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geekhack Community => Off Topic => Topic started by: bcredbottle on Wed, 03 June 2015, 07:18:41

Title: Pinkies and touch typing
Post by: bcredbottle on Wed, 03 June 2015, 07:18:41

I'm learning touch typing. On the one hand, using pinkies (for P and Q) keeps your fingers on the home row. On the other, it's a huge reach, and it is way less work to just use the ring finger for those keys. Does anyone here touch type without pinkies?

Title: Re: Pinkies and touch typing
Post by: Air tree on Wed, 03 June 2015, 07:22:30

Pinkies all day everyday. You have to spread the keyboard love throughout all the fingers.  :-*

Title: Re: Pinkies and touch typing
Post by: nmur on Wed, 03 June 2015, 07:27:16

I think it's pretty common to do that, even more so if you're placing your wrists on a wrist pad.

A while ago, I forced myself to hover my hands as I type rather than letting them sit on a rest. As part of that, I started using my pinkies. I've found that I don't need to angle my wrist as much as I used to when I would use my ring finger.

Title: Re: Pinkies and touch typing
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 03 June 2015, 08:56:49

Yes it is commonly taught to use the pinky for those keys HOWEVER

those guys are n00bers,, and they're WRONG..

use   RING -finger for  -Q-  and  -P- 

It is faster, and it does not get in the way of common wrist rolls..

Title: Re: Pinkies and touch typing
Post by: mstechfreak on Thu, 04 June 2015, 03:19:46

I use pinkies as well. :-) I learned to touch type in http://www.typingstudy.com . I think it was very very useful.

Title: Re: Pinkies and touch typing
Post by: bcredbottle on Thu, 04 June 2015, 06:33:08

I think the pinkies feel like such a reach because I have DSA caps...

Title: Re: Pinkies and touch typing
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 04 June 2015, 06:43:41

Pinky is good for  -a- -z- -:-  -.-   l-r-shift,  enter, /

Ring is good for   -q- -p- backspace -\-

Title: Re: Pinkies and touch typing
Post by: Oobly on Thu, 04 June 2015, 07:07:53

Quote from: tp4tissue on Thu, 04 June 2015, 06:43:41

Pinky is good for  -a- -z- -:-  -.-   l-r-shift,  enter, /

Ring is good for   -q- -p- backspace -\-

I tend to use mine only for Shift, \, Enter and Ctrl. But I never learnt "proper" touch-typing technique, so... Not an expert on touch typing ;)

Quote from: bcredbottle on Thu, 04 June 2015, 06:33:08

I think the pinkies feel like such a reach because I have DSA caps...

ohmagerd... change 'em. Cherry profile (for steeply angled boards) and sculptured SA profile (for closer to flat boards) are awesome. I don't mind the "flat" aspect of DSA (in fact I really enjoy typing on my Penumbra set with all Row 3 alphas), but somehow the small tops combined with the flatness trips me up.