Hi! I’m working on Waiting around to die, but I have some problems getting the travis picking clean, I often miss a string or hit the wrong one. I don’t use my right pinky as an anchor, should I do that? Or is it just more hours I have to do?
Thank you for your time/ Lars
Hi Lars,
Practice more anyway because it’s not going well 
,…I notice for myself that I like to try what Justin advises for a long time first, so I practice as much as I can with an anchore,…but sometimes it doesn’t work with me,… because of that little pinkie and I’m too close to the strings etc…
Good luck and above all a lot of fun 
Greetings,Rogier
Hi Lars, I would have a go with the pinky anchor at least.
I use both ways now depending on what/how I’m playing.
For ‘formal’ or learnt picking patterns I use the pinky as an anchor, it definitely improves accuracy.
For a more freestyle approach I just let my picking fingers ‘bounce’ between the strings and learn by ear what sounds good as I go, this approach definitely improves the ‘flow’ of a song and requires less thinking - so becoming more natural.
In the end it simply comes down to what works for you!
The trick to travis picking is repatision. The anchor pinky is optional. Personally I don’t anchor my pinky but there are many who do. So practice slow and steady both with and without the pinky and one way will just feel natural and win.
Same here. I’ve been coached by other players that I should anchor with my pinkie and have tried a number of times, yet it just doesn’t work for me. Yet I see many others where it works very well. I do a fair amount of travis picking.
As I find it more comfortable without the anchor I probably just need more hours. But when I get there I’ll let you hear it in a video. Thanks for all response!
I don’t think this should be coached this way, more like good piece of advice. I felt more comfortable with pinky when I started fingerstyle as it gave me this missing support, although when I learnt a song that required using ring finger with others pinky became useless to me.
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