Picking hand stance

[Levi Böhm]

Hi guys,
I have an issue with the stance of my right/picking hand. I know that some people like to anchor one or more fingers on the body of the guitar and I noticed for myself that sometimes its more comfortable with anchoring and sometimes not. For example when I try to do fast downpicking I anchor my ring finger and pinky. I’m not very advanced but when I try to do faster shredding I get issues that i don’t know how lay my right hand on the guitar, do I put it on the back end of the bridge or is it hindering if I anchor my finger(s).
Do you have some advice for me about the position of my picking hand while using different techniques or what positions rather prevent me from improving?
Thank you!

 

[idssdi]

For me it really depends on the technique I’m doing. For example alternate picking is with anchoring. And sweeping and economy picking is without anchoring.

 

[Calvin Phillips]

its funny because I tried so hard to do what PG told me and I JUST CANT DO IT. I cant pick like syn. But thats ok, because I feel everyone probably has their own way of doing it. Also depends which guitar I’m using too as some of the knobs are in the way.

 

[Tory Capman]

Just concentrate on what works for you. Adjust your technique until it feels good and gets you the result you’re looking for. When I look at guitarists I wish I could play like, they don’t all use the same position with their pick hands.

 

[Jak Angelescu]

I hope I can help because this is something that I was experimenting with the faster I try to get my right hand. I personally feel that anchoring your hand to the guitar is a bad habit to form because should you ever go cross-string or begin to pick, your hand isn’t free to move up and down the strings the way it needs to be. The only time I ever anchor my hand to the guitar in any way is with finger picking, although that itself is still not an appropriate approach because in complex finger-style includes your pinky finger and if it’s anchored down, you can’t use it.
I learned a very valuable lesson from Papa Gates when I had to re-learn proper picking handling technique: Because of how I was holding the pick (with thumb and first two fingers) it was going to eventually limit my ability to hybrid pick.
I’m sure there are some well-known guitar players that anchor and work around/with it, but I personally feel that the control should come from your wrist and arm. I hope this helps!

 

[Ben Grosskreuz]

Hi guys,
I have an issue with the stance of my right/picking hand. I know that some people like to anchor one or more fingers on the body of the guitar and I noticed for myself that sometimes its more comfortable with anchoring and sometimes not. For example when I try to do fast downpicking I anchor my ring finger and pinky. I’m not very advanced but when I try to do faster shredding I get issues that i don’t know how lay my right hand on the guitar, do I put it on the back end of the bridge or is it hindering if I anchor my finger(s).
Do you have some advice for me about the position of my picking hand while using different techniques or what positions rather prevent me from improving?
Thank you!

Message me! I got this all figured out!!
Never anchor tho, you can let a finger or two dangle but they should never anchor.