Runaway Pinky during Warm-ups

Edit:hmm... It was supposed to say "Runaway Pinky during warm-ups." Not sure what happened.

"the worm"
http://www.iamhawaii.com/videos/ukulele-lessons/ukulele-quick-tips-warmups

Well, you know how you're supposed to keep your fingers as close to the fretboard as possible? My pinky flies up involuntarily 1.5 - 2 inches away from the fretboard--much higher than the others lift up, as if my pinky knuckle is mechanically forcing it up. I have to concentrate hard just to get it to lift as low as the others. Has this happened to any of you? Can this be corrected or are my joints just too abnormal?

I'm hoping going really slow and making sure it stays low will remedy this. I hate it though because I feel like I'm learning all over again. I don't seem to be getting any faster with it given all the effort needed for it to stay down.

Wow this is super late. But I remember reading this a while ago and just watched Aldrine play Guava Jam ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cja2yJRMz0 ) and noticed his pinky. As you can see, he doesn't keep it too close to the fretboard most of the time. He isn't shredding or anything ridiculous like that, but there are still some quick finger movements involved. I'm not knocking on his technique, just pointing out that he is able to play this fast (using a pinky with a mind of it's own) for two reasons:

1. Muscle memory. As with all songs you play a lot, you will get better and smoother when your muscles begin to know what you are about to do. At times, you can see his pinky is getting ready to attack the fretboard. So one way to get better is to just play the song a lot. Play it slow at first, then gently speed up.

2. He has found a way around having to keep his pinky so close. I thought I had more to say about this, but I don't. I guess it mostly has to do with muscle memory.

My pinky is the same way. After I read this, I tried that as well and no matter what I did, when my ring finger went down, my pinky went up. But I would suggest simply practicing. The pinky being so close to the fretboard is only supposed to help you play the song fast enough. If you can play it at the speed you want with your pinky a foot off the fretboard, I would say you are fine.

Is the movement of your pinky "tied" to the movement of your ring finger?

Sometimes people seem to have a pair of fingers that don't like to move independent of each other. Often it's the pinky/ring finger combination, or the ring/middle finger combination. It seems as if you can't move one without moving the other. If you lift your ring finger, you may find your pinky is raising higher. When you lower the ring finger, you may find your pinky drops a little.

You may get them to work more independently if you exercise them gently over time (keep doing "The Worm"), but don't force it.

One exercise I used to do is lay my palms flat on a table and then try and lift each finger up and down as high as I could (finger sit-ups). Not straining the hand, but just working the muscles. I found it was the ring finger that was the real culprit and not the pinky. I wasn't used to working that finger independently. As I got used to working the ring finger independently I began to have more control over the pinky.

It has everything to do with finger independence. An exercise that really helped me went as such:

http://www.oudcafe.com/left_hand_exercises.htm

You essentially work your way across the fretboard with each of the combinations. I.e.:

A------------1234
E--------1234----
C----1234--------
G1234------------

Up and down.. Then try some string skipping. Then work on your chords. What's nice about the different combination is that each one sort of allows a different window into how your fingers are moving, and allows you to work out all the "kinks".


It's all about taking it slow and disciplining your unruly pinky. I promise you there's nothing physiologically wrong with you causing your pinky to fly up, it's just a matter of muscle memory and control that everyone struggles with and has to overcome. Good luck!

SuperSecretBETA said:

Well, you know how you're supposed to keep your fingers as close to the fretboard as possible? My pinky flies up involuntarily 1.5 - 2 inches away from the fretboard--much higher than the others lift up, as if my pinky knuckle is mechanically forcing it up.

Click to expand...

Ever watch Aldrine's pinky?

lol

Well, mine flies around all the time, but when I need it it magically flies......back.....down......

That sounds weird but idk how else to explain it.

MisoHappy said:

Ever watch Aldrine's pinky?

lol

Well, mine flies around all the time, but when I need it it magically flies......back.....down......

That sounds weird but idk how else to explain it.

Click to expand...

Exactly. As long as your pinky is where it needs to be when you need it, I don't think it matters. You won't ever have PERFECT technique. Doesn't mean you shouldn't try though

I like the way you guys/gals think. Good words of wisdom.

KenjiBeast said:

It has everything to do with finger independence. An exercise that really helped me went as such:

http://www.oudcafe.com/left_hand_exercises.htm

You essentially work your way across the fretboard with each of the combinations. I.e.:

A------------1234
E--------1234----
C----1234--------
G1234------------

Up and down.. Then try some string skipping. Then work on your chords. What's nice about the different combination is that each one sort of allows a different window into how your fingers are moving, and allows you to work out all the "kinks".

Click to expand...

I just went to a Guitar Practice Bootcamp for beginners put on by a guy that used to tour with P-Funk (it was awesome) this skill was the first thing he had us do!
We had to keep all fingers on the fretboard as we went down the neck, boy that was hard I'm not used to having all 4 fingers down!!!!
Now I'm using this a a Uke warm up too.