RE: I wish I know'd that the pinky

[srvlives]

Been playing out in the sun this afternoon, and I noticed a funny thing. My ring finger on my fretting hand bends towards my index when I nake a fist!

May have to go and break it and reset it, or alternatively, whack a socket on it!

'S&!t, rollers' Elwood

[pikengren]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON Aug-31-02 AT 06:33 AM (CDT)] Crazy as it sounds, I've seen some guys bend with their pinky. And some of those notes outside the pentatonic (flat fifth) that I used to slide to with my third finger, go a lot smoother with the pinky. You definetely get a different sound if you slide to a note than when you finger it. Still slide to it with the third finger sometimes. Depends on how you want that particular lick to sound. I say do both, just not at the same time. Unless you have a jumbo scale fretboard, or really tiny fingers.
SRV, if it only happens in the sun, play indoors.

I know, everybody funny.
Now you funny too.

[srvlives]

...and I went to the doctor and I said, 'Doc, it hurts when I do this' and he said, 'Don't do that'

'S&!t, rollers' Elwood

[ricochet]

SRV, that's common when a finger's been broken and the fragments rotated slightly before healing. A common way of preventing that is to tape the broken finger to the one next to it, with both splinted in a curved position like you're holding a ball. That won't let it "scissor" across the other fingers as it would if healed straight, but slightly twisted. Also, if the thing stiffens up and won't bend much later, a curved finger's usually handier than one sticking straight out! (Especially the middle one.)

[rustyslide]

I use my pinky a fair amount, though not to bend much. All personal taste, really.

ramble ramble ramble
I got ramblin' on my mind.

[ernest]

I play whit my pinky most of the time. (slide guitar)

[ricochet]

I started off using my pinky to slide, because so many folks said to. But I started using my ring finger because I sometimes wanted to fret a note in front of the slide, or to form a chord in standard tuning with the slide on and my pinky has more reach. I've also found it's handy to be able to mute in front of the slide with the pinky. The only thing the pinky's handier for is for working way up the neck when I've got to reach around the fat 12-fret body of my Tricone. But using it to slide all that time made it a lot stronger for fretting!

[drmojo]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON Sep-02-02 AT 00:43 AM (CDT)]I told my wife I hurt my little pinky. She said, 'That's ok, I have a headache anyway.'

RIMSHOT

What a crowd!


Thank you, Rodney Dangerfield

[srvlives]

No respect.....

'S&!t, rollers' Elwood

[pikengren]

What does it say that you use your pinky?
Or SRV's qoute from The Blues Brothers?

I know, everybody funny.
Now you funny too.

[ernest]

>I told my wife I hurt my little pinky. She said, 'That's ok, I have >a headache anyway.'

I actualy mean an other pinky, because to slide whit that pinky it can realy hurt.

[srvlives]

a curved finger's usually handier than one sticking
>straight out! (Especially the middle one.)

My brother broke his pinky and had to have it rebroken and 'splinted in a curved position' because he couldn't get his hand in anywhere! (he's a plumber)

'We told him to stop bothering us because he knew that he couldn't play' Son House (re RJ)

[pikengren]

That only depends on it's fortitude.
Most clubs would help you find the exit very quickly for that though.
Beleive it or not, I have heard this as a topic of conversation before.
This is a good argument for always bringing your own guitar.

I know, everybody funny.
Now you funny too.

[cashno]

I have always played with all fingers. I still end up slamming the slide when I forget it's there and reach for a high note sometimes. I bend with the pinky and thats with a 13s' so it works for me.
cashno

[savage]

hmm... i cant say ive ever really used my pinky all that much. Every once in a while I use it to reach for a note that is just out of range of my ring. Aside from that it just chills there with my middle finger that likes to help out with chords. I never felt too comfortable with using my pinky to slide--- mainly cause my pinky didnt fill up the first slide i bought enough to command sufficient control.

didnt know anyone really used mr. pinky to bend though