Hey CTC!
I’ve been experimenting with the “3-finger approach” (little to no pinky use) versus the "4-finger approach"for my fretting hand, and I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’ve noticed that many legendary guitarists use a 3-finger approach, including:
- Eric Johnson
- George Benson
- Michael Schenker
- Wes Montgomery
- Eddie Van Halen
To illustrate the difference, here’s a quasi-chromatic scale example:
e—-9-8-7-6------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B—-----------9-8-7-6------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------G—----------------------9-8-7-6-------------------------------------------------------------------------------D------------------------------------9-8-7-6--------------------------------------------------------------------A--------------------------------------------------etc.----------------------------------------------------------E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 4-finger approach: Uses pinky, ring, middle, and index fingers.
- 3-finger approach: Uses ring, middle, and index fingers, often with position shifts (e.g., sliding the index finger).
When I tried both approaches in a non-musical setting, the differences felt subtle. The 3-finger approach seemed harder or maybe slightly sloppier because of the index finger shifts. But when I played an actual improvised solo/licks (jazz in my case) I noticed a couple of things:
- I felt a general sense of somewhat more strength/power in my fretting hand by eliminating the pinky
- a little more rhythmic “drive” in my playing
That said, I did miss my pinky! Some licks didn’t quite work and I had to adjust fingerings. Other thoughts on 3 vs 4 finger approach? thx!