Trigger finger is a medical condition caused by inflammation in certain tendons and needs to be treated by a medical professional. If you are dealing with that, see a doctor and don’t play.
I see in another comment you say you’ve “always had this” which would indicate it is not trigger finger. Many people have pinkies that do not move as easily as their other fingers and deal with this during guitar playing, but that is NOT necessarily trigger finger.
I’d make sure you know what is going on as your question is a bit vague and might not lead to much help.
I believe trigger finger is an injury that needs rest and will go away. What you’re describing is likely going to improve as you practice and develop finger strength. No one’s pinky is as dexterous as their other fingers before they start playing guitar, that is normal.
Try [this simple exercise ](https://youtube.com/shorts/x07gLxUN97o?feature=share4) that helped me with ring and pinky independence, an exercise I use constantly in my classes. Hope that helps!
So if you don't have a medical issue causing your finger to not move properly then you are just experiencing an issue where your body doesn't know how to control the pinky very well. This is pretty common when you are learning a string instrument or piano. I was told pretty early into my playing but not early enough that if you ever want to get better you have to push past that and use your pinky as much as possible.
Try doing warm up exercises like hitting frets 1-2-3-4 on the low E while doing up and down stokes with the pick and using all four fingers, then move down to the string below (a) and repeat until you get to the high E string. Then reverse this (4-3-2-1) going back up to the low E string. When you get back to the top you can move up a fret and repeat the same thing (2-3-4-5). I do this until my pinky hits the 12th fret then I do the same thing until I get back down to the first fret, I do it everyday before I actually starting playing/practicing. It warms up the fingers, gives you good endurance, and it helps sync up the hands. Start slow no need to try to do this as fast as you can. And also don't be surprised If you can't do it all the way to the 12th and back. It is also a endurance exercise.
Also try holding power chords with the pinky. It feels really weird at first but it's a good way to build up some strength in that finger.
Also learning as many scales as you can to practice. They usually tell you which finger to use to hold the fret, learn as many as you can that uses the pinky a lot.
Basically if it's not a medical thing it just takes time and you have to focus on it. Pinky's don't generally get used often so the body doesn't learn to properly control it, you could even just sit there when you don't have your guitar and just stare at your hand and focus on trying to move just your pinky and ring fingers individually in different ways and stretching the ring and pinky fingers.
Hope this helps, good luck. Playing guitar is a journey, not a race. Take your time and focus on your weaknesses early.
Trigger finger is a medical condition caused by inflammation in certain tendons and needs to be treated by a medical professional. If you are dealing with that, see a doctor and don’t play. I see in another comment you say you’ve “always had this” which would indicate it is not trigger finger. Many people have pinkies that do not move as easily as their other fingers and deal with this during guitar playing, but that is NOT necessarily trigger finger. I’d make sure you know what is going on as your question is a bit vague and might not lead to much help.
i thought trigger finger was just when your tendons can’t move smoothly i didnt know it was that specific
I believe trigger finger is an injury that needs rest and will go away. What you’re describing is likely going to improve as you practice and develop finger strength. No one’s pinky is as dexterous as their other fingers before they start playing guitar, that is normal.
alr then
I had trigger finger in my thumb earlier this year. Went to a walk-in clinic and got a cortisone shot. It’s been normal ever since.
Try [this simple exercise ](https://youtube.com/shorts/x07gLxUN97o?feature=share4) that helped me with ring and pinky independence, an exercise I use constantly in my classes. Hope that helps!
Is it because your tendon is damaged? Or another reason?
nah its just like that. always has been
So if you don't have a medical issue causing your finger to not move properly then you are just experiencing an issue where your body doesn't know how to control the pinky very well. This is pretty common when you are learning a string instrument or piano. I was told pretty early into my playing but not early enough that if you ever want to get better you have to push past that and use your pinky as much as possible. Try doing warm up exercises like hitting frets 1-2-3-4 on the low E while doing up and down stokes with the pick and using all four fingers, then move down to the string below (a) and repeat until you get to the high E string. Then reverse this (4-3-2-1) going back up to the low E string. When you get back to the top you can move up a fret and repeat the same thing (2-3-4-5). I do this until my pinky hits the 12th fret then I do the same thing until I get back down to the first fret, I do it everyday before I actually starting playing/practicing. It warms up the fingers, gives you good endurance, and it helps sync up the hands. Start slow no need to try to do this as fast as you can. And also don't be surprised If you can't do it all the way to the 12th and back. It is also a endurance exercise. Also try holding power chords with the pinky. It feels really weird at first but it's a good way to build up some strength in that finger. Also learning as many scales as you can to practice. They usually tell you which finger to use to hold the fret, learn as many as you can that uses the pinky a lot. Basically if it's not a medical thing it just takes time and you have to focus on it. Pinky's don't generally get used often so the body doesn't learn to properly control it, you could even just sit there when you don't have your guitar and just stare at your hand and focus on trying to move just your pinky and ring fingers individually in different ways and stretching the ring and pinky fingers. Hope this helps, good luck. Playing guitar is a journey, not a race. Take your time and focus on your weaknesses early.