Should I anchor my pinky when playing fingerstyle?
Asked by Jonathan ·
Many players anchor their palm on the bridge, but some, like Tommy Emmanuel and Andrea Valeri, also rest the pinky on the pickguard below the high E string. When I try it, my picking feels slightly more precise, but it's harder to keep my picking hand relaxed. What are the advantages, and why don't you seem to do it?
Emil Ernebro answers This is a great question, and many players wonder about this.
The reason for anchoring the pinky on the pickguard is stability: you get a steady right hand that isn't floating around too much when you play. Many people do this, such as the players you mentioned, but also Chet Atkins and many other great fingerstyle players.
The big advantage is that you can lift your hand off the bridge, so you don't mute any strings, and still keep a steady hand. For instance, watch Tommy Emmanuel play the open-string run in "Blue Moon": all the strings ring out beautifully, yet his hand stays steady as it floats over the bridge, because his pinky gives him a really steady hand even though nothing is muted.
Some players rarely do this, like myself. I get the steady hand from having my palm on the bridge and/or from my right arm against the top of the guitar. So when I don't want to mute the strings, for instance in an open run on the lower strings, it's a little more difficult for me to keep a really steady hand without muting anything.
So I'd say that using your pinky on top of the guitar can be a great thing! But if you're like me, it might not feel natural, and that's OK too. Some players rarely use the pinky on top of the guitar and sound great anyway, so it's all about finding your own way of playing that feels good.
Try this: practice an open-string run that uses most of the strings, and see if you can keep your hand really steady without muting the strings. That's a great way to work on this.
