The informal history of FFE begins in three separate locations in the late 1970s: a jazz conservatory in Boston, a rock climbing gym in Fontainebleau, and a competitive arcade in Tokyo. In each place, an artist or athlete lost partial function of a finger (a break, a cut, a sprain). Rather than stop, they adapted.
: Each finger develops a similar calloused strength, ensuring that a note fretted by the pinky sounds as clear and resonant as one fretted by the index. four fingering exclusive
The pinky never participates. This allows for a "clamp" chord shape where the hand never leaves the neck position. This is the secret behind Hendrix-style rhythm playing—using the thumb as a bass player while the other three fingers play melody. The informal history of FFE begins in three