Is "Anchoring" Acceptable When Fingerpicking?

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magicspeller

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Hi, here's my second fingerpicking question for the day...

When I'm fingerpicking, I find it much, MUCH easier when I keep a finger or two anchored on the soundboard. If I keep all my fingers free, I find it almost impossible to pick smoothly. Is this an okay way to play (I think I've seen experienced players do it, but I'm not sure)? Or is it a bad habit that I need to get rid of? Or is it something that's acceptable for a beginner and I should transition away from it with experience?

Thanks for your help!
 
magicspeller said:
Hi, here's my second fingerpicking question for the day...

When I'm fingerpicking, I find it much, MUCH easier when I keep a finger or two anchored on the soundboard. If I keep all my fingers free, I find it almost impossible to pick smoothly. Is this an okay way to play (I think I've seen experienced players do it, but I'm not sure)? Or is it a bad habit that I need to get rid of? Or is it something that's acceptable for a beginner and I should transition away from it with experience?

Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
I’m also a uke noob just like you, but having finger picked five string banjo for 4 decades, anchoring is not just acceptable but essential. I anchor my ring and pinkie and pick with the other 3. At the same time, anchoring may detract from mastering chord-melody. I’ll defer to the UU experts to chime in on that subject.
Cheers!
 
Official advice from the Ukulele Underground YouTube channel (skip forward to about 26 minutes):
 
I think it's more likely to help than hinder. Everyone needs a home position.

And as you go back and forth between picking and chord-melody, the finger can come and go.

Jim
 
magicspeller said:
Hi, here's my second fingerpicking question for the day...

When I'm fingerpicking, I find it much, MUCH easier when I keep a finger or two anchored on the soundboard. If I keep all my fingers free, I find it almost impossible to pick smoothly. Is this an okay way to play (I think I've seen experienced players do it, but I'm not sure)? Or is it a bad habit that I need to get rid of? Or is it something that's acceptable for a beginner and I should transition away from it with experience?

Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
Oh yeah. When I pick, my pinky IS my anchor. Watch a pro, Kalei Gamiao-the Uke Site. Wow, I thought my pinky was deformed until I realized I have a kudo. (Did I spell that right? Ha!)
 
If I am picking with the "educated thumb", what guitar players call Cotten pickin' or Travis pickin', with 2 or 3 fingers, I will anchor my pinky or sometimes my pinky and ring.
__M___________M______
_________I______________
_______T___________T___
__T_________T__________

If I am playing an arpeggio style, with four fingers, I won't anchor.
___________R______R___
_______M_____M______
_____I_________________
__T____________________

For the purpose of describing finger-picking, the thumb is considered to be a finger.
 
An instructor told me that it is an absolute no-no, but watch some accomplished guitarists perform and you will see a lot of anchoring.

On this one, I'm believing the "those that can, do" approach myself as opposed to "those who can't, teach."
 

Is "Anchoring" Acceptable When Fingerpicking?​


yes
 
Sometimes I think the answer is if you get good results, do it. I have seen musicians at various levels get hindered by what the "rules" say. It is often more important to focus on the outcome and what helps you get there. I will say, that SOMETIMES there are cases where a short term fix can cause problems down the road, but there are times when someone does things against the rules and has great results.

1661264947335.png
 
I’ve started taking Jeff Peterson’s classes at Ukulele Corner. I’m having to rebuild my technique, since his approach is based on classical guitar. He starts off with anchoring your thumb on the 4th string right below the fingerboard. The back knuckle where each finger meets the palm should be above the string it is plucking for maximum tone and efficiency. So, the forearm needs to move depending on what finger is plucking what string. Eventually the thumb needs to come off the 4th string, but it helps to train your hand position at first.

Anchoring on the soundboard would limit this motion. If you are doing a style where each finger always plays the same string, then I suppose you don’t need to move your forearm, and anchoring on the soundboard would work. I’m still getting used to my right wrist being much farther away from the fretboard and slightly bent. I think that playing with a collapsed wrist is part of why I got tendinitis. You may want to try this technique to avoid injury.

Does anchoring fingers on the soundboard necessarily mess up the finish over time?
 
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Is "Anchoring" Acceptable When Fingerpicking?​

Of course it is!
 
The no anchoring comes from classical guitar playing which is far more formal about technique… some folks transfer best practices from guitar to ukulele… the rationale is to not interfere with the top vibrating by applying pressure… but when I hold a soprano my finger is anchoring on the side or close to the edge and I don’t notice any difference in sound. That said unless you want to render a classical guitar piece to perfection in front of an audience that cares, it does not matter. Playing an instrument is about making music and having fun.

Led K is an amazing guitar and uke player he only uses his thumb and first finger. He is largely self-taught.

Ohta San Sr. uses the thumb a lot! The amazing tones he is able to get!!

Yasmin Williams literally has her own style that she came up with based on skills she started with while playing guitar hero.


Who is to say that one cannot incorporate the tonality change of playing with a finger on a top into the essential feel of a song?

I am trying to play Song for Anna by just using my thumb and varying how I pick to separate the notes into melody vs background and I am happy to rest my finger on the side of the uke!

Chase a skill for the results you want not cause it is the rule and you cannot decipher why... we do enough of that in other aspects of our life...
 
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tm3 said:
An instructor told me that it is an absolute no-no, but watch some accomplished guitarists perform and you will see a lot of anchoring.

On this one, I'm believing the "those that can, do" approach myself as opposed to "those who can't, teach."
Click to expand...
It's an absolute no-no for the classical guitar because its fretboard is wide and anchoring doesn't allow certain fingerings/reach. For the acoustic/electric guitar with narrow fretboards and music with more limited range (pop vs classical music), it's not as much of a problem. There are lots guitarists out there who are gifted and can play well with limitations/habits from years of self-teaching; but doesn't mean it's good to just copy their style/technique. However, I don't see anchoring being ever a problem for the ukulele though. The uke's very narrow fretboard and few strings, makes for little hand movement requirement to create a good tone.
 
It is acceptable for me. As far as the finish, if I play a uke enough to wear a spot through the finish I will be pretty proud of it. Anyway, in the words of one of my guitar teachers way back when, "strafe those strings, don't dive bombing them. Don't be afraid to touch the top of the guitar." That carried over to my ukulele playing.
 
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