Other Left Hand Lessons: Introduction To The Left Hand Common Fingers Guide Fingers Sequential Preparation Left Hand Position Anticipatory Replacement Fingers Open Chords Ascending Slurs Descending Slurs Shifting Relative Positioning Bar Chord Basics Better Bar Chords
Replacement Fingers
You may wish to review Left Hand Position before continuing with this lesson.
There is a universal rule in instrumental music known as "New Fingers For New Notes". I you were playing a scale on the piano, you wouldn't play all the notes with one finger. That would leave a gap between each note during the time it would take to lift the finger and move it to the next note. Instead, by using different fingers we can avoid leaving a gap between the notes. The same is true when playing the guitar.
Replacement Fingers should be used when another finger is unavailable to play in its assigned fret. If the note is on a higher string (in terms of pitch), use a higher numbered left hand finger. If it is on a lower string (in terms of pitch), use a lower numbered left hand finger.
Here are some examples:
Example 1
The second finger is unavailable to play the B because it is down on the E (remember, we don't want to leave a gap between notes). Because the B is on a lower string, the first finger acts as a Replacement Finger.
Example 2
In the first measure, the fourth finger acts as a Replacement Finger because the third finger is otherwise occupied. In the second measure, the third finger is the Replacement Finger.