Originally Posted by: valueseekerIn the section where Lisa's showing us major scales, does it matter which finger I use to fret each note?

Guitar fingering is so unique to every individual that pretty much anyway you can get the job done is fine. Guitars & fingers vary a great deal. The only thing to watch out for is painting yourself into a corner.

Having said that, the guiding principle is to play with the most natural, smooth & efficient motion possible. Make sure that however you finger any given chord, notes, music is going to help rather than hinder you getting from one chord to the next. Or from one group of notes to the next.

A great rule of thumb here is to use one finger per fret in any given position. But since you might need to use more than one finger in a fret for a chord, or change anchoring positions for various melodies or scale lines, that rule can get thrown aside pretty quickly. :)

I always tell students to get it done how it works best for you. Then if you encounter a playing situation that requires you to reconsider your fingering, then learn a new way to negotiate it!

Learning multiple ways to play any given chord or series of notes is just a natural evolution of learning to play guitar.

As long as you stick to the guiding principle of playing with the most natural, smooth & efficient motion possible, then you'll be fine.

My tutorial on scale practicing may be helpful in demostrating practical applications of fingerings.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=451