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  #16  
Old 08-29-2013, 05:43 PM
budglo budglo is offline
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Of all the bad habits I have , I was able to break using my pinky to rest against the pickguard . It took quite a bit to unlearn it . Now my right hand floats and I use all of my fingers. I had to start out slowly and use a metronome, but it paid off.
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  #17  
Old 08-29-2013, 07:45 PM
tonyo tonyo is offline
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My bad playing habit is not using the metronome. I will get back to trying it again soon. When I first used it and played my playing sounded too mechanical. I'm more relaxed in my playing now so it should hopefully work out better.
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  #18  
Old 08-29-2013, 09:33 PM
clintj clintj is offline
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I routinely use a thumb to pick up the F# for D chords while playing, except for Zeppelin's Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. For whatever reason, I use my pinky automatically to get that note in D7/F#. Just the way I learned that one song, and I actually stumble if I try to use my thumb for it.

My bad habit I'm trying to break is playing the D chord with a half barre. It works, but it does give me problems in some songs so I am trying to relearn it.
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  #19  
Old 08-29-2013, 09:49 PM
Earwitness Earwitness is offline
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Okay, help me here. I am just this year changing from a self-taught fingerstyle that uses all 4 fingers and the thumb (thumb on 6, index on 5 and 4, rest get a string). Great for arpeggiated things or flourishes, but not good for alt. bass. So, I've learned thumb-index-middle Travis picking, and really like it--my rhythm is much better even after 2 months. Now, adding ring finger to get extra notes when needed (it's already a decent finger, from my other style).

Anyway, the question is: is planting the pinkie a bad habit? I am deliberately learning it that way, to stabilize my hand. What's the harm? Position issue, or dampening the top?
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  #20  
Old 08-30-2013, 12:40 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by devellis View Post
I'm not a big believer in the idea that certain things are always bad habits. What I try to do is determine what I want to do musically and determine what might be getting in the way of my succeeding...... just deciding to change because something has been branded a "bad habit" when it isn't holding you back in any discernible way seems kind of pointless to me.
This is my view as well - "bad habit" can surely only be bad if it prevents something being accomplished or can lead to injury.
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  #21  
Old 08-30-2013, 12:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Roselynne View Post
My fretting and fingering are both inconsistent ... even when I know better. For example, within two bars I'll use different fingers for the same chord, even when it's no help with a change. In a picking pattern, I'll sort of gyrate between thumb and index when it makes no sense.
I would say this could be viewed as an ability to intuitively use what suits the exact phrasing / expression sought. A strength rather than a weakness ?
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  #22  
Old 08-30-2013, 12:51 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Earwitness View Post
Okay, help me here. I am just this year changing from a self-taught fingerstyle that uses all 4 fingers and the thumb (thumb on 6, index on 5 and 4, rest get a string). Great for arpeggiated things or flourishes, but not good for alt. bass. So, I've learned thumb-index-middle Travis picking, and really like it--my rhythm is much better even after 2 months. Now, adding ring finger to get extra notes when needed (it's already a decent finger, from my other style).

Anyway, the question is: is planting the pinkie a bad habit? I am deliberately learning it that way, to stabilize my hand. What's the harm? Position issue, or dampening the top?
IMHO I would say planting the pinky is not necessarily a "bad habit" - some great guitarists do - what matters is what works for you. Having said that, I would say insisting on using the thumb / certain fingers for specific strings irrespective of the sequence of notes and phrasing required, is boxing yourself into a corner - an artificial constraint.
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  #23  
Old 08-30-2013, 01:26 AM
dneal dneal is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Earwitness View Post
Anyway, the question is: is planting the pinkie a bad habit? I am deliberately learning it that way, to stabilize my hand. What's the harm? Position issue, or dampening the top?
Position. In a lot of cases, it positions your hand so you scrape the length of the string slightly instead of getting a clean pluck. Also, if you want to vary the tone by playing closer to the 12th fret; there's a point where your pinky can't rest on anything because it falls in the soundhole.

Lots of people (probably most) play with "bad" techniques. There's some merit to the idea that "if it's stupid, but it works; it ain't stupid", and the idea that we don't need to be so rigid in technique. I see no reason not to wrap the thumb for certain bass notes, for example.

I've discovered that some of my "bad" habits (like pinky resting) impose limitations. It's easier to learn a "better" way than to unlearn bad habits.
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  #24  
Old 08-30-2013, 01:41 AM
Roselynne Roselynne is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roselynne View Post
My fretting and fingering are both inconsistent ... even when I know better. For example, within two bars I'll use different fingers for the same chord, even when it's no help with a change. In a picking pattern, I'll sort of gyrate between thumb and index when it makes no sense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RodB View Post
I would say this could be viewed as an ability to intuitively use what suits the exact phrasing / expression sought. A strength rather than a weakness ?
Right now, it's viewed as slowing me down. However ... perhaps there's some truth in that. I do tend to overthink as I play. Maybe that's the real bad habit. Many thanks for the thought! Definitely something to work with ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by tonyo View Post
My bad playing habit is not using the metronome. I will get back to trying it again soon. When I first used it and played my playing sounded too mechanical. I'm more relaxed in my playing now so it should hopefully work out better.
OK, I've gotta cop to that, too. Still ... maybe later.
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  #25  
Old 08-30-2013, 01:55 AM
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Originally Posted by Roselynne View Post
....I do tend to overthink as I play. Maybe that's the real bad habit.
Maybe so! I concentrate on the fretting hand leaving the picking to take care of itself on a sort of 'auto' - I guess, apart from positioning, tone desired, etc. If I overthink the picking I get into difficulties.
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  #26  
Old 08-30-2013, 02:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Jersey tuning View Post
I've been criticized by professionals like Stefan Grossman and Pete Kennedy for fretting an open G chord with fingers 1 2 4 instead of 2 3 4. Old habit. However I love to fret the D on the second string with finger 3 for that Aaron Copland-esque ringing 5th sound so after 45+ years I'm not about to change.
I do that as well. When I started playing the full G chord was the norm so even when I drop the D I still finger the remaining notes with 1, 2 and 4.
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  #27  
Old 08-30-2013, 02:57 AM
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I almost always "push-off" on the B and G strings istead of pulling-off. Which kind of bends the strings and isn't nearly as clear or strong as it should be, I don't think. So I usually don't play a lot of pull-offs, if I can avoid them. Never really learned how to do it right (having taught myself and rushing about it probabaly).

Things like thumb-fretting and pinky-resting - I do both, never really thought of them as bad habits, just perhaps a bit limiting for some things (which depends on the kind of music you might want to play).

About pinky-anchoring:

Quote:
Originally Posted by dneal View Post
Position. In a lot of cases, it positions your hand so you scrape the length of the string slightly instead of getting a clean pluck. Also, if you want to vary the tone by playing closer to the 12th fret; there's a point where your pinky can't rest on anything because it falls in the soundhole.
I agree about that "scape", kind of a scratchy noise (I notice it very much on my index finger). It is kind of annoying at times, and have been experimenting with different positions actually. Still resting my pinky, but trying to get a better angle to pluck the strings. Makes a big difference in tone, though it might be a little unnatural wrist position. Have to see if it slowly works out - the cleaner "pluck" is alost making me want to stop resting my pinky altogether, but that may take a very long time... seems really unnatural.
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  #28  
Old 08-30-2013, 04:09 AM
macmanmatty macmanmatty is offline
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Originally Posted by Locobolo View Post
Been playing on and off for the past 20 years. I'm mainly a fingerstyle player and after all these years I've never learned how to utilize my ring and pinky fingers. I just use 3 fingers (thumb, index and middle) for plucking.

My ring and/or pinky fingers are mostly used as a "stand" on the top for support, which is another bad technique I would like to change.

What makes it hard to correct or change is that when I try to incorporate my ring finger for example, it feels awkward and of course I never get the same good sound as opposed to using only my "solid 3".

I guess it will get better with daily practice and determination, but the problem is when I perform publicly, I cannot get that level of confidence using the right technique, so I always revert back to the bad. Hence, I cannot totally get rid of it.

Anybody with similar experiences?

I only use my thumb and two fingers too. The good thing is outside of complex jazz and classical for 98% of the songs that may be all you need. But at least we use two fingers some of the hacks around here use one one finger and there thumb.
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  #29  
Old 08-30-2013, 05:57 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shimmy View Post
I do that as well. When I started playing the full G chord was the norm so even when I drop the D I still finger the remaining notes with 1, 2 and 4.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jersey tuning - I've been criticized by professionals like Stefan Grossman and Pete Kennedy for fretting an open G chord with fingers 1 2 4 instead of 2 3 4. Old habit. However I love to fret the D on the second string with finger 3 for that Aaron Copland-esque ringing 5th sound so after 45+ years I'm not about to change.
I use 1 2 3 or the bluegrass 1234 with the 3 on the D note on the B string, but I can see the reasoning behind 2 3 4. With the 2 3 4 your index finger is free to SUS4 on the B string (along with the index moving to complete an Am for full effect), so there's some "folk" dynamics there (listen to the intro of Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee" - The guitarist is using a 234 G and going in and out of a cool folk Sus). But it's not a matter of it being a bad habit or bad chord, it is a matter of playing style. Both are valid.
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  #30  
Old 08-30-2013, 06:37 AM
guitarjamman guitarjamman is offline
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According to a lot of these self proclaimed "bad habits", this guy is failing miserably while playing! Thumb and index alone can create some pretty sweet sounding stuff:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chLFi2cFxzo

I am a three digit fingerpicker (thumb, index, middle) and can make it work for me. Bad habit? Naw; granted I would love to turn back time and force myself to use my ring finger and not plant it with the pinky - but I have progressed and will continue progressing with the three finger salute.
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