Guitar pick with open hand, rest two fingers on guitar body below strings?

Question

I play rock music.

Ive always picked using my thumb and index to hold the pick, and rest my smaller two fingers on the body of the guitar under the strings for support. Is this okay?

Most guitarists i listen to curl in their fingers so they kinda float

when i sweep, it seems like maybe the anchoring fingers are keeping my hand from moving freely across the strings.

or maybe its my imagination...

Answer 1

If it's comfortable for you then keep on doing it. Try playing for a while without anchoring and see how it feels, too.

Anchoring your pinky is how I learned you are supposed to fingerpick, but I haven't seen anyone strum like that.

Answer 2

I do the same thing you do. that is how i learned to do it. it is less exhausting to play like that. you see people do other stuff to look cool and show off.

Answer 3

The most perfect picking hand technique I've ever seen is John Petrucci's. He's a master of saving as much energy and wasted movement as possible.

He holds his pick right by the middle knuckle of his index finger, on the flat side, with a minute portion of the pick sticking out. His middle finger supports the underneath of his index finger, and his two remaining fingers either rest on the guitar body when he's sweeping or alternate picking, or curl up and float when he's playing wide sweeping chord patterns.  

I changed to this technique about 3 years ago, and it's improved my playing by about 3 million percent. Check out a YouTube video of him playing Glasgow Kiss, it's a pretty clear view of his picking hand.

Answer 4

My personal opinion. Do whatever feels comfortable for you.

If you can play all the songs you wish to play and it isn't causing you to have pain in your hands then play it how you like to play.

My hands and your hands are not the same. In bass where you sometimes have to stretch to get to the next fret large hands are a bonus.

I don't have large hands or long fingers so sometimes I have to shift. So I can't even physically reach the frets.

So my advice is to be you and play it your way. If you sound good who's watching your hand anyway.