What is "fingering"

Finger \Fin"ger\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fingered; p. pr. & vb. n. Fingering.]

1. To touch with the fingers; to handle; to meddle with.

   Let the papers lie; You would be fingering them to anger me.
   --Shak.

2. To touch lightly; to toy with.

3. (Mus.)

   1. To perform on an instrument of music.

   2. To mark the notes of (a piece of music) so as to guide the fingers in playing.

4. To take thievishly; to pilfer; to purloin.
   --Shak.

5. To execute, as any delicate work.

Fingering \Fin"ger*ing\, n.

1. The act or process of handling or touching with the fingers.

   The mere sight and fingering of money.
   --Grew.

2. The manner of using the fingers in playing or striking the keys of an instrument of music; movement or management of the fingers in playing on a musical instrument, in typewriting, etc.

3. The marking of the notes of a piece of music to guide or regulate the action or use of the fingers.

4. Delicate work made with the fingers.
   --Spenser.

"action or method of using the fingers in playing a musical instrument," late 14c., fyngerynge, noun of action from finger (v.). Mid-15c. as "action of touching lightly."

"thick, loose woolen yarn," 1680s, from fingram, from French fin grain, literally "fine grain."

n. 1 (context music uncountable English) The act of using one's fingers in the playing of a musical instrument. 2 (context music countable English) A specific method of using the fingers to play an instrument. 3 (context uncountable English) The act of using the fingers to penetrate and sexually stimulate one's own or another person's vagina or anus. vb. (present participle of finger English)

1. n. the placement of the fingers for playing different notes (or sequences of notes) on a musical instrument

2. touching something with the fingers

Fingering is the use of fingers or hands to sexually stimulate the vulva, vagina or the anus. It may be done for sexual arousal or foreplay, mutual masturbation, or constitute the entire sexual encounter. To "finger oneself" is to masturbate in this manner. It is analogous to a handjob (the manual stimulation of the penis), and may be used as penetrative or non-penetrative sexual activity.

Vaginal fingering is legally and medically called digital penetration of the vagina, and may involve one or more fingers.

In music, fingering, or on stringed instruments stopping, is the choice of which fingers and hand positions to use when playing certain musical instruments. Fingering typically changes throughout a piece; the challenge of choosing good fingering for a piece is to make the hand movements as comfortable as possible without changing hand position too often. A fingering can be the result of the working process of the composer, who puts it into the manuscript, an editor, who adds it into the printed score, or the performer, who puts his or her own fingering in the score or in performance.

A substitute fingering is an alternative to the indicated fingering, not to be confused with finger substitution. Depending on the instrument, not all the fingers may be used. For example, saxophonists do not use the right thumb and string instruments (usually) only use the fingers.

Fingering may refer to:

• Fingering (music), the positioning of the fingers when playing a musical instrument
• Fingering (sexual act), the use of fingers to provide sexual stimulation
• Salt fingering, a mixing process that occurs when salty water overlies relatively colder, fresher water
• Viscous fingering, the formation of patterns in a morphologically unstable interface
• Fingering, slang term for the identification of the subject of a criminal accusation