So who here uses their pinky

[Golchen]

I was just wondering whether or not most bassists here use their little finger for fretting? I know quite a lot of guitarists who don't really, unless they are shredders in which case they do! Personally, my little finger is pretty strong so I like to use it.

[kdphysio]

Another pinkie user here........as a 6 string player for many years, i'm just used to using it (apologies to all you purists).

[ahpook]

on and off, yes.

[dudewheresmybass]

absolutely, it would be wasted if i didn't use it!
as a former Cellist, my little finger is also quite strong.

[Mr. Foxen]

I use my little finger, that much less stretching, plus I can do that play loads of nots not look like I'm moving my hands thing.

[The Funk]

Mine was broken in two places by the age of 13 so it's not all that strong - and it didn't set properly when it healed.

So I tend to double up the little finger and ring finger. Not always though.

[bigjohn]

I'm not that concious of using it. Although it has a callous - and had a big string indentation on it last night so I guess I do.

Power to the subconscious pinky.

Edited April 9, 2008 by bigjohn

[Beedster]

You bet, if you have small hands on fat necks you have to

[Kev]

ye all the time

[obbm]

[quote name='Beedster' post='172804' date='Apr 9 2008, 07:19 AM']You bet, if you have small hands on fat necks you have to [/quote]

+1

[WishICouldWalk]

How else do you hit a minor 3rd without changing strings?

[bass_ferret]

Yes. Middle and Pinkie get used the most.

[Hamster]

I use mine a lot until it clicks down (and stays down until I shake my hand out or click it back with my right hand.) I'm guessing some kind of carpal tunnel syndrome?

Hamster

[Wil]

All the time. I use it far more than my third.

[matty589]

[quote name='Hamster' post='172974' date='Apr 9 2008, 11:39 AM']I use mine a lot until it clicks down (and stays down until I shake my hand out or click it back with my right hand.) I'm guessing some kind of carpal tunnel syndrome?

Hamster[/quote]
I doubt it, this is a natural thing to do, especially on 5 and 6-strings when fretting the lower strings. You just have to train your left hand to maintain an arch to all the fingers and wherever possible avoid locking the second joint. I had (and still sometimes do have) problems with that, and I have no hand or wrist ailments. You may find that for a while the distance you can stretch is reduced but your hand will adapt. It also helps to learn to squeeze less with the left hand - less pressure = less likelihood of locking finger joints.

[Wil]

Sounds like you may be double jointed. My pinky used to do this a lot, but over time its lessened, I suppose as the finger has become stronger.

[Bilbo]

Without being contentious, I can't see how you can play WITHOUT using your pinky. One finger per fret plus two more frets by stretching (obviously not at the bottowm of the neck - see my avatar).

If you don't use your pinky (other than due to a disability), you really are cutting your potential by 25% or more (because it is the finger that can stretch the furthest).

Edited April 9, 2008 by bilbo230763

[BigBeefChief]

I do.

The ladies love it.

[mcgraham]

I honestly attribute a lot of my early progress in bass playing to, at the end of the first month, making myself use my pinky for fretting. Use it! It's great, as bilbo says, I don't know how you [i]can't[/i] use it.

On the other hand, quite literally, I also use my pinky for simulating the sound of foam mutes/mute pads. It's great because you can play everything you can normally play but with a muted sound. You can literally just drop your 'mute' right in whenever you feel like it.

Mark

[elros]

I do. One finger per fret typically.

[Bilbo]

I also use my pinky to do that volume control trick that ol' Steven Stewart from The Enid used to do. I can really motor with it and, on a fretless with a reverb/echo, it can sound very cellolike.

[ZMech]

always!! I was made to use it by my teacher as soon as I started playing, with the reassurance that it would pay off.

Also, if I ever see youngerbassists at school (I think there's about a dozen), playing with their pinky tucked under, I take it upon myself to correct them

[jakenewmanbass]

Absolutely use it, even usage with other three.
I was (initially) classically trained on DB so in fact I had to learn to use my third finger as the weaker one, luckily though I had been playing bass guitar at the same time so it all just sort of happened for me.

[Alun]

Yeah, I was taught to use it when I first started many thousands of years ago so have stuck with it. Either 1 finger per fret or 124 for some lower fret things.

Cheers
Alun

[bassicinstinct]

Another pinkster here.