To lift the finger or to not lift the finger?

[Lindsey]

I have a question about a song I'm practising. Allison Hell. I've been playing this for a while, I was pretty close to the actual speed at some point but then realised I don't necessarily have to lift my middle finger for this riff. (The 6th fret in this part) I thought that would make it easier to play, it's not working out for me yet.
How would you play it?

 

[idssdi]

I think if I don't move my middle finger I'll have trouble moving the other fingers. I'm not close to my guitar right now, I'll check it later

 

[Dominik Gräber]

Yeah I think you want to keep it in position roughly but not press down, otherwise you may hinder your movement.

 

[Lindsey]

I think if I don't move my middle finger I'll have trouble moving the other fingers. I'm not close to my guitar right now, I'll check it later

That's the problem I have. My fingers get 'stuck'.

Yeah I think you want to keep it in position roughly but not press down, otherwise you may hinder your movement.

I'll try that. Thanks. Another problem I have is that I lift my fingers too high. I'm still fighting the claw hand.

 

[Bellah83]

Yeah I think you want to keep it in position roughly but not press down, otherwise you may hinder your movement.

What he said, stay in position but fret the notes individually to keep it clean.

 

[Ed Seith]

The way I most naturally played it was in the first measure, I rolled the ring finger on the 7th fret up to the 5th string, and in the second measure, I moved my index finger up to the 6th fret each time, rather than using my middle finger. The only finger that ever stayed "down" beyond its original note was the rolled ring finger on 7.

YMMV.

Waters is a BEAST.

 

[Jesse Salmons]

Im with Ed on this for the first measure but the second measure I definitely use my middle finger. Thats just what came natural for me

 

[Ed Seith]

Im with Ed on this for the first measure but the second measure I definitely use my middle finger. Thats just what came natural for me

I know the middle finger is more correct, but the way it felt natural for me was the temporary position change.

 

[idssdi]

I lift my middle finger when I play that

 

[Adin Shepherd]

My finger lifts off too, doesn't even hang around, it wanders off on it's own little adventure before snapping back just in time to be useful again.

 

[Sayonil Mitra]

My finger lifts off too, but it really depends on what you are comfortable with. It does not seem like you have to keep middle finger on the string to play that part unless you are going for the momentarily creepy sound.

 

[Lucas Weiman]

This is a time when it might make sense to do one thing, but if you want to learn other similar riffs or make your own in the future, it would be beneficial to not have your middle finger stuck there. Why? Because there is a mechanic and finger rhythm to playing that sequence, and if given different notes or positions on the guitar for a similar lick, you will not be able to use your "held down" method. Also, If you skip learning that mechanic your fingers won't develop at the same rate, and, eventually, you will have to unlearn what you have learned (which takes extra time) and learn it the right way in order to play it at a high speed. And there is one more point, your brain will have to shift gears between playing the first part of that phrase (all fingers individually) and then switch to playing with the middle finger held down. At a high level, I suspect it will create extra hurdles for you. Good luck

 

[Lindsey]

This is a time when it might make sense to do one thing, but if you want to learn other similar riffs or make your own in the future, it would be beneficial to not have your middle finger stuck there. Why? Because there is a mechanic and finger rhythm to playing that sequence, and if given different notes or positions on the guitar for a similar lick, you will not be able to use your "held down" method. Also, If you skip learning that mechanic your fingers won't develop at the same rate, and, eventually, you will have to unlearn what you have learned (which takes extra time) and learn it the right way in order to play it at a high speed. And there is one more point, your brain will have to shift gears between playing the first part of that phrase (all fingers individually) and then switch to playing with the middle finger held down. At a high level, I suspect it will create extra hurdles for you. Good luck

I hadn't thought of it like that yet. You're right. Thanks!