should i anchor my pinky?

when i'm finger picking, should i anchor my pinky to the front of the ukulele?
is it better than letting my hand just hover over the strings?

"Theoretically," it dampens the vibrations of the top and all that. Classical guitar people will fuss about it a lot and give you myriad reasons why it is poor technique.

I do it; works fine for me. I say if planting your pinky on the top helps you make good music and be comfortable, then live like you wanna live, man!

I agree that whatever works works. But if you're just starting out, I think you'll be better off in the long run to learn to pick without the pinky anchor. Just my $.02.

eldaddy007 said:

I agree that whatever works works. But if you're just starting out, I think you'll be better off in the long run to learn to pick without the pinky anchor. Just my $.02.

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I totally agree. My fingerpicking really only started to work when I learned not to plant. An anchored pinky physically limits the movement of the other fingers slightly. It's a fact. I had it demonstrated to me by a guitar teacher years ago. I was surprised by the difference.

My vote: learn not to plant the pinky.

thundercats are go! said:

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BTW, great username!

If I were you I would. It's up to you but I think it's easier to pick with anchoring your pinky

At the end of the day it's down to what works for you.

Objectively, though, anatomy suggests that it may be best to allow all fingers to have free movement. If you flex any finger in towards the palm you'll see some (however slight) movement of the other fingers. Furthermore, the ring finger, next to the pinky, does not have an independent extensor muscle, so if the pinky is immobilised by planting it can slightly inhibit the ease and speed of movement of the ring finger. The difference may be small, but it is usually there.

When this was demonstrated to me I could definitely feel more tension when fingerpicking with a planted pinky. I could feel it in my wrist and the back of my hand. The guy who showed me was (and probably still is) a physiotherapist as well as a music teacher, so I took his advice and learned not to plant. I feel it has worked better for me.

If you pick just thumb and pointer/index then it probably makes little or no difference. A planted pinky would not really interfere with movement of either of those digits.

YMMV, of course.

hmm...

I tend to only pick with thumb pointer and middle, and I plant, but now I wonder what I'm missing.