Pinky not wanting to co-operate

[Loraine]

Hi @Emjaye I think many of us have struggled with this. The pinky and ring finger share a ligament, which makes it tough to have independence. You have the right idea for training, but I’d take it a step further and do what I call finger exercises. Numbering your fingers 1-4, with 1 being your index’s and 4 being your pinky then practice going between 2 fingers (different combinations) down and then up each open string. Example, Fingers 1 & 2 playing 1 on 1st fret and finger 2 on 2nd fret. Do this each string (try to have the playing flow, not staccato like). Don’t reverse order coming back up. Keep it in the same order used going down. Then do fingers 1&3, then 1&4, then 2&1, w&2 and so on. You’ll be practicing each finger being independent. For the pinky, practice 1&4, 2&4, 3&4, and then 4&1, 4&2, 4&3, etc.. Up and down the strings and try and stay fluid, not staccato like. Hope this makes sense. You’ll end up practicing every combination of two fingers. Feel free to reach out to me with further questions or the need for clarification. I could do a video if necessary.

[Cadgirl]

@Loraine , I didn’t know that about the pinkie and index finger sharing ligaments. Thanks! also thanks for the exercise tips.

[GerryB56]

I think one thing that really helped me develop pinky independence was using a 3 finger G chord – the pinky is all alone down on the high e string, which also leaves the index available for quick switch to G7 or for hammer -on embellishments. I also find my transitions from G to C are easier. Another helpful resource is Tony’s Fingerpicking Jumpstart course- I always find that learning songs is much more motivating than doing drills – though of course the drills can be quite helpful, too.

[Emjaye]

Thank you for the explanation and for writing in details the steps I need to do the drill. You are awesome.