As I'm fond of saying "It's guitar playing not cards so there isn't really any cheating possible" some folks will tell ya planting is "cheating" but I"ve been told that sharpening my picks is cheating
I actually anchor using the ring finger when my hand starts getting tired. Wads of guys use it as their standard way of picking. The only thing I"ve found that counts against it is that it can (for some players but not all, not me for example) impede when for example a lick goes from high E to Low E. Once you get used to it, it's fine, but at first, I've seen students who anchor dragging their finger along the body instead of angling the wrist and complain that they feel resistance on long runs using all strings.
So like many things it comes down to where you are as a player, what your trying to do, etc. I know it isn't all that helpful when you keep hearing "There isn't a hard fast answer to that question" since the questions that seem to need answering for a newer player can be things like
1.)What's the BEST way to get good quick?
2.)What's the BEST amp?
3.)If I do X technique/crutch, will it ruin my long term progress?
Part of learning an instrument, or anything is learning how to actually learn and learning to focus on progressing and practicing given what "is" (gear/time/ability).
So anchor away if it works, if it stops working for ya, you'll learn to work without it or "mostly" without it like I do
QUOTE (Ben Higgins @ Mar 1 2013, 01:16 PM)
Hehe... never let anyone ever tell you that something is 'wrong' - even me !
Yeah, I think a lot of the argument used to be that anchoring fingers would somehow impede the back and forth flow of the hand but it's not true. If anything, anchoring mainly seems to help with guaging the depth of the pick as it hits the string. That's really where the difference lies, not in the actual picking 'force' itself. That's my observations anyway.
The angle of one's hand also has a bigger impact than many people realise. The angle of your hand dictates the direction that the pick strikes the strings so that can have an effect on whether your pick stays hitting the strings accurately or whether it hits and misses. And then the next factor is the angle of the pick itself and how you hold it.
But that's another story !
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This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Mar 1 2013, 08:38 PM
