The Pinky Anchor Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (06:20) The Pinky Anchor Recently in the JamPlay member forum, instructors as well as members have debated whether the right pinky finger should be used as an anchor. When someone refers to the pinky as an anchor finger, he / she means that the pinky is fixed to the body of the guitar in order to keep the right hand stationary. Some players anchor their pinky to the bridge or pickguard. Some electric players prefer to anchor the pinky finger to the bridge or middle pickup.

Various instructors encourage this technique, and others feel that it should never be used. For this reason, Jim has decided to film a lesson in hopes of clearing up some of the confusion surrounding this debate. In this lesson, Jim explains why and when he uses the pinky finger as an anchor. He also provides an explanation of why many teachers disapprove of this technique.

Common Arguments Against Using the Pinky As an Anchor

Many guitar teachers can point to several specific reasons regarding why this technique should never be used. Almost all classically trained guitarists feel very strongly that this technique should never be used. Here are some of the arguments that many guitar teachers use to discourage using the pinky finger as an anchor:

1. The pinky is the weakest finger. Using the pinky as an anchor puts unnecessary strain on it. Built up tension in the pinky easily spreads to the other fingers in your hand. This will lead to an overall lack of control in your playing. It can also result in injuries such as tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.

2. Using the pinky as an anchor greatly limits the overall range of movement of the right hand. This may disallow you from playing musical examples that incorporate strumming, string skipping, low bass notes, and arpeggio figures. It also severely limits your ability to play solo arrangements with a flatpick.

3. Using the pinky as an anchor decreases independence between the fingers of the right hand. Anchoring the pinky forces your other right hand fingers closer to the strings. This may result in accidentally bumping these strings with the index, middle, or ring fingers.

4. Anchoring the pinky finger disallows you from using it. It also greatly limits your ability to use the third finger. Although the pinky finger is rarely used for anything, it does play a very important role in flamenco techniques such as the rasgueado.

Common Arguments For Using the Pinky As an Anchor

On the flipside, many guitar teachers strongly urge students to use the pinky finger as an anchor. Two of JamPlay's finest, Jim Deeming and Steve Eulberg, frequently play with this technique. In the member forum, Jim mentioned that he anchors his pinky finger all the time. This was a simple exaggeration. By this statement, he meant that he frequently uses the pinky as an anchor.

Also, like Jim mentions, disciples of the great Chet Atkins also encourage this technique. Contrary to what most classical and jazz guitarists believe, these players feel that using the pinky as an anchor provides several advantages. Jim argues that anchoring the pinky provides the following advantages:

1. Anchoring the pinky enables you to play faster. This idea applies to fingerpicking as well as playing with a thumb or flatpick.

2. The pinky finger keeps the right hand from moving out of position.

3. Anchoring the pinky helps maintain control over the rest of the right hand fingers within the context of a fingerpicked arpeggio pattern. Jim demonstrates a rapid arpeggio figure borrowed from banjo vocabulary to help demonstrate this point.

4. As mentioned before, using the pinky as an anchor brings the right hand closer to the strings. This does have one advantage. The closer your hand is to the strings, the easier it is to palm mute.

Should the Pinky Be Used As an Anchor?

After reading the preceding arguments, you must be wondering whether or not you should anchor your pinky. This decision ultimately rests in your hands. If you do decide to anchor your pinky, you must do it deliberately. Be aware of when you are anchoring the pinky and why you are doing it. Do not get in a habit of anchoring the pinky finger without any good reason for doing so. Chapter 2: (02:25) The Pinky Anchor and Flatpicking In the previous scene, Jim discussed using the pinky as an anchor within the context of fingerstyle playing. In this scene, he examines the pinky anchor within the context of playing with a pick. Essentially, the same advantages and disadvantages that were mentioned earlier also apply to playing with a pick. Using the pinky as an anchor may help you play with more speed and control when your playing is limited to the three treble strings. This technique may result in faster tremolo picking and arpeggios played on the high strings. However, it hinders your ability to play musical examples that involve the three lowest strings or a mixed combination of all six strings.

Member Comments about this Lesson

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