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How do you guys with Les Pauls "Anchor" your picking hand ?


guitarchaz

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I've been playing strats forever, and now have picked up a LP. I can't seem to find a comfy anchor for the picking hand that works across all of the strings. I find myself attacking the low E from the bottom sort of, then having to raise/glide my hand up over the low E to get across the rest of the strings comfortably. The Strats are flat, so I've never ran into this. Been trying a pinky anchor, but that doesn't work well with palm muting. Anyone else come from Strat school and had a problem with the arched top and strings being higher off of the body ?

 

Thanks.

 

CRG

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I only anchor when I play fast bits high up, so I dunno if this would be comfortable if you do it more generally, but im either lightly on the bridge without muting, or on the bridge pickup mount ring on the treble side on my LPs.

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the picking hand anchor is vitally important to a playa's 'tone' imo

 

playing the LP ...i usually require the pickguard and anchor pinky and ring finger on it

 

however.. i can do it without the pickguard but it is more effort and i cant pick as fast as a result

 

i simply cannot understand how anyone can pick without anchoring the picking hand ...

 

though strumming chords is not wht i talking about here,,, strumming for me can be done with or without anchor but even here i prefer to strum using anchor

 

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With my LP Standard, my picking hand is mostly on the bridge for palm muting and reference as to where I'm going to pick next.

 

That bridge and it's saddles are pretty high above the surface of the guitar. I don't think there's any other way to keep a reference except to anchor the palm of your picking hand on the bridge.

 

I do the same thing with my Strat but I can get away with not being anchored. The guitar body is closer and the difference is smaller. I can get away with guessing on the Strat. Not on the LP.

 

I think that's the main difference. With LP's and the tall bridge over the body,...your picking hand has more of a tendency to rest on the strings just behind the bridge saddles.

 

It's a comfy place, and you're ready to roll into a palm mute.

 

What do you think?

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I've been playing strats forever, and now have picked up a LP. I can't seem to find a comfy anchor for the picking hand that works across all of the strings. I find myself attacking the low E from the bottom sort of, then having to raise/glide my hand up over the low E to get across the rest of the strings comfortably. The Strats are flat, so I've never ran into this. Been trying a pinky anchor, but that doesn't work well with palm muting. Anyone else come from Strat school and had a problem with the arched top and strings being higher off of the body ?


Thanks.


CRG

 

Hell if I know. I'd have to play and look. I rest my outer palm on the bridge right where I can mute if desired and not if it doesn't call for it. I do know that I am much more comfortable on a tune-o-matic setup than on a Strat, Tele, etc. It feels natural to me. And really I pick and strum all over the place at certain times, for certain tonal differences.

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Hell if I know. I'd have to play and look. I rest my outer palm on the bridge right where I can mute if desired and not if it doesn't call for it. I do know that I am much more comfortable on a tune-o-matic setup than on a Strat, Tele, etc. It feels natural to me. And really I pick and strum all over the place at certain times, for certain tonal differences.

 

Right. Sometimes I do that - is that resting on the bridge what you call anchoring? Sometimes I pick up by the fretboard. Where you pick matters. What is this pinky business? :confused:

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must just take getting used to I guess. I tend to naturally resy my hand on the bridge as well, but not in a convenient place to strike the Low E rapidly. To get the appropriate pick angle I have to come off of the Big E just a bit. I'll work on it. I have no problem running pick strokes form the high E down to the low E, as my hand starts up on the bridge, then works it's way back down off of the Low E back to the face of the guitar. But starting from that position feels very awkward. Just need to keep at it I guess.

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