No clear tone from "pinky" finger

[CSIMelissa]

I've been learning for about a year and one of my consistent problems seems to be having trouble pressing both strings down to get a clear tone with my pinky finger. This is problem whether I'm playing 'fast' or 'slow' on the G or D strings. Any advice? I would have thought it would have gotten better over time but it hasn't so far. Perhaps it's because my fingers are somewhat petite.

Anyway, thanks in advance.

[Ky Slim]

I had an issue where the g strings would split apart to each side of my pinky finger tip. This caused one string to ring and the other to mute and/or buzz. I reached out to the maker (Weber) and was advised to have a new nut built locally with more narrow spacing within the courses. The luthier I went to built one to a Loar era template he had and it has slightly more narrow spacing within the courses and between the courses. It has completely fixed the issue that I was having. The guy I went to is Gary Cotten and he is in eastern Kentucky. His contact info is in the cafe builders list if you are interested. Good Luck!

[Tobin]

If you're not getting a clear tone with your pinky, it may be because you are flattening it out instead of arching it. I know it's tough to get the reach with that little finger, but it needs to arch enough to use the tip and get good pressure on the strings.

For what it's worth, most folks have similar issues. I hear it a lot even on professional recordings. It's obvious when they're using the pinky. It just sounds weaker and more muted. Not all pros do this, but plenty do. So while it should be something to work on, it's not unusual for people to never quite get it the same as the other three fingers.

[SincereCorgi]

It takes a while. You might try something like the Dancla or Wohlfahrt violin etude books, they get your pinky working hard. Another thing is that it can be difficult on a mandolin to leave down all four fingers and get a good little finger contact, so you might have to lift your index and middle sometimes to come down harder on it. The last thing to maybe try is deliberately keeping your ring finger down so it can support your little finger. The inside workings of the hand are weird. If you want a more fun approach, learn to sing a bunch of songs in B or F#.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Well,the G & D strings are pretty 'tight' even under my large hands/fingers. Tobin has it though - If you're going to use your pinky on those strings,you really need to get your fingers so that they press directly down,vertically,on the strings. That way you're getting the maximum 'down force' onto the strings. Personally,i work my fingering in such a way that it's very rare for me to use my pinky on those strings. I leave those for my 2nd & 3rd fingers so that i do get good intonation - most of the time !,
Ivan

[Beanzy]

It could be a sign that the hand isn't coming around under the neck fully. Try bringing the wrist around more and build your chord shapes from first planting the third and fourth fingers rather than the first and second. That way your fourth finger is always supported by the whole hand rather than stuck reaching out with no support.

[Isaac Revard]

Hi CSIMelissa, this video by Pete martin is very helpful with pinkie recruitment/use. He does mention some of what people mentioned above. Best of luck!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TidrXaZWdIE

[MandoJason]

MIKE MARSHALS FINGER BUSTERS. Practice them everyday for 10-15 minutes until the issue stops. The exercise builds tremendous finger strength, flexibility, dexterity. the pinky will love you for it!

Also, depending on some of the mandolin characteristics that have been addressed above, you may also want to look at the action on your mandolin just to make sure its not a little high, making it even harder than it already needs to be to use the pinky.

[Phil Goodson]

All of the above recommendations are good.

Also consider trying a smaller gauge string which will have less tension (maybe 38 gauge G strings) and be easier to press down.
And be sure that the mandolin has a good setup with low action which will help.

[hatta]

What I do is come in at a slight angle. This pushes the courses closer together, so they fit under the tip. It's just a slight angle, so there's plenty of normal force keeping the strings down.

I'm a total noob though, so this could be all wrong but it works for me.

[Pete Martin]

In the video mentioned by Zeek I have some pinkie exercises. Play them SLOWLY making sure of accurate pinkie placement!!!!!!!

They are in the PDF file here.



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TidrXaZWdIE

[CSIMelissa]

I feel pretty good about where the action is set as it was set up by a long time luthier and I will work on the hand exercises posted here by a couple of you (THANKS). I have a feeling it's because I'm not arcing my finger enough and I'm hoping I can work out of that bad habit eventually. If not, I will check with my luthier about the action again and ask him about nut adjustments.

[bratsche]

You just need more finger strength. And unfortunately, consistent, persistent exercise is the only remedy for that. (But don't overdo it too fast, needless to say... best to avoid injury!) Whether you're fingering notes with the pinky arched, or whether you need to flatten it out occasionally to stretch and reach certain notes, once you've developed the strength, they will all sound clear.

bratsche