Confused Fingering

[superlocrian]

Hi,

First of all I would like to thank IBREATHEMUSIC you for your super-cool articles, they have really lifted my playing. I would like to ask a question about the common stretch fingering scale pattern in C major (frets 8 10 12 etc). I usually use my first, third and pinkie to play this scale because it feels the most comfortable to my hand. The problem is that when I play this scale legato, I then prefer to use my first, second and pinkie, because I feel I get a louder hammer-on from my pinkie.

Another strange behaviour is that, when I play lower on the neck the stretch is wider, I also use first, secon and pinkie. You might ask why not just use both because it is in any case good practice for you fingers. I don't have majorly big hands like Gilbert, Vai, Morse, and Eric Vandenberg and my hand feels most comfortable with the first, third and pinkie, I just battle to hammer-on successfully between the third and pinkie. Which fingering is better for this scale pattern. 1st, 3rd and pinkie or 1st 2nd or pinkie.

Thanks

[EricV]

This is a rather common questions, I was asked that at some of the workshops I conducted, and I once went to see a Paul Gilbert-workshop where he was asked that question too.
He pretty much gave the same answer I have:

It of course depends.
I´m NOT smart-a**ing here. It really does depend on what feels more comfortable, and especially it depends on what you have been playing BEFORE you do play those notes.
If you i.e. were playing a certain lick using the first, 2nd and 4th finger, you should play those notes with those fingers.
I usually tend to play those kinda intervals ( like i.e. frets 8-10-12 ) with my 1st, 3rd and 4th finger, simply because it feels more natural to me ( and I guess because I do have big hands )
But a good friend of mine ( who has rather small hands ) said that he´d tend to play those notes with the 1st, 2nd and 4th finger.
So basically, you gotta decide what feels more comfortable and what seems to be more natural at the time you wanna play those notes.
Hope this helps
Eric