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Pinkie does not co-operate, and can’t even be forced!
I’m just starting to reload following a long hiatus. I DID one manage to play a bit. It is early days here and I’m not able to make the G chord as described. My problem is that my pinkie lays flat (pointing toward my other fingers). This isn’t a ‘lets get some strength’ problem. If I arch my fingers together in the air as they would be on the fret board, I can’t force my pinkie upright – even using my other hand. My joints just don’t move that way.
Any advice?
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5 Replies
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Would like to offer assistance but I can’t visualize the problem: “my pinkie lays flat (pointing toward my other fingers). Would you be able to snap a photo or take a short video?
I recall when I started out in TAC and was learning the G chord with the pinky on the #1 string and the ring on #6 and it was completely undoable. I pinky was on strike big time. For several weeks I was doing mostly MO – WE challenges because I was not able to do much of what was shown at the end of the week. I would go back and repeat the earlier stuff. But I kept trying to do that 3 finger G and a couple of months later I was able to do it
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In the skills courses, there is a 5 Day Pinkie Challenge. I haven’t done it, but perhaps going through that may help. The pinkie is definitely the black sheep of the fretting fingers !!
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Mike—- Do your stretching warmups!
Pinkies are not really independent little buggers- (but they are more than the darn ring-finger). Maybe play some chords to which you can “add your pinkie” to. Example- play a regular C chord…… but then add your pinkie onto the hi-E at that 3rd fret. Gives your C a new sound, but in the process, you are tricking/teaching your pinkie to act independently.
This can be done with several different chords…
Just a thought….
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Thanks for the advice. Here is a not-very-good image. It is just positioned this way, not a matter of flex n stretch. That said, I have managed to find a way that works at least for what I’ve tried so far. Basically, it won’t go straight but it is possible to push the tip up against my ring finger tip such that it has a smaller contact area.
Other tha that, it has been fun to see that feeling of not keeping up slowly start to dimiish.
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I’m seeing a similar thing but mine I think is realizing that my pinkie is quite short compared to my other fingers. I never really noticed it until trying to do some of the scales on the low E string and spanning 4 frets. I may have to just adapt? I can’t seem to straighten the pinkie out and wants to curve like in your picture Mike. We’ll see if time and exercises help these older fingers from years of keyboard smashing at work. CAD work can be brutal on your digits.
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