Anchoring: good or bad?

[ghost_of_karelia]

Simple, non-theory-related question this time around, folks. When I pick, I anchor my pinky (sometimes my ring finger as well) on the top of my pickguard, just under the first string (I play an SG, if that gives you any indication as to where the pickguard is). It gives me stability, confidence and strength, but I've heard a lot of hoo-hah about anchoring being bad, so let me know once and for all, do I need to re-evaluate my technique, or am I fine as I am? Cheers!

 

[tedtan]

If you are just touching your pinky the top of your guitar as a depth gauge/point of reference that moves while picking, it's not likely a problem. But if you anchor it in place and don't move it at all, you should reevaluate your right hand technique because this will restrict what you are capable of playing (e.g., it will be a limiting factor in your growth as a guitar player).

 

[cromaticas]

Jason Becker used to anchor his pinky and his ring finger. Petrucci anchors his pinky. Still think it's bad to anchor?

 

[Hollowway]

Yes, it's still bad to anchor. Jason Becker (and I assume Petrucci) don't anchor in the sense that the pinky is allowed to drift along the guitar depending on position. As tedtan said, it's more of a depth gauge. That being said, Jason Becker didn't do circular picking. he moved his wrist. The main danger of anchoring is to restrict the wrist and use the fingers to move the pick. Not anchoring is a great way to prevent that (as is curling all the fingers into a fist). Once you have strict wrist picking, and the fingers are stable, then anchoring (in the sense of resting the pinky on the guitar) is fine, and if anything will help you stabilize your picking hand.
It should also be pointed out that circular picking is not inherently bad, but the majority of people pick way faster from the wrist. i.e. don't follow the exceptions, follow the rule.

 

[tedtan]

An anchor is fixed (e.g., it doesn't move).

Jason Becker seemed to be one of the (VERY) few who are able to anchor and still play well. But the fact that he made it work for him doesn't make it right, it just makes him the exception that proves the rule.

If you watch John Pertucci's picking hand pinky in the clip below, it's clear that he moves it as he picks, so it's not a true anchor, it's just a reference point (this is especially noticeable in the fast lick at the end).

 

[Hollowway]

^ I'm gonna go with you on that. I thought Jason moved it around as well, but you definitely know more about those two than I. But I agree with your statement of him being the exception.

 

[tedtan]

^ I'm gonna go with you on that. I thought Jason moved it around as well, but you definitely know more about those two than I. But I agree with your statement of him being the exception.

I actually thought Becker moved his pinky, too, but a couple of quick YouTube searches showed him to be anchoring even while shredding. But I still think of Becker in terms of Cacophony with Marty Friedman and both of their right hands look like they shouldn't be able to play the way they did (Becker's anchoring and Freidman's cocked right hand picking from below the strings (see below )). But they made it work for them, so they illustrate that there is an element of personal preference involved, too. Each of our anatomy is a bit different so we have to adapt the standard techniques to an approach that works for us individually.

 

[ite89]

Isn't really question of bad technique for me, i think that if you can play fast and accurately then no matter if you anchor or not your technique is still good. I used to anchor because I was an economy picker. When I discovered John Petrucci I started using Jazz III's and started to learn how to exclusively alternate pick (mainly because I realized that it was the only was I could improve on my metronome practice).

And yes I still anchored, but early on I found that it was quite uncomfortable to be honest. There is extra resistance where there shouldn't be. I believe that some people who tremolo pick/alternate pick while anchoring don't really have as much control (dynamics and in some ways accuracy) as a player who picks "un-anchored". Instead of using my fingers as an anchoring point, I use the ball of palm on the side of the pinky but not strictly just as long as I could still mute the strings. I also found that along with the excess tension on the fingers, it was also quite difficult to palm mute when anchoring

 

[djyngwie]

I find the whole pro/anti-anchoring thing similar to a "technique police". Both can work, so find out what's best for YOU!

 

[80H]

Just think of it as another technique. Imagine you were buying a swiss army knife. Would you want it to come with a pinky anchoring option? How much utility do you need for what you're doing? You need to learn lots of other things to be a competent guitarist, so how does this factor into all of that?

 

[MoshJosh]

I asked my instructor the same question (I was holding my hand up with my pinky and ring finger when moving to the higher strings) he recommended I not rely to heavily on it as it could hinder me in some aspects and it could end up being a cruch (the way he said it made more sense but you get what I'm saying) and in my case he's definitely correct it was restricting my arm movement making it harder for me to sweet/try to sweep, among other things

 

[arsonist]

I remember asking Jeff Loomis about this when he came to Budapest to hold a clinic.
There was a Q&A part, and since I was also rather torn as to whether it's a good thing that I myself also "anchor" my pinky, I asked the guy what he, as a technically and mentally very proficient guitarist though of this.
Basically, he had absolutely no idea what I was asking him. I explained this to him, that this question has come up on forums and discussions between guitarists before, after which he thought about it for a couple of seconds, and said "well, I honestly don't see any reason to argue for or against it".
I have to agree with him, so I don't believe there to be any setback of either approach. I guess it's a question of what comes naturally to you. After all, you need to play as comfortably as possible, where "comfort" is subject to you and only you!

 

[innovine]

Jason Becker used to anchor his pinky and his ring finger. Petrucci anchors his pinky. Still think it's bad to anchor?

My grandfather smoked 30 cigarettes a day for 60 years. Died when he was 80. Still think it's a bad idea to smoke?

 

[wespaul]

If you don't find it a hindrance, then go for it. Don Ross talked about anchoring his actual arm on the guitar, and he said he got a lot of classically-trained guitarists scoffing at him. He went on to say that was how he learned, and he can't imagine playing any other way.

So many people want to talk about how you must play a certain way, but the reality is everybody is different. Certain players, like Tony Iommi and Django were able to accomplish incredible things on the guitar with missing fingers.

If you find it comfortable to anchor, then go ahead. If you think it's holding you back from doing things you really want to do, then change it. Nobody should make that decision for you. 80H pretty much summed it all up.

EDIT - Got caught posting in an old thread. Crap.

 

[Deadnightshade]

My grandfather smoked 30 cigarettes a day for 60 years. Died when he was 80. Still think it's a bad idea to smoke?

Yes

 

[redstone]

An anchor is fixed (e.g., it doesn't move).

Jason Becker seemed to be one of the (VERY) few who are able to anchor and still play well.

Ewan Dobson also.

If you don't know exactly what's the right blend of motions to achieve your picking technique, anchoring can eventually obstruct your learning. I'd rather suggest not to anchor your fingers until you mastered your string-changing motions and then see if anchoring helps when skipping strings.

 

[Santuzzo]

just to throw a Mick Goodrick quote in here:

if it sounds good and/or feels good you must be doing something right

My point being: anchor or don't anchor according to what works best for YOU. I don't think there is one right or wrong answer here. Whatever works, man!

 

[cromaticas]

My grandfather smoked 30 cigarettes a day for 60 years. Died when he was 80. Still think it's a bad idea to smoke?

what?could you please explain me the terrible consecuences of anchoring then? I provided 2 examples of players that anchor and play better than most guitar players out there,so what's the problem?

 

[innovine]

what?could you please explain me the terrible consecuences of anchoring then? I provided 2 examples of players that anchor and play better than most guitar players out there,so what's the problem?

The problem is that irregardless of whatever stupidity is being discussed, there are always a couple of people who made it work and get held up as examples as to why its not stupid. I don't have anything to say about anchoring, but the logic of pointing out people who do something is flawed. My grandfather lived to 80, put he might still have been alive had he been a non-smoker. The two players you pointed out might be much better, or have been at their current level much earlier in their career had they not anchored. Who knows. It's a stupid way to argue a point.

 

[asfeir]

I don't think its a problem to anchor, I do it because it helps me pick faster and in a more precise/clean way. My pinky moves a bit too.
But there is no universal way to play the guitar, the most important thing is to find a way to play to your maximum potential, and anchoring my pinky does it for me..