Pinky issues

[Kat the metalhead]

I just got back into guitar lately and I’ve noticed when I try to play with my pinky it just flys every where and I can’t get it to stay close to the neck This was not an issue when I played was nu metal cuz basically you just slap your guitar but now that I want to get into soloing this is a big problem, any suggestions or tips on how to fix this

 

[Dominik Gräber]

Basicly Play slowly and Focus on your movements. A little practice every day and best with a metronome and you will get Into the Habit of having all your Fingers Close to where they should be next

 

[Firsty Lasty]

I always give the same quick advice on this because this is something you can test in just a couple of minutes- relax and massage the front and back of your forearm before playing. Both opening and closing your hand should feel good. If muscular tension is a problem, and it is for a lot of people, this alone will immediately give you better control and economy of motion. If this doesn't help, then it's a matter of developing skill through careful practice.

 

[idssdi]

Pinky can definetely be a pain in the ass but fortunately it gets better over time. Start playing the major scales up and down slowly(preferably with a metronome but in this case that isn't essential) and really try to use finger per fret(first fret pointing finger, second fret middle finger, third fret ring finger, fourth fret pinky) so for example if something is three frets apart play the lower note with your pointing finger and the high note with your pinky.

 

[Calvin Phillips]

I used to never use my pinky. It did the same thing. It's gotten much better 2 years later but still not there yet. Work it up!

 

[Jak Angelescu]

In my classical guitar training I had to play with a rubber band around my fretting fingers and still try to make my movements lol. It was a fucking nightmare but it helped a ton. Doing finger exercises would really help a lot. Your pinky flies off the neck because you don't have control of the nerves in that specific digit. Practice doing finger separation exercises and strengthening exercises and it should help!

 

[Jamie London]

Pinky has always been my weakness haha it really just does get better with time and practice. There are some great pinky exercises out there you can google and YouTube that should help a good amount as well. Just focus and do the thing (in this case get that pinky into tip top shape) and with time you’ll see a difference

 

[Brian Haner Sr.]

Practice 10 minutes a day WITHOUT using your index finger. Only use your other 3 fingers.
Play some simple chord changes; G C D Am E, etc. Play some scales. Improvise a simple solo.
Practice what you would usually practice.
This will get your pinky in shape faster than anything.
Caution! YOU WILL SUCK at first. But that's the point.

 

[Adin Shepherd]

Practice 10 minutes a day WITHOUT using your index finger. Only use your other 3 fingers.
Play some simple chord changes; G C D Am E, etc. Play some scales. Improvise a simple solo.
Practice what you would usually practice.
This will get your pinky in shape faster than anything.
Caution! YOU WILL SUCK at first. But that's the point.

Yup, I was doing a simple economy picking excercise this way recently and holy crap, it's a big challenge. It's weird because using index/middle/pinky or index/ring/pinky is fine but drop the index and shit gets crazy.

 

[Calvin Phillips]

Practice 10 minutes a day WITHOUT using your index finger. Only use your other 3 fingers.
Play some simple chord changes; G C D Am E, etc. Play some scales. Improvise a simple solo.
Practice what you would usually practice.
This will get your pinky in shape faster than anything.
Caution! YOU WILL SUCK at first. But that's the point.

It's funny you mention this.. I've been trying lately to make my d shape barred more often lately. Not using my index. It's definitely my strongest finger of them all and probably doesnt need the extra time then others do lol.

 

[Calvin Phillips]

Yup, I was doing a simple economy picking excercise this way recently and holy crap, it's a big challenge. It's weird because using index/middle/pinky or index/ring/pinky is fine but drop the index and shit gets crazy.

Your brain is used to the connections that's why. Jak always has good finger exercises to suggest to help you change it up. I used to have the pinky issues you did. It's getting better.. I still cant hold a bend with just the pinky though although realistically youd never really do that. Sweeps have helped me add the pink into my playing too.