Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

[UTGrad]

Growing up here in Nashville I’ve been surrounded by some of the best guitarists in the world. I remember being told by an old timer when I was young, “learn to use that pinky.”

I always use my pinky but when I watch videos of my heroes I don’t see them using it much on upper frets. Honestly it’s awkward trying to not use my pinky.

What do y’all do?


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[ICTGoober]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

I try to use my pinky all the time - no matter where I am on the neck.

 

[UTGrad]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

When my root is the 12th fret I always grab the 15th with my pinky and bend. I place my other fingers behind the pinky to give power for those full step bends.

When I watch You Tube videos a lot of people use their ring finger instead. Now these folks are better than me and I wonder if I should emulate them.


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[dave74]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

Depends what's coming next, especially up high when you have more stretch possible between the first and third.
If you use the pinky then you might have to shift hand position and/or slide to get to the next higher note.
If you use the third then you still have the pinky left to go higher without a position shift.
No reason to stretch if it's not needed, so sometimes the pinky saves "energy".
It's all about efficiency of movement, so it always situation-dependent.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

I use it for a million different chords, playing any regular scale, pentatonic scale hammer-ons, times when I'm just out of fingers/can't otherwise reach... I can't understand how people would not use their pinkies, or avoid doing so by choice or accident.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

For things like scale patterns, I use the same fingers lower on the fretboard as I do higher on the fretboard. My attitude is that I only want to learn to do this one time, and one way. So I use my pinky.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

When I started playing, I saw John Petrucci and J. Yeunger (White Zombie) playing power chords index and pinky, rather than index and ring. I thought it looked cool, so I did it that way. As a result, I've never not used my pinky.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

I’ve built a better life for myself by using my pinky above the twelfth fret.

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

My pinkie is about as useful as T-Rex arms above the 15th :cussing: (under his breath cursing these stupid giant sausage fingers)oed:. Gibson scale stuff is a joke trying to shred. I'm way cleaner sounding with three up high.

 

[dave74]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

When I started playing, I saw John Petrucci and J. Yeunger (White Zombie) playing power chords index and pinky, rather than index and ring. I thought it looked cool, so I did it that way. As a result, I've never not used my pinky.

I do that as well sometimes.
If I need to be in that position for awhile and am close to the nut it spares me from getting hand cramps,,,,especially in those circumstances on a fender scale.

Also if just sliding up the board with the pinky (say on the 3rd,4th,or 5th string) and then adding-in the lower octave or lower 5th with the index or middle-finger either one. (going from single note to chord without lifting the held pinky-note)

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

Yeah don't emulate those famous players that only play with 3 fingers wtf. Sometimes you may need to make up economical fingerings that focus on fingers 1 and 2 or 1- 3, but most of the time you're gonna want to use all 4. What about playing a scale like silence kid said for effs sake lol.

 

[dave74]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

Depends what's coming next, especially up high when you have more stretch possible between the first and third.
If you use the pinky then you might have to shift hand position and/or slide to get to the next higher note.
If you use the third then you still have the pinky left to go higher without a position shift.
No reason to stretch if it's not needed, so sometimes the pinky saves "energy".
It's all about efficiency of movement, so it always situation-dependent.

^^^btw I'm talking about wider stretch positions here, not simply in-the-box of 4frets.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

I used to know a Japanese guy from Kobe. Not too tall, Angus Young size, but he could rip through the solo of Mr. Big's "Daddy, Lover, Little Boy' and he used his pinky! I used mine from that point on...lol.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

When my root is the 12th fret I always grab the 15th with my pinky and bend. I place my other fingers behind the pinky to give power for those full step bends.

When I watch You Tube videos a lot of people use their ring finger instead. Now these folks are better than me and I wonder if I should emulate them.


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I think you should just do what feels comfortable and natural to you. Don’t worry about what others are doing....if you do, you will forever be chasing something that may or may not be right for you. There’s no harm in experimenting but I wouldn’t change my technique to accommodate something that is unnatural to my stylistic instinct.

 

[greekdude]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

When my root is the 12th fret I always grab the 15th with my pinky and bend. I place my other fingers behind the pinky to give power for those full step bends.

When I watch You Tube videos a lot of people use their ring finger instead. Now these folks are better than me and I wonder if I should emulate them.

i have seen many guitarists in the 80s doing that. I always did bents with the middle and 3rd. At a time back in 1990 I thought doing bents only with the middle and wearing 11's was the cool way to get strong and be a good shredder ...

 

[dave74]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

I'm equally comfortable bending with any finger, but regardless of which finger I've always found when bending to a specific note it's more precise to include the preceding fingers also, or the hand so-to-speak.
I don't always do that for wide vibrato/shaking bends.

 

[UTGrad]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

Question:

When y’all bend a note on the B string and want to catch the little E on the same fret, do y’all catch it with another finger or just straighten out the finger your bending the B note with and catch the little E note with the meat of your finger.

I hope this made sense.


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[Clint 55]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

Different finger.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

Question:

When y’all bend a note on the B string and want to catch the little E on the same fret, do y’all catch it with another finger or just straighten out the finger your bending the B note with and catch the little E note with the meat of your finger.

I hope this made sense.


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Let’s move your example to the G and B strings. Let’s say we are playing an A minor pentatonic scale. If I were to bend the G/B strings on the 7th fret, I’d grab them with different fingers. On the 5th fret is use only the index finger to grab them both.
Is that what you mean?


Edit: Yes, theory purists...I realize that the F# on the B string is technically not part of the scale, but in rock/blues that Dorian flavor is quite commonly used in an otherwise pentatonic run.

 

[dave74]

Re: Pinky: Using Pinky Above 12th Fret

Let’s move your example to the G and B strings. Let’s say we are playing an A minor pentatonic scale. If I were to bend the G/B strings on the 7th fret, I’d grab them with different fingers. On the 5th fret is use only the index finger to grab them both.
Is that what you mean?

I think he means when bending only the 2nd string up to grind with the unbent 1st string. Like unison bending but not into actual unison notes.