Hand position when playing notes in all strings.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Mystery123

What's the best position when playing notes?
I read that people rest palm on low strings to play high strings but what about playing low strings?

Do you rest pinky next to sound hole for low or for all?
Do you not even touch the guitar and just go through strings?

How about electric?
There's no sound hole for reference.

I am practicing this simple riff and it's sloppy when going through low to high strings.
I think it's due to not having an anchor.

E|-------------------------------------------------3-1-0---------|
B|-----------------------------------------------0-------3-1-0-1-|
G|--------------------------0-2-0------0-2---0-2-----------------|
D|---------0-2-0------0-2-3-------3--3-----3---------------------|
A|---0-2-3-------3--3--------------------------------------------|
E|-3-------------------------------------------------------------|

If playing with a pick, I'd probably rest my wrist on the bridge, or just behind or above it, but not touching the strings.

If playing fingerstyle, I'd use a combination of thumb and fingers, and wouldn't need an anchor.

[Mystery123]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Most of the time not on the strings though on the bridge frequently. She's just on the lower strings when she wants to palm mute them.
Also she is a flatpicker and that is a whole other hand position for many. But if you want your default position to be resting your palm on
the strings then go for it.

Originally Posted by JonPR

If playing with a pick, I'd probably rest my wrist on the bridge, or just behind or above it, but not touching the strings.

If playing fingerstyle, I'd use a combination of thumb and fingers, and wouldn't need an anchor.

Thanks.
Resting behind the bridge is really weird.
Feels like my hands are stretched too far.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by Mystery123

Thanks.
Resting behind the bridge is really weird.
Feels like my hands are stretched too far.

That position is for flatpicking, not fingerpicking.
You might specify if you are try to flatpick or
fingerpick. There are flatpicking forums you might
want to check out if flatpicking is your interest.

[Mystery123]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

That position is for flatpicking, not fingerpicking.
You might specify if you are try to flatpick or
fingerpick. There are flatpicking forums you might
want to check out if flatpicking is your interest.

I'm using pick so flatpicking.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Mystery123

Thanks.
Resting behind the bridge is really weird.
Feels like my hands are stretched too far.

Well, it depends where on the string you want to pick .

To be precise about where I rest my hand, the heel of the hand (where the palm meets the wrist, other side from the thumb) is usually right on the corner of the top end of the bridge, on the back side of it. So not really behind the bridge, or at least not very far behind. (On an acoustic guitar, the side of my palm then brushes the bridge pins as I pick.)

That means I'd be picking just on the bridge side of the soundhole (nearer the bridge on the treble strings because of the angle of my hand).
To pick over the soundhole, or nearer the fretboard, I'd obviously need to move my hand off the bridge.
Admittedly I'd then find the wrist anchor awkward - resting on the surface of the guitar above the 6th string, meaning the pick direction would then be more oblique to the strings: not ideal.
So if I wanted to pick that far from the bridge, and still felt I needed an anchor, I'd probably rest my pinky (and maybe ring) on the scratchplate. That gives a better pick angle.
An additional advantage with picking nearer the bridge, though, is that the strings don't move so much, so it's easier to be accurate with the pick at speed.

[Mystery123]

Originally Posted by JonPR

Well, it depends where on the string you want to pick .

To be precise about where I rest my hand, the heel of the hand (where the palm meets the wrist, other side from the thumb) is usually right on the corner of the top end of the bridge, on the back side of it. So not really behind the bridge, or at least not very far behind. (On an acoustic guitar, the side of my palm then brushes the bridge pins as I pick.)

That means I'd be picking just on the bridge side of the soundhole (nearer the bridge on the treble strings because of the angle of my hand).
To pick over the soundhole, or nearer the fretboard, I'd obviously need to move my hand off the bridge.
Admittedly I'd then find the wrist anchor awkward - resting on the surface of the guitar above the 6th string, meaning the pick direction would then be more oblique to the strings: not ideal.
So if I wanted to pick that far from the bridge, and still felt I needed an anchor, I'd probably rest my pinky (and maybe ring) on the scratchplate. That gives a better pick angle.
An additional advantage with picking nearer the bridge, though, is that the strings don't move so much, so it's easier to be accurate with the pick at speed.

Thank you for the details.
I'll try it out.

[fray]

Check out Brad Davis Right Hand Technique on Youtube.