seeking suggestions for raising pinky

[tkgwheeler]

Hey there guys,

i have been spending a fair amount of time lately going over my right and left hand technique trying to notice and then correct any bad habits that may have formed. Although i am satisfied with everything in general i have discovered that my left hand pinky seems to rise away from the desired (pre-fretting) position when i descend. This seems to happen when i descend chromatically or shift positions downwards. Interestingly i have noticed that the little finger moves furthest away when i am switching between my middle and ring finger. I am guessing that this may be due to the shared tendon between the ring/little finger?

what i'd like to know is if anybody has run into this problem and whether they found particular exercises etc. useful for correcting this issue?

My thought at the moment is that i could just slow everything (scales,arps) right down and concentrate on ensuring the finger doesn't rise off the fretboard too much but would love to find some other method or exercise to help things along.

thanks

Wheeler

[tkgwheeler]

P.S.

I'm pretty sure that a resultant cause of my finger lifting away from position and off the fretboard is an increased tension that can felt throughout the large muscle group in my lower arm and wrist (basically the same tension caused by excessively repeating slurs). This may also be causing greater pressure to be applied by my thumb on the back of the neck to make up for the loss in control ALL of which could lead to injury problems in the future.

help!!

wheeler

[Jam]

I have the exact same problem, but I wouldn't put it down to tension on my part, I'm very relaxed when I play. I've tried correcting it but I presume it's down to the tendons and the other fingers...

[Moonstomper]

[quote name='Jam' post='600975' date='Sep 17 2009, 02:45 AM']I have the exact same problem, but I wouldn't put it down to tension on my part, I'm very relaxed when I play. I've tried correcting it but I presume it's down to the tendons and the other fingers...[/quote]


My problem is a raised/inflexible ring finger. Is it because I am exerting too much pressure onto the fretboard? I try to keep my hand reaxed but I get drawn into the music and maybe get too excited?

[Zombywoof]

Mate, I get the same problem...my pinky sticks out like a posh lady drinking tea! I've tried to correct it but have come to the conclusion that it's just the way my hands are. You just gotta go with what you've got.

[iamthewalrus]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who suffers from the same thing....

Cheers,
iamthewalrus.

[RhysP]

Going by the title I thought this was going to be a thread about erectile dysfunction.......

[tkgwheeler]

well at least it looks like lots of us need some help with our pinky problems!

I'm convinced that it can be fixed with effort in the right place. If it was simply the joint tendon issue then wouldn't the ring finger would suffer the same kind of problem which doesn't seem to be the case?

thanks
wheeler