# Octaves, Zouks, Citterns, Tenors and Electrics > CBOM >  Finger versus Fret for the octave

## Bernie Daniel

I just bought an octave mandolin and started playing on it this summer.  (I have a Weber Absaroka with a 22.25" scale).

I started off using the 5th (little) finger to control the 5th fret and beyond -- playing in the key of D this gives it a lot of exercise -- which is good.  But this also leaves the middle (second) finger with a much reduced role -- not so good?

Over the summer & fall I have noticed that I have naturally started developing fretting patterns on the octave that are more similar to what I do on the mandolin/mandola i.e., using the fourth (ring) finger on the 5th fret and only using the fifth finger for things past it 6th fret and beyond.   

The only difference is that on mandolin and mandola I usually use the ring (fourth) finger for the 6th fret and the little finger for the 7th and beyond (in first position that is).

Just wonder how others who have played octave longer have dealt with this issue?

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## Marcus CA

I started off using like you did, with the one-fret-per-finger approach, which was an easy shift for me since, like many, I played guitar long before I ever picked up a mandolin.  However, other posters on the Cafe mentioned that it's worth stretching an extra fret wherever you can, so I started doing that and felt that it improved my range on the fretboard pretty naturally.  Basically, I let the music pull my fingers where they need to be.

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## capt_blood

I started OM as an experienced mandolin player, so I never started playing the OM as if it were a guitar, with each finger covering successive frets.  Playing fiddle tunes, you cannot cover ornaments that way.  But I have been tempted to try it the way you started, and will use it when it makes sense to me to do so.

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## downtowndalebrown

I will generally adjust my fingering depending on what I'm playing.  The pinky definitely does generally take over the 5th fret workload for me when I'm playing my OM, whereas if I'm playing fiddle/ mandolin it's generally resigned to 7th fret duties exclusively.  It took a bit of getting used to, but I find it more comfy at this point as I have slightly smaller hands; I can play a 3 set night without having to worry about my hand.

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## Bernie Daniel

Thanks for the opinions.  I guess there are no "hard and fast" rules. 

As I get more and more accustomed to the octave I find that I am using the fourth (ring) finger to do most of the 5th fret duties and the fifth (little) finger is taking over the 6th fret and beyond. 

This is just a bit different from the mandolin & mandola where I use the fourth finger on the 6th fret generally and the fifth finger for the 7th and beyond.  

So far the biggest benefit to my left hand is that I am being forced to stretch my "reach" of the third (middle) and fourth fingers especially when the second (index) finger is anchored - this happens most often with chords and double stops.

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