Ring finger arching on fretting hand

Hey everyone,

Was looking at some videos about “correct” left hand technique and someone pointed out that arching the ring finger towards the inside of the hand (opposite of claw position) was a common mistake when fretting.

I noticed that this happens to me quite often when going faster. Idk if this could really be a problem and if so, how can I correct it, as my finger doesn’t seem to naturally lock in that claw position? .

Here’s an example, notice the ring finger arching

PD: contrary to the pic, my pinky is doing OK, is just the ring finger

IMG_20200916_000131

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It could be an issue if you are trying to play a chord, and you need to fret down the neck on the next string up.
Down the neck = towards the headstock
string up is next HIGHER pitch string.

So, if you are on on the 5 fret of the A string and need to also fret with your middle finger on the 4 fret of the D string or the index finger on the 3rd fret of the D string, or even on the G string in extreme cases, then your finger may be deadening that string and not be able to play the chord.

On the other hand, it could be an asses when playing on the E, A or D string, as you could be muting the other strings.

I don’t really have the answer you are looking for, as far as YES or NO, but offering things to consider is the best I can do.

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That happened to me in the beginning of my bass journey (with the pinky also). One thing that helped was the getting a buzz exercice by Gary Willis and… well, playing a lot until my fingers eventually gained some independence and more strength

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That looks good, will try it.
This is not just the pinky right? You would do finger per fret, and index on F, middle on F#, ring on G and pinky on G# (talking about the E string), correct?

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Exactly!

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