A simple way to get more exercise for your pinky

[chris storz]

I am sure I am not the first person to stumble on this, but here it is.

So after about a week of picking up the mandolin seriously again I had managed to really bugger the tip of my index finger on that damnable first fret. Not wanting to stop practicing all together or just doing right hand work, I started playing simpler tunes--The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Irish Washerwoman--with my middle, ring and pinky.

After my index finger healed up I decided to keep up the practice and find that my pinky has made great strides.

[billhay4]

I do simple pinky exercises. Fret the pinky on any fret and the next fret up with the ring finger. Then the next fret with the ring finder. Then the middle finger for two frets, and finally the index finger. I do this on one string and across the strings. Helps a lot.
Pete Martin taught me this.
Bill

[chris storz]

Sure, perfectly valid exercise. I should have maybe retitled this, "A way to exercise the pinky for those who find doing finger exercises about as much fun as watching paint dry." which I do.

[foldedpath]

Sorry to hear about the index finger, I hope it's healing up!

Me, I hate abstract exercises (translation = I'm lazy, and I'd rather play tunes).

I get my pinky exercise just playing Irish/Scottish fiddle tunes that hit that high B note on the E string in first position. Beginner tunes like the second part of "The Silver Spear" reel are a good starting point. Look for any fiddle tune that hits those B notes on the E string while staying in first position, and it will make a strong pinky... eventually. And when you have that, your pinky can play anything further up the fretboard with no trouble.

[derbex]

Buy an OM -all the little finger exercise you need.

[JeffD]

Not wanting to stop practicing all together or just doing right hand work, I started playing simpler tunes--The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Irish Washerwoman--with my middle, ring and pinky.

After my index finger healed up I decided to keep up the practice and find that my pinky has made great strides.

I did that when I had joint problems with my index finger. It was an immense help to my playing, and while my finger no longer hurts, I often go back to that when noodling around, just to not lose it.

[derbex]

More seriously than my previous comment in one of Simon Mayer books he has you do this as an exercise, not just for the little finger, but because you can the move the tune up the neck to different keys using the index finger to fret were the open strings.

[CES]

Buy an OM -all the little finger exercise you need.

Amen to that!!

[pointpergame]

FFCP was my gateway paradigm for a perky pinky. The ( free ) exercises might seem a bit dry, but playing songs using four-finger-closed is playing songs. My brain went "Huhhhh?" for the first few days but part of that was the subtle protests of my that cranky 4th finger. I still feel that open strings are part of the enjoyment of playing the mandolin and I feel just a little cheated when playing some songs closed.

[JeffD]

. I still feel that open strings are part of the enjoyment of playing the mandolin and I feel just a little cheated when playing some songs closed.

I know what you mean, I think. The first position feels so "right" for most everything, and its always the default when I sight read a tune.

[David L]

When I was first playing mandolin, almost 40 years ago, I had a wart removed from under my left index fingernail. I had to use the other fingers for several weeks. My pinky HAD to get better. Steve Kaufman suggests using a finger splint on one fretting finger for the same effect (without the pain!), rotating to different fingers every week or so.

[Capt. E]

My chance has come! My cat just planted a tooth deep into the pad of my left index finger, putting it out of commission as far as fretting is concerned for a week or two (she didn't mean it...truly). Your suggestion looks like the perfect way to keep playing. I don't recommend the method of getting there.

[JonZ]

If you "practice what is hard" in the tunes you learn, your pinky will eventually catch up with the rest of your fingers.

[David L]

If you "practice what is hard" in the tunes you learn, your pinky will eventually catch up with the rest of your fingers.

Your pinky will get better, but will never "catch up" with the rest. The pinky has some actual physical limitations when compared to the rest. Besides, all of the time that your pinky is practicing, so are the rest!

[Pete Martin]

I started playing simpler tunes--The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Irish Washerwoman--with my middle, ring and pinky.

I do this daily. I also play using no open strings (pinkie on all 7th frets), play one key higher (all D tunes in Eb) and one fret lower (all A tunes in Ab). This combination keeps all fingers working fluidly.

[Don Julin]

Great advice from Chris and Pete. If your pinky is not strong or coordinated enough to play a fiddle tune without using your index finger yet, you may want to try some basic exercises to get your pinky in shape. I just so happen to have a video with two of such exercises. Have fun, go slow, don't hurt yourself!

[Relio]

Sorry to hear about the index finger, I hope it's healing up!

Me, I hate abstract exercises (translation = I'm lazy, and I'd rather play tunes).

I get my pinky exercise just playing Irish/Scottish fiddle tunes that hit that high B note on the E string in first position. Beginner tunes like the second part of "The Silver Spear" reel are a good starting point. Look for any fiddle tune that hits those B notes on the E string while staying in first position, and it will make a strong pinky... eventually. And when you have that, your pinky can play anything further up the fretboard with no trouble.

I agree with you about exercises. If its not a part of a tune, I don't have the time to be messing with it!! If you have no tunes that require the pinky, why exercise it?

[JonZ]

Your pinky will get better, but will never "catch up" with the rest. The pinky has some actual physical limitations when compared to the rest. Besides, all of the time that your pinky is practicing, so are the rest!

If you isolate two-note patterns that involve the pinky and each of the other fingers, and practice them equally, the pinky will get three times as much practice as the other fingers.

If by "catch up" we mean "effectively meet the requirements of the repertoire," it will.