I’m not one to quit, but look for solutions. I just started the B2B online course and I really like it. Thanks Josh. I’m being challenged to use more of my fretting fingers. I’m cool with that, but over the years I have broken my left pinky a few times and it doesn’t want to work with the rest of the boys on the left hand. All the other fingers can move directly to the palm when closed, but the pinky closes toward the thumb at an angle. Not perfect for fretting I assume. I am continuing to try, but it affects the other fingers and wrist. Any suggestions from the group? I saw a video on moving the thumb and hand slightly to have the ring finger do what the pinky couldn’t. Was wondering if that’s what I need to focus on. Regards
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tough Q
My first thought is, can you fret Root and 5th using index and pinky respectively? If you can, the rest you can sort out as you move along, micro shifting might be easier than trying to stretch the pinky one fret further
Could you post a photo with your fingers stretched open? When I look at my hand like you, my pinky also points to the thumb (we look almost the same) I never broke my pinky but I broke my wrist and cannot fully supinate (rotate wrist towards thumb side) it makes fretting awkward initially but I’m used to it now
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Reo,
My pinky has been double jointed since I was little. Didn’t help that my left cross was not that great hence the breaks. Here is the pic.
Regards
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if it’s a serious issue you can just work around it. many bass players don’t use their pinkies ever by design or bad habit. like reo said, microshifts are your friend.
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If one finger had to go, at least it was the pinky.
I think you can work around that obstacle just fine.
It will make the one-finger-per-fret-specific exercises and practice real frustrating, but you can make adjustments.
Here are the recommended adjustments from me -
Always make adjustments at the half steps!
I like to shift with my first finger when I can. For chromatic moves, I’d play 1,1,2,3 instead of 1,2,3,4.
For a major scale fingering, I’d play 1,3, (next string) 1,1,3 (next string) 1,2,3
If those don’t work for you, find something else! It’s pretty fluid and open once you’re working with a physical constraint. You’ll find something that works.
The key will be to keep your fretting hand light and loose enough to be able to make more position adjustments.
Annnnnd… that’s only if the pinky really doesn’t work.
It may be that it can be really helpful in some scenarios. It’s hard to know what it can do until you’re deep in the trenches with it.
Best of luck.
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It’s hard to tell for sure from pics alone, but I believe that you can do this, if you never played bass or guitar before and just started the B2B course, it makes sense that it doesn’t feel good or that it won’t cooperate, after all playing the bass is unnatural
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Try using your pinky and ring finger together. I’ve broken my left hand a few times and my ring finger doesn’t pull it’s weight so to speak
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This 
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Thanks.
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Thanks Wombat. I’m gonna try that with a little micro shifting and see what happens. I appreciate it.
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Thanks Reo. I appreciate the help.
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Thanks Gio. I will try this as well.
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I have broken 3 fingers on my freeting hand, and 2 on my plucking hand
There are certain chord shapes I will probably never acheive without pain or too much stretching / strengthening, and / or straight up surgery to be worth it.
That is the extreme end of the spectrum.
On the other end, when in early stages of B2B, things that feel like they are too tough, that you might think they will be unnachievable, just take a little time to get your strength and flrxibility and dexterity on par, and you will soon be playing right past them deeper into the course.
There is not much if anything in B2B that shouldnt eventually be acheivable with practice and dedication. If your pinky is your limit, tgen so be it. For me its more of my ring finger, but its way better then it was at tge beginning.
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Thanks, and if it helps you are absolutely correct. I appreciate it.
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