# Is it Wrong to Anchor the Pinky?



## YammyV (Apr 23, 2019)

I just noticed that whenever I am playing notes ( I am no shredder, though) vs. chords I tend to anchor the pink to the guitar for support and control. In the world of guitar playing is this considered limiting/bad technique. I have been doing it as long as I remember.

Thoughts?

Thanks!


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

No


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

It’s in the whatever works best for you category.

Lots of pickers do it; I think it’s called Travis style although that also refers to alternating thumb as well but most players anchor to to that.

I find that it puts too much tension into my hand and my pickin fingers move more easily if I don’t plant my small finger on the board.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Look at the wear marks on all his guitars..... jump to 13:00 and he talks about it


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

No.


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## Guest (Aug 12, 2019)

_Is it Wrong to Anchor the Pinky?_

It's about guitar. Whew!
I was going to say; depends on how she feels about it.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

laristotle said:


> _Is it Wrong to Anchor the Pinky?_
> 
> It's about guitar. Whew!
> I was going to say; depends on how she feels about it.
> ...



Hahahaha.

There ain't no wrong in rock n roll. 

Only the classical folks worry about what's correct. 

If it feels right and sounds right, it's right enough for me


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

knight_yyz said:


> Look at the wear marks on all his guitars..... jump to 13:00 and he talks about it


He’s full of shit but I kinda like him. Didn’t pay much attention to him back in the day but now I’m thinkin Ted should be the Governor of Texas.

Great line - my truck burns so much gas I got it hooked to some Saudi oil princesses ass.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I sometimes anchor the pinky and sometimes I don't.


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## oldjoat (Apr 4, 2019)

lotsa good guitarists do , lotsa good ones don't

so either is correct for you and your style(s).

play it the way it makes you happy. .... #$%^&*() what the rest say.


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## YammyV (Apr 23, 2019)

Thanks for the advice guys. I was just concerned I was limiting myself in some way or perhaps setting myself up for some small injury. I just Googled it, and man does it seem to be a controversial topic! I had no idea.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

guitarman2 said:


> I sometimes anchor the pinky and sometimes I don't.


Same for me. Do whatever lets you play the most relaxed.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

guitarman2 said:


> I sometimes anchor the pinky and sometimes I don't.


Same
It depends what I am playing.
Nothing wrong with anchoring it or not
try both...

(Now anchoring the brain might be a bit different)


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2019)

I think if you play a ton you stop needing it.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Player99 said:


> I think if you play a ton you stop needing it.


Are you suggesting that using the pinky as an anchor is some type of "crutch" that isn't necessary if you play a lot? If so, I disagree. It isn't a case of necessarily needing it, although it can be used to great effect as a device for beginners to get a good foundation for stability in the picking hand. But for many of us who play a lot, and have for many years, it has become a key part of 1 of many techniques we use to facilitate certain sounds that we wish to express in our playing style. I also find it's dependant on the guitar you're using and music style.


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## Guest (Aug 13, 2019)

Dorian2 said:


> Are you suggesting that using the pinky as an anchor is some type of "crutch" that isn't necessary if you play a lot? If so, I disagree. It isn't a case of necessarily needing it, although it can be used to great effect as a device for beginners to get a good foundation for stability in the picking hand. But for many of us who play a lot, and have for many years, it has become a key part of 1 of many techniques we use to facilitate certain sounds that we wish to express in our playing style. I also find it's dependant on the guitar you're using and music style.


My experience is I used to use my pinky but now I don't. I don't remember when I stopped, but I didn't try to stop. I just noticed I never use my pinky anymore.


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

deleted.

C


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Player99 said:


> My experience is I used to use my pinky but now I don't. I don't remember when I stopped, but I didn't try to stop. I just noticed I never use my pinky anymore.


Same thing sort of happened to me but in a slightly different way. I solely used my pinky but at some point I started to use it less for certain guitars and styles. But every time I pick up my LP it's still mostly pinky anchor and palm resting at bridge. For muting purposes.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I'll continue to anchor my pinky, until I master Albert Lee's technique of hybrid picking using his pinky. It allows him 4 note banjo rolls, as opposed to the usual three available to hybrid pickers.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

cboutilier said:


> I'll continue to anchor my pinky, until I master Albert Lee's technique of hybrid picking using his pinky. It allows him 4 note banjo rolls, as opposed to the usual three available to hybrid pickers.


When I hybrid pick I seldom use my pinky. Usually a pick 3rd and 4th fingers.
I've been taking notice lately of my technique since reading this thread. I actually seldom use my pink to anchor, but still do occasionally.I flat pick on acoustic guitar and will rest my palm slightly behind the bridge and don't use any fingers to anchor. I try not to push down too hard with my palm as that can stifle the top from resonating. I also use my palm on the bridge on my tele and am almost always hybrid picking. It would be tough to anchor with the pinky while the other fingers are going.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

guitarman2 said:


> When I hybrid pick I seldom use my pinky. Usually a pick 3rd and 4th fingers.
> I've been taking notice lately of my technique since reading this thread. I actually seldom use my pink to anchor, but still do occasionally.I flat pick on acoustic guitar and will rest my palm slightly behind the bridge and don't use any fingers to anchor. I try not to push down too hard with my palm as that can stifle the top from resonating. I also use my palm on the bridge on my tele and am almost always hybrid picking. It would be tough to anchor with the pinky while the other fingers are going.


On my Teles I seem to roll back and forth between resting my palm on the upper lip, or my pinky on the lower lip of the ashtray bridge.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

Do you play mostly sitting down or mostly standing and walking around? Anchoring your picking hand makes you more stable but less fast in my opinion. So depends which one's more important at the time.

When I'm playing with a pick I often mute with the heel of my hand so that forms kind of an anchor when I play fingers then I don't anchor but when I'm standing sometimes I pay a price in accuracy. If you want to watch somebody with a really relaxed picking hand that is not anchored check out Molly Tuttle. Doesn't matter whether you like bluegrass and old-time or not that woman can sure play the guitar.


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

My first guitar teacher (when I was a wee lad) gave us the option of anchoring or not. My second guitar teacher spent several years trying to break me of the habit. The only time a don't anchor is when hybrid picking or full on strumming chords.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Sketchy Jeff said:


> Do you play mostly sitting down or mostly standing and walking around? Anchoring your picking hand makes you more stable but less fast in my opinion. So depends which one's more important at the time.
> 
> When I'm playing with a pick I often mute with the heel of my hand so that forms kind of an anchor when I play fingers then I don't anchor but when I'm standing sometimes I pay a price in accuracy. If you want to watch somebody with a really relaxed picking hand that is not anchored check out Molly Tuttle. Doesn't matter whether you like bluegrass and old-time or not that woman can sure play the guitar.


Molly anchors (on and off) via her wrist


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## oldjoat (Apr 4, 2019)

Sketchy Jeff said:


> Molly Tuttle. Doesn't matter whether you like bluegrass and old-time or not that woman can sure play the guitar.


X 10 
magic hands


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I use my palm a lot on electric and acoustic but I never consciously set out to learn muting it just came from what I was hearing other people do and from what I was trying to do.

As for the anchor thing I never took much notice before but a lot of aggressive style electric players seem to plant their two small fingers when using a flat pick.

Totally different from the acoustic style where some people plant their small finger, pick with their other 3 fingers and do alternating bass with the thumb.

Long before the innernets I read something from Townshend saying that he holds his flat pick lightly and it moves around a lot between his thumb and index finger. That’s kinda how I was doing it before I read the Townshend thing.

Then there’s the bluegrass pickers who really clamp down on the pick and seem to play from their elbow but I find that puts too much tension into your arm - get more speed double/cross picking from my wrist.

There’s a hundred ways to go bat shit crazy - y’all keep at it and we’ll get there in our own good time.


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## cdntac (Oct 11, 2017)

knight_yyz said:


> Look at the wear marks on all his guitars..... jump to 13:00 and he talks about it


At the start of July we did another one similar to this FB Live (we did that one in October 2016) and the wear marks were discussed some more. It's not quite as long as this one but there's some pretty intense playing.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Classical players anchor and nobody tells them they are wrong.

For rock, country, and blues it is personal preference despite what many online 'experts' claim. I watched a Griff Hamlin video yesterday in which he advocates placing your middle, ring, and pinky fingers on the guitar (he does acknowledge that plenty of players do it differently).


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

colchar said:


> Classical players anchor and nobody tells them they are wrong.
> 
> For rock, country, and blues it is personal preference despite what many online 'experts' claim. I watched a Griff Hamlin video yesterday in which he advocates placing your middle, ring, and pinky fingers on the guitar (he does acknowledge that plenty of players do it differently).


I rarely anchored it playing classical--although I don't play classical much these days.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Classical players have to anchor. It's part of the technique. Only difference is that the anchor point is elsewhere on the guitar body and is typically not a useable digit.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Dorian2 said:


> Classical players have to anchor. It's part of the technique. Only difference is that the anchor point is elsewhere on the guitar body and is typically not a useable digit.


There may be times when that is done--but as I was taught to use all the fingers, at most the finger was anchored to a string (Actually it was more often muting it)


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

zontar said:


> There may be times when that is done--but as I was taught to use all the fingers, at most the finger was anchored to a string (Actually it was more often muting it)


I know what you mean. The anchor point I was taught was with the right forearm anchored on the top of the body, hence the mentioned difference in anchor point. I neglected to mention I wasn't referring to the pinky lol. Classical and Hybrid are the only styles I don't anchor a pinky. I might try it with the Classical using the pinky on the high E now that it's been mentioned though. I was never taught that for the little bit I took for a couple of years.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

zontar said:


> There may be times when that is done--but as I was taught to use all the fingers, at most the finger was anchored to a string (Actually it was more often muting it)


Steel players use their fingertips to mute the unused strings. Most slide players do the same.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

cboutilier said:


> Steel players use their fingertips to mute the unused strings. Most slide players do the same.


I do when I play slide (Which I'm not all that good at, at least yet), and having played classical helped with that.
I mute with my fretting hand, the heel of my picking hand, and my picking hand fingers--depending on what I need to mute.


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