I do. My band's URL is in my sig, and we are playing at Nasty's a week from Saturday and the Saxon Pub on Friday a couple of weeks after that.
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Cool - I have seen some good shows at the Saxon
 
I use my pinky for every thing. I can't imagine playing without it. That being said, one night back in the early 70's I was hanging out with Pat Martino at one of his gigs in Philly. He had injured his index finger on his left hand and it had a fairly large bandage on it. He played more and faster with the other 3 fingers than most cats can play with all 4. So I guess the moral is "work with what you got".
BTW Django Reinhardt played with two fingers on his left hand and it didn't seem to hold him back any either.
Most of it is the desire to play.
 
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