"exotic Fingering"... What's That?

[JimLucas]

Its not something she said, but indirectly from Martha Clancy I realised the need to keep it simple. This translates into not using exotic fingering when there is simple fingering available....

 

Ah, but what is "simple", and what is "exotic"? I've been mainly a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to fingering, and I suspect my own application of those terms would not be universally accepted.

 

From discussion, I understand that most Irish anglo instructors recommend adopting specific fingering sequences for individual keys, rather than individual tunes or parts of tunes. My approach so far has been just the opposite. E.g., a quick left-hand triplet of F#-G-A I would normally do entirely on the pull, though I might use pull-push-pull for the same sequence at a slower pace in the same tune. In each case I have two choices for the pull A, and which I use at any point is more likely to depend more on the note(s) that follow than on a fixed fingering for the scale of the tune. Similarly in the right hand, though there I could add the D and E below by crossing into the left hand. I don't think that's "exotic"; I think it's "comfortable". Can anybody tell me what the Irish "mainstream" would say about it?

 

I have on my current project list to learn others' specific techniques from the works of Edgley, Bramich, Vallely, etc., to see both to what extent they differ and how well they suit me. But I'm also interested in comments and suggestions from the rest of you.