Pinky fixed position
- Thread starter Loveiz
- Start date
Some acoustic guitarists playing with pick tend to get support in solos with pinky and even 3rd finger on top. It also did not work for me, so my hand was always free.
With ukulele I seldom play with pick, but then it would be same.
Support with pinky can be used in fingerpicking, just my nails are usually too weak for that playing style. And in strumming my hand is free. Except sometimes with thumb strum, I use finger support.
With ukulele I seldom play with pick, but then it would be same.
Support with pinky can be used in fingerpicking, just my nails are usually too weak for that playing style. And in strumming my hand is free. Except sometimes with thumb strum, I use finger support.
Rllink
Well-known member
This one is sure to get some traction. I haven't seen the "pinky anchor" discussion for a while. It's about time for it to come up again. I'll start it out by saying that I anchor the pinky when I'm finger picking. The question "Is it something anyone can learn to do", I don't know. I can't say that I learned to do it as much as it just seemed natural to me. I don't think that it is something that one has to learn to do.
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Swamp Yankee
Well-known member
It’s something I had to learn to “undo” a few years back with a koa guitar. My pinkie nail was leaving tiny crescent-shaped dents in the top (which had no pick guard). I must say I now prefer NOT using the pinkie plant technique on ukes, banjos, and guitars while fingerpicking.
emarcano
Well-known member
coming from a classical guitar background, where resting the pinky is a big no no, I've never done it and I've never needed it. I find it so liberating to have a free hand.
Eugenio
Eugenio
Peter Frary
Well-known member
Plus, resting the pinkie makes it more difficult to smoothly move the picking position, i.e., play over the sound hole, end of fingerboard or near the bridge in order to produce different tone colors. Plus, I use my pinkie for rasgueado strums and that long nail would really scar the soundboard if rested on it (check out Willie Nelson's Trigger).
Interesting. In a couple of "How To" books anchoring the pinkie finger was recommended on the basis that it helped you to locate and position your hand and fingers and find the correct string. I tried it several times and not only is my pinkie short, but it felt extremely awkward to do. Glad to hear I wasn't incorrect to stop trying to play fingerstyle that way.
LarryS
Well-known member
Its just a support thing. It is frowned upon in classical guitar circles, but I don't play classical anymore
DavidG3
Member
I will say that if you do decide that you want to learn to do the little finger plant, there is an easy solution. Years ago when learning to pick banjo, my instructor had me roll up a piece of tape and place it on the head of the banjo, where my little finger and third finger should be planted and the slight bit of tackiness provided by the tape was sufficient to help me train my fingers to stay in place and in about 1-2 weeks of doing this I could remove the tape and never needed it again.
ripock
Well-known member
This is very interesting. It took you a few weeks to achieve this, it took me a few seconds. I'm not judging, because there are things I have been working at which other people just do naturally. I just find it interesting how all of us are in this music thing together, but our bodies are so different.
