Do you use your pinky?

[Matt300ZXT]

I'm just curious....I see SO many big time guitarists not use their pinky and play great solos, they're fast, all that good stuff...but they never utilize that last digit. I've always used mine and I can easily still play up on the high frets, even up to the 24th on my Gibson scale guitar. It never gets in my way, I never trip over it, it doesn't slow me down at all.

Just curious how some of you guys feel about this forgotten appendage.

 

[VonBonfire]

Pinkies are for when I'm sipping champagne with my west Austin friends.

A pinky lacks bending firepower. I mainly use it in leads when it will give my hand better positioning for the next lick or phrase in a given passage. It's all about making things easier so it seems short sighted to not integrate it into your playing. I still use it pretty frequently.

 

[shredi knight]

I always use my pinky when I solo, up and down the entire neck. The only thing I don't use it for are bends.

 

[blackie13]

Apart from Michael Schencker who does not use the pinky...who else doesnt?

 

[RaceU4her]

this is my pinky so no, it dosent get used much

 

[Techdeth]

Theres no reason to not use your pinky . …oh wait .

this is my pinky so no, it dosent get used much

I was going to say there no reason to not use your pinky but this makes sense not too

 

[shredi knight]

Apart from Michael Schencker who does not use the pinky...who else doesnt?

Andy James doesn't use his very much:

 

[shredi knight]

this is my pinky so no, it dosent get used much

Yeah, but I bet the women never forget it when you put "one in the stink".

 

[VonBonfire]

this is my pinky so no, it dosent get used much

In the blues realm this is known as a "mojo hand".

 

[alund]

There are multiple articles about ring vs index finger lengths. I can’t deny or confirm this truth. My ring is longer than my index and both are longer than my wiener, sooooo, that I can confirm.

 

[shredi knight]

Not to derail this thread too much, but I just can't resist reposting this:

 

[SteveGlitch]

Not to derail this thread too much, but I just can't resist reposting this:


View attachment 299970

This is really sad, mean but also hilarious

 

[Tone Monster]

Yes. I couldn’t imagine playing without a pinky, especially power cords.

 

[Beyond Black]

this is my pinky so no, it dosent get used much

Looks like it’d be a good hammer finger.

 

[VonBonfire]

 

[SteveGlitch]

Yes. I couldn’t imagine playing without a pinky, especially power cords.

Me too. I use my pinky too damn much

 

[NorCal_Val]

Yes.
Once I started using scales, other than the good ol’ pentatonic, I realized I needed to use the pinky.

 

[jchrisf]

Andy James doesn't use his very much:

I watched and learned from a lot of Danny Gill videos and he uses his pinky more than any guitarist I've ever seen. I think he uses it more than his ring finger.. especially for rhythm but he bends with it a lot too.

 

[kmanick]

All the time

 

[motorboy1]

I use my pinky, oh wait you’re taking about when playing guitar?