question about Fingerstyle

mic · #1 06-12-2005, 02:34 PM

Hi, when I play Fingerstyle my right hand's fingers are turning towards the neck a little bit, and they are not turning totally downwards. Is that a bad habit? I can play everything like that and it's comfortable, but maybe you can tell me somthing I don't know about it...

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #2 06-12-2005, 04:23 PM

If it doesn't hurt or affect your playing in a negative way, then don't worry about it. Have you ever seen John Patitucci's fingerstyle? His whole hand is twisted towards the fingerboard-I imagine it's a position he adopted from upright.

JimmyM · #3 06-12-2005, 04:32 PM

The one thing I don't like about twisting my hand is it puts my fingertips at different levels. I like to keep both fingertips lined up with the string I'm playing, and twisting will put your middle finger lower.

lowphatbass · #4 06-12-2005, 05:41 PM

I have moved more into that position over the years because it creates less of a break in my wrist angle, I feel that the more bent my wrist is the more likely I will suffer from tendonitis or wrist fatigue. Because my middle finger is quite a bit longer than my index finger I usually find myself favouring an angle back tward the bridge when playing very fast/technical stuff, that way my fingertips are always the same distance from the strings and I can "fly" more smoothly.
IMO, The only things to concern yourself with when talking about right hand technique are: #1-can you do it as fast as for as long as you need to without hurting. #2-do you like the sound(if you are a rook you may want to get some opinions on that one!) #3-notes from either finger should sound exactly the same, same volume, same tone, no difference....If you start here you should be in good shape.

mic · #5 06-12-2005, 07:53 PM

Ok, thanks everyone. I started to play in a more straight posision today, and it's not so difficult... Because the differences between the angles in the way I used to play, and the way I started to play today are not so big.

JimmyM · #6 06-12-2005, 10:10 PM

Ya, just make sure your hand is relaxed and comfy. Don't strain to keep it straight. Let it happen naturally.

endorka · #7 06-14-2005, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowphatbass

Because my middle finger is quite a bit longer than my index finger I usually find myself favouring an angle back tward the bridge when playing very fast/technical stuff, that way my fingertips are always the same distance from the strings and I can "fly" more smoothly.

Likewise - my middle finger is about 1/2 an inch longer than the index, and I find that the only way to get a smooth tone is to play at an angle. I do actually find that this can give you a double bass type tone, especially if you pluck near or over the fretboard. My middle finger has actually become bent towards my pinkie over the years, and I strongly suspect this is the reason.

Jennifer