On Improvisation

In this On Improvisation column, we'll be discussing Mr. (or Ms.) Pinky, as he (or she) is known to his (or her) friends.

- Paul Anastasio

Mr. Pinky

I'm certain that a lot of us know fiddlers who tend to avoid using the fourth finger. I just recently returned from teaching western swing at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes alongside Danny Levin. Danny was both the first fiddler and the first piano player with Asleep at the Wheel. When he quit the band in 1980, I joined. Danny was trained as a cellist and developed his considerable violin and piano skills on his own.

Perhaps as a result of transferring cello fingering technique to violin, he rarely uses his pinky on the violin. He makes it work fine, freely moving up to second position as needed. His idiosyncratic technique works well for him, allowing him to play complicated Johnny Gimble double-stop tunes like "Roses in Summer Rain" and "Gardenia Waltz."

For the rest of us, though, we might do well to make more liberal use of Mr. Pinky.

First, I'll mention that it's possible to play scales in first position in the keys of G, A, C, D, and F without using the fourth finger. Try it on your fiddle.

It's probably no coincidence that, with the exception of F, these are popular fiddle keys. One could go through life playing in these keys in first position without ever using the fourth finger.

However (you knew that there would be a however), the fourth finger may sometimes be a better choice than the higher open string. As an example, here's a phrase that could be played in its entirety on the G string with the use of the fourth finger. (See example 1.)