Quote:
Originally Posted by Dino Silone
I first learned thumb and two finger, alternate thumb fingerpicking in the mid-1970s, through a few lessons at Eddie Simon’s “Guitar Study Center” in NYC. Guitar was never my main instrument (until recently), and I worked as a bass-player for a number of years. I don’t know whether I picked up a weird technique through those three or four lessons, or whether I translated straight-ahead overhand technique from bass to guitar, but a number of months ago I realized that my right-hand technique is strange.
I’d heard it said that Dave Van Ronk also had a strange right-hand position, and after looking at a bunch of YouTube videos of him, I can say that it’s identical to the one I’ve used for the last 40+ years. Wrist high over the strings, right forearm in the air, pinkie anchored. Thumb closer to the bridge than the two fingers (opposite of “normal”, where the fingers are closer to the bridge than the thumb.
This technique, at least for me, has some advantages, both for speed and dynamics - but that could just be because I’m used to it. It has two major disadvantages, though: The first is that it has repeatedly led to bouts of painful tendonitis in my right hand and wrist. The second is that you can’t palm mute.
I’ve always worked around not palm muting by using my left hand to accomplish the same thing, e.g. when playing in E, I would mute the 6th string by reaching my thumb around, or the A string by using a finger that was already holding down the E on the 4th string against the 5th string, to muffle it. And, when the bass note is not an open string, by just releasing some of the pressure on the bass note after sounding it.
Mostly because of the tendonitis issue, but also because of watching a lot of YouTube, I’ve been trying to relearn to pick using the more common technique. But it’s an effort - the relative lengths of my thumb and fingers really seems to favor “thumb behind the fingers” rather than the more common position.
Palm muting in the “country blues” way, i.e. not a steady thud-like mute, but more a selective mute that allows the bass note to sound for an instant, and then be cut short, also isn’t coming easily, particularly without a thumb pick.
Anyway - I’m interested in hearing about how others approach the right hand for fingerpicking, and particularly if anyone else uses a more unorthodox technique, and what your experience has been.
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Hi Dino,
I watched a live video of Dave playing St.James Infirmiry, and yeah.....that's a tecchnique that is just fraught with issues, but it didn't hold Dave back.
You, on the other hand (so to speak), have issues, and they can be dealt with.
The first one is the tendonitis. There's a really good chance that pressing your pinky down for an anchor is the culprit. I've had several students over the years that had the same pain in their forearm, and when I told them to stop anchoring for a little bit, the pain went away.
After that? It was their choice. I just made the observation, but their body was screaming something that their minds just couldn't decipher.
So the next thing: Muting. First of all it's not done with the palm, but it's been referred to as palm muting forever, and always will be. It's really done with the side of hand down from the pinky, but there's are myriad variations because nobody it built the same.
In any case.......
Not being able to see you physically playing guitar, I can't begin to help you sort our some possibilities. Guitar size vs your physicality, your guitar posture as it relates to how you hold the guitar, sitting or standing, etc........all those things affect the proceedings.
The good thing is that YOU know what you're trying to get in terms of a sound, and you realize that your current posture is precluding your progress.
If you'd like to post a video, or even Facetime with me I'd be happy to observe and make some suggestions.
If you'd like to text or call I'm at 631-988-8920, and this is a gratis offer.
Best regards,
Howard Emerson