Effective Finger Sequence

Question

When I started learning three note per string diminished sequences I noticed at first that it was significantly easier and more comfortable to play the notes using index-ring-pinky(1,3,4) rather than index-middle-pinky(1,2,4). I decided to slow down and force myself to adopt the 1,2,4 fingering and it's fairly comfortable now, however my reach with 1,3,4 is far wider and more relaxed.

Is the 1,2,4 fingering needed for max potential? Considering ring and pinky share a tendon and the ring is typically weaker than the middle for stuff like this I thought this was a given but now I'm not so sure.

(If stretching isn't an issue I'm equally competent with both fingerings. I merely want to know which is better in the long run.)

Answer 1

Fingering will be subjective. Everyone's finger lengths, relatively speaking,and stretchability, are slightly different, so what suits one may well not suit another. Your theory is sound, and what works better for you will usually be the one to embrace. You may even find that on a different guitar, with different neck profile, etc., you need to adapt how you play this.