having trouble figuring out fingering on tabs

[EllaMom]

So I'm learning to play Moon River, using a version in tab. Regular notation included. But no fingering. I feel like I'm playing Twister with my fingers....so focused on getting the right frets/strings according to the tab that I am not thinking about best fingering, and no info provided on that anyway. Is there a "trick" to know which fingers to use when playing fingerstyle from tab?

[T1mothy]

theres no better fingering than the one you feel most comfortable with I believe?

[stanron]

There's no hard and fast rule I can think of. I examine a piece bar by bar or sometimes phrase by phrase. If it's a piece based on chords then take one chord at a time, work out your optimum fingering and write it down and then do it again for the next bit. As you get to play it you may decide to reorganise which fingers fingers play which notes. Let it develop based on your own experience.

[Bingoccc]

Often the notes under a chord are the notes of the chord with some passing tones. See if you can ID chord shapes you can grab as you play each bar. You sometimes only have to shift a finger or two out of the chord to hit the odd notes.

[rogthefrog]

I suggest learning in phrases. Some will be 1-2 bars long, some will be a little longer, but each phrase should be a musical statement (so it sounds good and complete when practiced on its own), and short enough to be easily memorized. Nail the fingering for the phrase, then look at the phrase before and the one after; adjust fingerings accordingly so the phrases flow into each other. Then continue until you're done with the piece. Don't be afraid to change the tab if you find a more comfortable or better-sounding way to play a phrase.

[clintj]

I'll print out a tab, and spend some time identifying chords for each measure and write them in above each change. If I can't find a good chord to base the fretting on, I'll just write in what position to play it from.

[Bern]

Originally Posted by EllaMom

So I'm learning to play Moon River, using a version in tab. Regular notation included. But no fingering. I feel like I'm playing Twister with my fingers....so focused on getting the right frets/strings according to the tab that I am not thinking about best fingering, and no info provided on that anyway. Is there a "trick" to know which fingers to use when playing fingerstyle from tab?

Is there a note on the sheet music suggesting alternate tuning perhaps ?
You must analyze the music first to understand how the music fits the fretboard.
Mark up the sheet music for the fingering yourself. Usually, if it's unplayable you change to a new position.
There many ways to skin a cat...

[Fruitloop]

There is no "trick" really, it all comes down to practice. I suggest you do what others said and break it down into fragments. Take one small bit at a time and try different things, move it around and try to find what works best for you. A lot of times I use an unorthodox fingering if it makes the jump to the next chord/phrase easier.

Online tab can be notoriously bad when it comes to fingering. It might help if you post a link to the tab you're having trouble with and pinpoint the problematic bars.

[rickwaugh]

Just to echo what's been said. Work your way through the piece before you seriously start to play it, and look at each section. You can work all that out. It's mostly about tone and transition. And be prepared to change something later if it's not good at speed. Write notes. If you do that, and really understand where you're putting your fingers, you'll memorize the piece much more easily and much better, also.