When I started playing guitar, I found it very hard to use the pinky, I thought I was never going to be able to use it because my pinky cannot move by itselt, some people can and some cannot.
To explain better, I cannot bend my pinky forward if I hold the ring finger straight with the other hand, I still can't however on the fretboard I can move those fingers independently.
Anyway, I think that using the pinky is a matter of the sound you are going for, I mean if there is no need to use it for a certain lick or phrase, why use it?, I don't if I don't have to but playing something like the stretch on my hard rock solo lesson:
--17-10---10-13-17-13-10-17-10---10-13-17-13-10-
---------14---------------------------14-------------------
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Would be impossible without the pinky.
So does it depends on the style?
I don't really know the answer, some think you probably will never need it if you arrange your scale differently, and you play pentatonics bluesy licks, and don't want to shred.
But I look at it this way: it is an extra finger, less work for the others, even if you play slow and never shred, it is there for when you need it, my advice is train the pinky, and use it whenever it would facilitate the performance of a certain lick.
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This post has been edited by Jose Mena: Oct 17 2008, 08:53 PM