I thought after all the recent talk on the two approaches, we could have a poll to see how many people are using each approach, cause it gets lost in the details of the discussion threads.

If possible lets avoids discussion of relative merits, just vote for your approach, with any clarification of it as needed.

Cheers

PS this is my first poll so I hope it's formatting works ok. Also if people don't like the categories let me know

Three be for me Especially on my SG-12s, where the fret spacing is tight up high. I began with four fingers, but I went with three after the speed and fluidity of the technique quickly manifested itself.

It's like a reliable motor that never gets tired or needs to warm up.

just a bump, please keep voting, this is really helpful.

Interesting that as of this post, the majority of players use a combination of 3 and 4 finger technique, with the routinely 3 and routinely 4 fingers camps evenly divided.

I use five fingers on my right hand, but this poll doesn't seem to measure folks like me? Right hand's thumb is mostly used to play notes on the thinner strings of the bass side while the rest of the right hand's fingers play notes all over the melody side.

For scale runs I started out using the four "non thumb" fingers on the right hand but today, after having played a lot during my first year as a stickist, I sometimes use the right hand's ring finger instead of the pinky - for the sake of tone. I've noticed that the more massive build of the ring finger gives a tone that I like better compared to how the notes sounds when tapped by the pinky. Maybe people with thicker and more heavy fingers aren't sharing this experience?

I also tend to play more and more with both hands on the same side, utilizing two hand pull-offs and similar techniques. The Stick is great for this approach thanks to the fourths vs fifths tuning.

All 4. I am self taught though.

Three on both hands.

I'm only a novice, but am finding that precise articulation, rhythm and tone are the greatest challenge, and that melodies and notes are coming afterwards.

I'd rather play one note from each hand convincingly and rhythmically, than eight or nine, but out of time..

but then I'm a 3 week novice so I can't really say much!

Another novice, here. I put "Three fingers with the fourth as an extension..." mainly because when I started I still had the muscle memory from my Double Bass background, where up at the head of the instrument you fingered 1, 2, 4 ("backed up" by the third finger.) Guess I never really shook that because I often still finger the LH that way when I do walking bass lines.

Interestingly, even though I never used my right hand back in the day, the same "1,2,(3+)4" fingering seems to occasionally manifest itself in my right hand also, unless I'm really high on the fretboard, where I sometimes use 3 and sometimes use all 4.

Of course I'm still just figuring this all out.

3 fingers in the right. 4 if necessary in the left. 5 with the middle, almost always.

Gwen D'finwunear

I don't know how you get away with 3 on the left.......my pinkie is busy on that hand. That being said, I usually only use 3 on the right but find that minor chords are hard to play without my pinkie so I do use 4 when I feel the need. I think it comes from my bass background where I use the technique of "1 finger per fret" when it suits the situation.

cheers,
kev