Right hand picking

[JonWer]

Is it better to only pinch with thumb (strings 4-6) and middle finger strings (1-3)? Or is it better to train the right hand to use index to pinch with the thumb string 3, ring string 2 and pinky string 1?

Same follows for pulling strings 1-3, use A, M, I general rule to apply?

It’s awkward to pinch with a finger and thumb, find myself mostly using I and M.

Lots to learn and really appreciate your insights on this.

[Bluemonk]

It's better to avoid dogmatic "rules," and to experiment to see what works for you. Limiting your options by designating a specific string to a specific finger is not how it works.

I will say, however, that few people use their pinky to pluck strings. Definitely your weakest finger. Some do, I realize. In fact, I do myself, but very rarely, and only when employing "hybrid" picking, i.e. playing with both pick and fingers.

[InsertNameHere]

There are no hard & fast rules here. I never limited myself to assigning certain strings to certain fingers, and in the long run, I recommend that you don't either. If you're just getting off the ground with fingerstyle than keep it simple with your thumb for the bass strings, and the remaining fingers for the treble. But again, don't place limitations on yourself.

[buddyhu]

Originally Posted by JonWer

Is it better to only pinch with thumb (strings 4-6) and middle finger strings (1-3)? Or is it better to train the right hand to use index to pinch with the thumb string 3, ring string 2 and pinky string 1?

Same follows for pulling strings 1-3, use A, M, I general rule to apply?

It’s awkward to pinch with a finger and thumb, find myself mostly using I and M.

Lots to learn and really appreciate your insights on this.

A good guitar teacher (who is skillful with PIMA) can open lots of doors with a response to just this question.

It is most common for guitarists to use P, I, and M, or PIMA. So I won’t get into using the pinky.

I am not a guitar teacher, and my teacher (Richard Gilewitz) has me exploring this issue in some detail. So I may not be the best source. But here is my short answer.

Some like to have loose rules about which strings are plucked by which digits. Common for P (thumb) to be assigned to bass notes: strings 6 and 5, sometimes for a bass note on string 4, and once in a while move it to string 3 (the Elizabeth Cotton version of “Freight Train” has string 3 bass notes played by the thumb). I,M, and A ate for picking melody, chords, and pinches notes: I is for string 3, M is for string 2, A is for string 1; but you can move all these one string over to play melody notes and some pinches and chords on 4 (I), 3 (M) and 2 (A). And occasionally you will borrow fingers and or thumb to play notes in ways other than I have described.

If something feels awkward, it may be a reflection of inadequate practice with the specific skill, or it is because your technique needs more development. All the combos you have mentioned are doable, and might be suitable for particular passages or particular styles.

It might be a good time for you to get some lessons from a person who plays the way you aspire to play. While there are no rigid rules, there are helpful guidelines, and doing what feels comfortable may limit your options later on. I am just now switching from P, I, and M with picks to PIMA and no picks because I wanted to learn some songs that got pretty tricky if I didn’t use A.

[agfsteve]

Probably just semantics, and I might be wrong any way, but I think the definition of a pinch is that it necessarily involves the thumb, and playing notes together with two or more fingers other than the thumb would not be a pinch.

My advice would be to do whatever feels and sounds right, but my opinion is that "proper" pinching, i.e., using the thumb, is definitely worth working on.

[reeve21]

I go back-and-forth depending on the piece. I kind of like Roy Bookbinder’s “rule“. In his words, whichever finger gets there first

Your preference for pinching with the thumb and middle rather than thumb and first finger is something I find myself doing, too.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by reeve21

Your preference for pinching with the thumb and middle rather than thumb and first finger is something I find myself doing, too.

I held a pencil "wrong" in the same way (middle finger) when I was a kid, so I first learned to flatpick holding the pick that way. In my case, I learned that doing that did two things. It created a subtle but discernible tension in a muscle in the back of my hand that eventually turned into pain and fatigue. It also made it a bit harder to orient the pick parallel to the string, which for me makes a big difference in the "size" of the note.

I still hold a pencil wrong, though. :-)

[reeve21]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

I held a pencil "wrong" in the same way (middle finger) when I was a kid, so I first learned to flatpick holding the pick that way. In my case, I learned that doing that did two things. It created a subtle but discernible tension in a muscle in the back of my hand that eventually turned into pain and fatigue. It also made it a bit harder to orient the pick parallel to the string, which for me makes a big difference in the "size" of the note.

I still hold a pencil wrong, though. :-)

I started with both the first and middle fingers on the pick. Worked fine for a long time, no pain, but eventually the middle dropped off, who knows why?

[Andyrondack]

Originally Posted by JonWer

Is it better to only pinch with thumb (strings 4-6) and middle finger strings (1-3)? Or is it better to train the right hand to use index to pinch with the thumb string 3, ring string 2 and pinky string 1?

Same follows for pulling strings 1-3, use A, M, I general rule to apply?

It’s awkward to pinch with a finger and thumb, find myself mostly using I and M.

Lots to learn and really appreciate your insights on this.

If you are asking is it better to fingerpick with thumb and one finger or thumb and three fingers then certainly thumb and three but then some well known blues guys and Merle Travis(?) played thumb and only one finger, generally most fingerstyle music is best played using thumb on the bass notes and alternating fingers on melody notes but sometimes the 'bass' notes played with thumb will be on the 3rd string as in the classic Robert Johnson turnaround in first pos E and sometimes melody notes played with i finger will be on 4th string where you pinch 6th or 5th string with thumb.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by JonWer

Is it better to only pinch with thumb (strings 4-6) and middle finger strings (1-3)? Or is it better to train the right hand to use index to pinch with the thumb string 3, ring string 2 and pinky string 1?

Same follows for pulling strings 1-3, use A, M, I general rule to apply?

It’s awkward to pinch with a finger and thumb, find myself mostly using I and M.

Lots to learn and really appreciate your insights on this.

Just to echo some of the above answers, and add some detail:

1. The pinch stroke is defined as thumb plus one finger, picking simultaneously. Not two fingers. That's because thumb and finger move in opposite directions, like a pinching action.

2. The thumb controls the beat. In the basic patterns, that means one stroke per beat, and in alternating bass that could be strings 6-4-6-4, 5-3-5-3, 4-3-4-3, or any combination depending on the chord. I.e., the first thumbstroke is normally on the lowest root of the chord.

3. The fingers use could be any, but index and middle (i, m) is standard for folk-blues patterns. The ring finger would be a spare (for more complex patterns), and the pinky is never normally needed.

4. In classical technique, the fingers begin with i-m-a allocated to strings 3-2-1, but that's not fixed. And in folk-blues it's more random. Some players almost never use their ring. Merle Travis himself used nothing but index! So which finger picks which string is up to you, whatever feels comfortable. (Personally, my middle and ring are my primary fingers, with index the spare.)

5. Most standard picking patterns - the vast majority - are composed of three very simple elements:
(i) thumb only, on the beat;
(ii) thumb and finger together, on the beat (pinch stroke);
(iii) finger only, between the beats.
The strings involved could be any: the thumb mostly on 6-5-4, but occasionally going to 3; the fingers (or even a single finger) on 1-2-3.
Very rarely - for some complex bass pattern or riff - a finger might pick the 4th, and that would typically be the index of course. Likewise some fancy passages on the treble strings might even involve the thumb going to 2nd string (eg to alternate a fast run with finger on 1st).

Two or more fingers can often pick together - e.g. for chords - and that might be as element (ii) or (iii) - ie. pinching with the thumb on the beat, or between the thumbstrokes.

If you have trouble with the thumb-finger pinch in general, it may be that your hand position is not quite right.
If you find pinching with thumb and middle is easier than thumb and index - join the club! Me too! That's how I developed my own style (p-m-a in classical terms rather than p-i-m). My technique might look a bit weird, but it's given me no problems.
But that's nothing to do with string allocation. You should be able to pinch with thumb and finger (whichever finger you like) on strings 6-1, 5-1, 4-1; 6-2, 5-2, 4-2; 6-3, 5-3, 4-3.
The last (thumb on 4, finger on 3) is the awkward one, and a good way to check your right hand position - i.e., if you find your thumb and finger colliding when picking neighbouring strings. The finger needs to move inside the thumb, towards the palm. You need to find a comfortable position (for both hand and guitar) which allows that to happen without bending your wrist too much.
That applies whether you're using a thumbpick or not, and whether you're using classical right hand position (wrist up above the guitar) or the blues position with wrist resting on or near the bridge.