My latest Mississippi John Hurt fingerstyle lesson, Blessed be the Name

[TexCo]

Hey guys, this is my latest one hope you enjoy it.

This might be the last MJH video I put out until around Christmas time. For the next couple of weeks I'll be focusing on fingerstyle arrangements of gospel tunes. If you guys have any requests, let me know. The first one is going to be an arrangement of Jesus on the Mainline.



Texco

[DMFP]

just a tip--you should try to work that planting finger out of your technique, it really restricts the right hand

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by DMFP

just a tip--you should try to work that planting finger out of your technique, it really restricts the right hand

Been lots of threads started on this very topic you might want to read. Bottom line is you can't really make blanket all inclusive statements about whether it is proper or not proper to rest a finger on the top.

TexCo, thanks for sharing.

[TexCo]

Seems to work okay for some guys....

In all seriousness though, it depends on the style I'm playing. If you really want to get that thump out of your thumb, you need to anchor your pinky. I often see/hear people playing this style with "better right hand" technique and it sounds very thin and flimsy compared to the real thing.
It's no different from fretting with your thumb when playing Hendrix or using mostly downstrokes when playing Master of Puppets. Those "wrong" techniques contribute to the sound.
If I'm aiming for light and precise, my right hand looks completely different.
What's most important is to be able to adapt your playing to the style.