Fingerpicking Technique

[Bumble'Bird9]

Hi all, I was just wondering how many of you anchor a finger on the guitar when playing folk or old time fingerstyle music, versus the number of your that fingerpick completely unanchored like classical guitarists do.

 

Personally, I play completely unanchored, but have never had any classical training.

Discuss the pros and cons?

[outdoorgb]

Pinky anchored and then its just a blur of p-i-m-a

[totamus]

Pinky anchored, but lose. That is, my pinky nearly always is in contact with the pickguard, but will "slide" around as I play.

[melandy]

I have a very hard time with getting my ring finger and pinky to act independently, so I wind up anchoring them both to the pickguard.

 

As far as cons to this method go, I'm sure it's pretty limiting if I need to learn to use more fingers for more complex songs, but I'm mostly just a noodler in fingerpicking so it hasn't been an issue (yet).

 

Pros to this method (two fingers anchored) are probably few and far between. The only one I can think of is that it keeps my uncooperative fingers out of the way.

 

-A

[melandy]

Just saw that was your first post. Welcome to HCAG!

 

-A

[outdoorgb]

 

Pinky anchored, but lose. That is, my pinky nearly always is in contact with the pickguard, but will "slide" around as I play.

 

 

True, and as a noob it's fell into the hole a time or two!

[Bumble'Bird9]

Thanks everyone. I always get the "Are you classical trained?" question in music stores. I play this way just because I think it helps with accuracy, and allows the soundboard to resonate more. I still mostly use the three finger claw though, not so good at using my ring and pinky finger yet.

[Freeman Keller]

About 50/50. I mostly use two fingers and thumb, but I also have learned from watching Kottke not to dedicate any finger to any particular string. So when I'm doing Travis style alternating bass I'm usually anchored, when I'm picking the 5th string with my finger I'm not. With fingerpicks I find I need to be anchored so I know exactly where I'm at, especially when playing lap style.

 

There is a picture in my folder in the Annex with my pinkie firmly planted

 

edit to add - I forgot my manners - Welcome to HCAG!

[totamus]

 

Just saw that was your first post. Welcome to HCAG! -A

 

 

Ditto! Welcome!

[Bumble'Bird9]

Thanks for the welcome! I've been reading around the forums for awhile, thought I'd finally register.

[Bumble'Bird9]

Back to the original topic, I went to a Todd Snider concert a little while ago, and saw him anchoring his whole palm on the bridge. Thought that was interesting since my hand has more or less always floated (anchored or not) over the soundhole in a more vertical relation to my own body the way i think of it.

[Samilyn]

Welcome to HCAG. Glad to have you here.

 

I sometimes anchor, sometimes don't, depending on what I'm playing, how many fingers I'm using for the roll, how fast I have to move, and if there are pinches involved.

 

I tend to anchor more often when playing banjo than when playing git.

 

Aside from 8 or 10 lessons 30+ years ago, I haven't had any formal training, either.

 

I don't think there's any right or wrong way to pick, nor must one finger always be anchored. Just do what's most comfy and produces the best results for you.

[Samilyn]

 

Back to the original topic, I went to a Todd Snider concert a little while ago, and saw him anchoring his whole palm on the bridge. Thought that was interesting since my hand has more or less always floated (anchored or not) over the soundhole in a more vertical relation to my own body the way i think of it.

 

 

Though Snider does it, that's really not a good thing at all. Stay off the bridge. Anchoring there inhibits the critical bridge-soundboard interaction.

[Freeman Keller]

 

Back to the original topic, I went to a Todd Snider concert a little while ago, and saw him anchoring his whole palm on the bridge. Thought that was interesting since my hand has more or less always floated (anchored or not) over the soundhole in a more vertical relation to my own body the way i think of it.

 

 

You might be seeing his dampening technique - many players will "palm-dampen" the bass strings. Most blues pickers do a lot of palm dampening, but you can do that whether you anchor or not.

 

If you watch a dobro player many will rest their palm on the little cover over the bridge but the are not dampening - just trying to position their fingers in the best spot on the strings (you can dramatically change the sound by moving towards or away from the bridge.

 

 

The whole subject of whether or not to anchor, like lots of blues techniques, is really kind of moot. Someone criticized a guy who had posted some wonderful YouTube lessons for anchoring - he got PO'ed and pulled the lessons.

[Raftermanb]

Anyone knows about Vox Amps...........AC15CC1

[garthman]

Hello & Welcome

 

Like Freeman, it's about 50:50 for me. I play quite a few, mainly folk, songs by picking close to the bridge - I usually anchor my little finger on the bridge when doing this.

 

I use thumb for E A D strings, index for G string, middle for B string and ring for E string unless I'm playing inside chords.

[Bumble'Bird9]

Again, Thanks, I'll continue to experiment some.

[jwm1958m]

When doing fingerstyle stuff I have never been able to anchor myself to the soundboard. I play a variety of music and switch frequently between picking and fingers. My fingerstyle is fairly "Tayoresqe" rather than classic or instrumental.

[totamus]

yep - what Freeman said. I tend to damp the E, A and D strings slightly, especially for Travis style picking. I will damp when playing the banjo too, if I want that sound, or am doing background. Damping or muting, with the palm is a very good technique, but you need to be in control of it and apply only when wanted.

[rjoxyz]

Unfortunately, I can't anchor on the top. Somehow, I was blessed with the fingers of an undersized Pygmy. I often wonder if I had an ancestor on the set of the "Wizard of Oz." It is anatomically impossible for me to anchor my little finger and still have the reach and flexibility to get to all the strings.

 

I can't say if it actually creates a disadvantage, not knowing the other way. Lately, I have been involving my pinky more in fingerpicking anyway.

[jandrew]

In the past I've heard pros and cons for both positions, but in the end

you'll see people able to accomplish virtually anything regardless of

which technique they are using.

 

Myself, I've never anchored, and although I did have a classical guitar

teacher in my junior high music class, I would hardly refer to my free-form

technique as "classical" in any sense of the word :-)

 

cheers,

andrew

[MattSkibaIsGOD]

I don't anchor, but my guitar is really high up when I play so that I can just kind of hang my arm down to the strings naturally.

[Bumble'Bird9]

I've never really been able to discern and pros or cons to either method. Once guitar I have (an ibanez artcore) is the exception though. Anchoring the picky on the pickguard noticeably alters the tone of the guitar.

[BreedLover]

never anchor your pinky. It prevents the soundboard from vibrating and projecting more sound to the audience.

[gthom]

I go back and forth, I've never even bothered to figure out why I do it but sometimes I'm anchored sometimes not. Maybe I just need to pick a style and stick with it...