Hi Arthur, I just started practicing the drills for the minor blues, consulting both your book and the Lick #8 1/3 video. You have the fingerings notated differently in the book, though, than the way you play the drills in the video. I've written down the alternative fingerings in my book. Should I practice both ways of fingering for thoroughness, or should I practice only one fingering that suits me best?
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Caleb, thanks for posting this question! I tried to follow the fingerings I wrote in the book in all my videos.. however, I don't doubt that there may be discrepancies. The fact is, my fingers know several fingerings for almost everything I do, and they unconsciously choose whatever they "think" is best in the moment.
To answer your question, the book was a thought-out calculated process. I put a lot of time into choosing the fingerings I wrote in the book after trying out many different ones and trying to think what might be the best one for someone learning this for the first time.
When it comes down to it, though, my fingerings are only suggestions. I included them so you would have a starting place, but ultimately I want you to use whatever is most natural or comfortable for you. (note: this is a totally different approach than classical music! haha)
But that is the way I was taught... to always make things comfortable for my hands. No one ever taught me fingerings and said, "this is the right way". And so that is how I pass it on to you :-)