I’m struggling with pinky buzz. I’ve been wondering if that could be from action being too high?
I feel like I only get good pinky fretting when I slide in my ring finger to assist.
2 Likes
I think buzz happens when the action is too low, and if you’re not getting buzz on the same string/fret with any other finger then it’s possibly not enough fretting pressure?
1 Like
you need to build up strength in your pinky. very common problem when starting out.
3 Likes
Pinky’s take a long long long long long time to get their strength developed.
There is also a technique where you use your ring finger to support it and shift more, both are valid, however, if you decide to maintain the latter that darn pinky will never blossom into a useful member of your societal hand. I know this as I used the ring finger support method for a long time and now am working out my pinky so it is more useful and many tunes are easier to play.
3 Likes
I’m struggling with the same thing… when I was 15, I injured my proxymal interfalangic capsule, so everytime I put force with the tip, I have a little subluxation… Recently I bought a device to practice digit coordination and improve my force…
4 Likes
It’s just my pinky.
I’ve been able to deadlift 3x my body weight and I’m not sure if that was even harder in comparison.
I can slide my ring in just fine. Like if I didn’t have a pinky I’d be playing better.
2 Likes
Best to strengthen that pinky. I have bad arthritis in my pinky which is a right PITA but having used it for years on guitar it’s actually quite strong, just painful. So whilst I can use it effectively (including hammer ons) it just hurts so now I’m only using it when necessary and favouring the ring finger, which was actually quite hard initially as that was the finger I’d previously tended to ignore and was itself rather weak! But as I say best to strengthen that pinky.
Practise lots of scales as they will push you to strengthen all the fingers!
1 Like
I am currently struggling with the bass line for Smoke on the water - lots of pinky use.
You could try watching where your thumb goes in relation to the pinky. Think of it as a see-saw with the bass neck as the lever and your thumb and fingers pressing the neck up and down at the same time.
1 Like
I just started the minor scale, which is what was driving me crazy! 
1 Like
I got my pinky better at fretting by playing songs that emphasize it; scales are too boring but a progression I could do all day long. Killing Floor by Howlin Wolf is a good one for the pinky. So is Hound Dog.
3 Likes
Buzz can come from not having the string in full contact with the fret/fret board. Also the position of your finger within the two frets surrounding the note you’re playing can impact this. It’s possible your action is too high for you if you’re just starting out. We have no way to tell with seeing the bass. Have you ever done a proper setup on the bass or have had a tech do one for you?
Skipping the pinky thing how does it feel to you otherwise? The saddle heights and therefore the string heights should follow the radius contour of the neck. When done correctly that will bring the G string lower and closer to the fretboard. You might check that out with a radius gauge or have a tech check it for you.
Otherwise it’s just a matter of developing strength in your pinky which can take time especially if your hand is smaller or your fingers are shorter like mine. I struggled with this at first as well. Keep working on your “four fingers” technique. You’ll get there eventually.
Actually, I was able to eliminate it by adding some relief to the neck and then drop the strings down a touch.
For some reason I was mistaking it all for technique, which is still in need of work. I think I was confused because it was primarily on the G string.
1 Like
I would go about it differently myself but as long as it works for you that’s all that counts. But the saddle heights and strings should still conform to the radius of your fret board. Have you checked that?