Simple Practice Question

[Glave]

Just a quick question. I've been trying to get back to practicing regularly and found something odd. While working on 3-note per string patterns, specifically going from wide stretch to I guess not so wide on the next highest string, my fingering changes depending on which direction I go. Might be easier to show.
On a riff like this

|--------3-4-6-4-3-------|
|-2-4-6------------6-4-2-|

I'm fretting the Ab with my ring finger ascending but my middle finger is jumping in on the same note descending. Should I try and force myself to use the same fingering both directions or should I just leave it as it feels more natural right now?

[guitarbumb]

i say play it how it feels comfortable, i think there is nothing worse then learning something and getting comfortable with it then trying to force yourself to play usind different fingering.

[Grandturk]

I will say this - especially when decending, I tend to fret some notes by rolling my finger onto the higher string...

example:

|-10-9-7---9-7-----|
|--------9-----9-7-|

I'll roll my finger on the B string to E string transition. While this is a perfectly fine technique - for me, I find that I play it clean slowly, but then it sounds sloppy at speed. So I make a conscious effort to adjust my fingering so that I'm not playing it with a rolling technique.

What I have found is that I'm deliberately practicing something that is not the "comfortable" way of playing the lick in order to a. break bad habits and b. improve my overall technique.

[Spivonious]

I'd say to use the same fingering up and down. You want your fingers to do things automatically and if different fingers are fretting the same notes, I'd think that would get in the way.

Personally I would use my middle finger for the Ab in both directions, to keep the pattern (1-2-4) the same on both strings.

On a related sidenote, I recently picked up Stetina's Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar and it is kicking my ass. I never realized how sloppy I was.

[Pez]

i find the fingering 1-2-4 a bit of a stretch on that pattern, i do 1-3-4 on the bottom string 1-2-4 on the top, but you should do whatever is the most comfortable. the MOST IMPORTANT THING is that you do it CONSISTANTLY, cause when youre trying to shred a lick really fast youll make mistakes if you dont have your 'motor memory' trained to do that fingerng automatically