Pinky on picking hand: Tucked or extended?

[Paddy Long]

I'm curled but not tucked !!!! This is my pinky finger I'm talking about here ok !!!

[Mike Neer]

When I anchor my pinky to the first string I'm using it as a reference point, and I don't even have to look at my right hand. If I tuck it under my hand, making a fist, I feel like my hand is just free-floating in space and I can't feel where the strings are.

I watched a video of Jimmy Day playing with Willie and that seems to be exactly what he was doing. Do you pick mostly thumb and 1st finger or thumb and middle finger?

[Paul Crawford]

I'm with C#. I'm lost without my anchor.

[Brint Hannay]

Doug Jernigan's hand looks like a (fast-moving!) tarantula! Talk about fast-moving (and unbelievably efficient):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP8YbVus ... re=related

[Rusty Rhoads]

the correct answer is of course which way you are most comfy with period tucked or extended or even if u want to cut it of because you feel it is in your way what ever make's you happiest and gets the results your looking for .

[Mike Neer]

I'm not looking to change my ways, just interested in the way everyone else does it. So, which way do you do the pinky, Rusty?

[Cal Sharp]

I watched a video of Jimmy Day playing with Willie and that seems to be exactly what he was doing. Do you pick mostly thumb and 1st finger or thumb and middle finger?

I switch back and forth. I get better tone with the second finger, but more accuracy with the first.

[Roger Edgington]

I have played with my pinky finger tucked since 1962. I just cain't do it any other way. I think there is plenty of merit to using the first string as a reference,but I can't do it. I wonder if it has much to do with the length of your fingers? My fingers are pretty short, especially my pinky and that makes it an odd reach to the 1st string for me. Oh well,at 64 I probably won't change it now. I also don't play guitar so I have not had that influence.

[Drew Howard]

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[Jerry Jones]

I started out playing with my pinky tucked, but I noticed some of the pros with either curled or extended little fingers. So, I trained myself to extend by taping a Popsicle stick to my little finger until that new position felt more natural. That extended position also helps with right hand location and outer string muting.

I also use thumb/middle with the pinky extended, but I can see how thumb/index might feel more natural with a tucked pinky.

[Mike Ester]

As Roger mentioned, he tucks his pinky in. I extend it out, but curl my ring finger underneath for blocking.

[Dave Mudgett]

I think ring finger sort of forces pinky out, at least it does for me. Lately, I've been doing exercises with my ring finger to try to strengthen it. I would be a very happy camper if I could somehow 'Gattonize' my ring finger. Oh well - probably should have started that 30 or 40 years ago.

My fingers are pretty long, maybe Roger E. is right - it feels pretty natural for me to hook onto the 1st string with my pinky.

Keep on bringin' out those videos of Doug Jernigan. His level of control always amazes me, he is the clean machine, and I mean that in the best possible way.

[T. C. Furlong]

I play pinky curled under and I sure wish I could start over and extend my pinky. The main reason is so that I could do that spitty choked thing that Buddy Emmons does with his ring finger. I think you need to have your pinky out of the way to do that. It's so cool sounding.
TC

[Mike Neer]

I play pinky curled under and I sure wish I could start over and extend my pinky. The main reason is so that I could do that spitty choked thing that Buddy Emmons does with his ring finger. I think you need to have your pinky out of the way to do that. It's so cool sounding.
TC

Can you give me an example of what you mean? Just tell me which recording.

[T. C. Furlong]

Hi Mike,
I think you may be able to hear it on the first fill in Seminole Wind. On this YouTube it's at 2:14 to 2:16.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGoBQIhyFFM
TC

[Mike Neer]

TC, I listened but I didn't hear anything except for what sounded like bar movement up the neck. I must be missing something. Great track, I have that on cassette somewhere

[Gene Jones]

As one of the old guys, I am always interested in these kind of questions, and I had to check myself to find out what I do.

I found that sometimes I anchor my little finger under the strings for control, and at other times I relax it to chime or achieve another sound.

This is just one of the things that I never knew about my playing, or, that it was relevant or important.

[Bo Legg]

Extended only. I pick block only. I found the pinky touches the strings when tucked which interferes with my blocking process.

[Don Drummer]

Long extended pinky = Larger palm muting surface

[Kenny Davis]

I'm a Tucker

[Mark Wayne]

Good Topic. When the 4th finger is "tucked", you can utilize the advantage of that finger as a secondary blocker, blocking the notes that your ring finger missed (provided you're a ring finger blocker). In contrast, your fingers don't feel "bundled up" when the 4th finger isn't tucked. Just my opinion.

During the 80's and well into the 90's I had tucked my 4th finger in all the time. My teacher hugs his 4th finger right against his ring finger, but elevates it so that it's nowhere near the string. A rare formation, but that's Eddie! About 6 years ago I started relaxing the 4th finger, and now it depends on the style of song and notes on whether it's tucked or not.

[Wayne Franco]

I remember a very good banjo player years ago that anchored his little finger like almost everyone does on a banjo. But the big difference was he had very little hand movement and used the middle joint of his picking fingers mostly for movement. It looked like he was hardly moving his hand at all.(economy of movement)but played incredibly accurate and fast. I tried that technique for all I was worth but never could do it. In addition to the position of the pinky does anyone do that on steel?

In my early days of playing Herby Wallace did a seminar in Portland that I attended. Really my first formal instruction. He advocated pick blocking which I have done ever since although now I combine both pick blocking and palm blocking. Don't really think about it much. As I said before pinky is not tucked althogh its not exactly strait.

[John Clark]

IN MY FIRST AND ONLY STEEL GUITAR LESSON IN 68, I WAS TOLD TO KEEP THE LITTLE FINGER EXTENDED TO BLOCK THE "WILD STRINGS" (F# AND Eb). I THINK I CURL IT IN A LITTTLE NOW AND EXTEND IT WHEN IT'S TIME TO BLOCK STRINGS 1 & 2.

[Steve Gorman]

I curl the pinky inward, but lately I have been working a little bit trying block with the side of my hand, pinky extended, on those fast Lloyd Green type of pickin things. I find that there are certain single note passages that I can block crisper with a side of the hand, pinky extended. So, I guess it would be best to be able to do BOTH comfortably.

[Jesse Adams]

I generally curl but don't tuck. it lets me easily tuck so I can use my pinky knuckle for chiming harmonics or extend to use the length of my pinky to rake harmonics. but maybe I'm just a middle of the road kind of guy.