Anchoring Your Hand While Playing Guitar: Good or Bad?

Cill94 · 08-10-2012 09:40PM #1

Is this a bad habit or not? I'm self taught so I can only go by stuff I've seen online saying anchoring with your picking hand is a bad habit because it limits your range of motion and wrist strength. But at the same time I have a friend, who is quite the maestro with a guitar, and yet he always picks with his hand anchored on the bridge.

Opinions?

Demeyes · 09-10-2012 09:47AM

I don't think there's a definite yesor no on this. Seems like a lot of pros anchor and still have no problems. I've always anchored my hand and never really run into movement issues. I'd recommend trying out both though and going with whichever feels more comfortable.

Cill94 · 09-10-2012 05:00PM

Demeyes wrote: »

I don't think there's a definite yesor no on this. Seems like a lot of pros anchor and still have no problems. I've always anchored my hand and never really run into movement issues. I'd recommend trying out both though and going with whichever feels more comfortable.

Yeah it seems there's no consensus. I've seen some players that would be considered very technical who do things like anchor their pinky on the guitar. Maybe they would play better if they didn't though? It just seems odd to me that so many guitar teachers online say it is a bad habit.

Rigsby · 12-10-2012 09:54PM

Cill94 wrote: »

It just seems odd to me that so many guitar teachers online say it is a bad habit.

As far as bass guitar is concerned it is generally accepted as not a good thing to do from a injury point of view. I assume it is the same for guitarists. Lots of bassists rest their thumb on the PUP when plucking. Granted, lots of them dont experience any problems, but some do. The culprit is the fact that the wrist is bent. This puts a kind of "L" shape on the carpel tunnel and with the tendons constantly passing over this bend, friction occurs, resulting in hand/wrist problems over time.

It is like if you did not have a knife to cut a piece of twine, you might bend it over a sharp edge and move it backwards and forewards. Eventually it will fray. That piece of twine is the tendons in your hand.

IMO those guitar teachers are correct.

Shakti · 13-10-2012 10:53AM

It's the building up of tension in the body namely but not confined to the neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, knuckles, fingers that may result from using a particular method/technique/position that will be damaging and limiting to your playing, I recommend learning the 'alexander technique' if this is something that concerns or interests you.

partyatmygaff · 22-10-2012 06:12PM

Any hand position that lets you play freely without getting your wrists tense or painful is probably fine. I know there's a lot of people who go on about the "correct" way to grip a neck or pick but it's all pointless.

Anchoring Your Hand While Playing Guitar: Good or Bad?

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