Using 1st three fingers in soloing instead of...

The higher up you get, the harder it is to your pinky unless it's a good reach. Why use your pinky when your ring finger is already hovering over the fret?

Yea thinking about it that way I guess it is better technique for when your high up the fretboard. In theory you should also be able to play faster cos your fingers barely come off the neck...
Some ppl seem to be talking about the importance of training the pinky. I didnt mean I havnt trained it - I can trill left right n centre with it lol, I was just curious about this technique I'd seen with ppl not using it unless having to really stretch.

Where you are on the neck is certainly a factor, and it's more important with some guitars than others. On acoustic guitars, above about position 13-15 (depending on the design, cutaway, etc) the pinky becomes impractical, and on classical guitars that's as low as position 10 (depending on the strings you need).

On electrics, position isn't so much a requirement. I can use my pinky throughout the entire range, and whether or not I'll use three fingers or two depends more on the type of music than anything else.

It's been pointed out that the pinky 'stops' the position. The same drawbacks can be found with three fingers - you've now got only two fingers for lower frets. If you're playing with simple pentatonic scales, there's not much downside, but if you're doing a lot of arpeggios, the three fingered approach can be limiting in the other direction! That can lead to a lot of one-fret shifts that aren't required if you're using the pinky.

The pentatonic scale, on the other hand, is ideal for shifting back and forth from three fingers to four. A lot of lead riffs in higher positions, are concentrated on the first three strings... the notes can be more accessible with three fingers than four.

Is it actually better or worse technique?

Cookie Cutter Answer: If it yields better results it is better, if not it ain't.

i use my 1,2,3 fingers too most of the time whengoing for speed on the higher frets and use my pinky when bending a note with my 3rd and need to hit another note with the bend still going.

I've seen Slash from GNR just use the pinky like an exra addition to playing. Like sometimes he's going for speed and suddenly you see his pinky flash in the run for two notes and back to where it came from (cuddled underneath the neck)... It practically 'flashes' into action lol

Yeah most players ditch the pinky past 14th fret. Too much work. That and most of them have their guitars hung so low that they and banging about the knees. Hard to get the pinky involved when the guitar is that low.

Yeah most players ditch the pinky past 14th fret. Too much work

lol Im all confused again, now you put it like that! :roll:
Cos my pinky has no problem shredding high up...I guess ill just keep going how i always have n see where it takes me