How To Know Which Fingers To Use When Playing Anything On Guitar

by Simon Candy

In this video, you learn how to consistently make optimal choices when determining which fingers to use for fretting particular notes on guitar.

It is crucial to use logical fingering when playing the guitar.

However, many people tend to opt for what feels easy over what is best. This often results in choosing the wrong fingers, making something much harder to do on the guitar than needed.

In this lesson, we will cover three essential areas of guitar playing:

1. Single Notes
2. Chords
3. Harmony

You learn how to make the best finger choices in each one of these areas.

When playing notes and chords, the choice of which fingers to use is usually influenced by two factors:

1. The preceding notes/chords you’ve played
2. The upcoming notes/chords you are about to play

It’s important to have a consistent approach to fretting notes and chords in different situations. The most crucial factor to keep in mind when selecting finger placement is efficiency, not what feels easy in the moment.

After watching this video, you will have the knowledge to identify the most suitable fingers to use in various guitar playing scenarios.

Watch the video below to learn more:

Finger Technique: Scales

Major Scales

Below is a typical 3 note per string scale.

Within this scale shape are the fingerings for the other 6 patterns: (watch the video above for a breakdown)

Pentatonic Scales

Below are the practical fingerings for all 5 pentatonic scale patterns.

This is the fingering you will use most often when soloing with these shapes: (watch the video above for a breakdown)

• Patterns 1 & 2:

• Patterns 3 & 4:

• Pattern 5:

Finger Technique: Chords

Open Chords

Below are various fingerings for the open G chord.

Depending on the context you may fret this chord a number of different ways: (watch the video above for a breakdown)

Bar Chords

Below is an alternate way to fret a G bar chord.

This option frees up your pinky finger to add extensions and embellishments to the chord: (watch the video above for a breakdown)

Finger Technique: Harmonies

6th Harmony

The harmony of a 6th is used in a lot of music.

Here are two 6th harmony shapes you can play on guitar: (watch the video above for a breakdown)

Here is an example of harmonising a G major scale using 6ths on guitar: (watch the video above for a breakdown)

10th Harmony

The harmony of a 10th is also used a lot in music.

Here are two 10th harmony shapes extending from the 6th string:

Here are two 10th harmony shapes extending from the 5th string:

Here is an example of harmonising a G major scale using 10ths extending from the 6th string on guitar: (watch the video above for a breakdown)

Here is an example of harmonising a C major scale using 10ths extending from the 5th string on guitar: (watch the video above for a breakdown)

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