Right hand placement

[QuattroDore]

I've heard and seen many ways to place the right hand while we play. When I try to place the wrist on the bridge I have a tendency to mute the low e string. For some reason placing fingers on the face below the strings seems incredibly awkward to me.

Do you guys lay your right hands on the bridge or do you let it float? I miss strings fairly regularly when I let it go free.

[billywestom]

I've heard and seen many ways to place the right hand while we play. When I try to place the wrist on the bridge I have a tendency to mute the low e string. For some reason placing fingers on the face below the strings seems incredibly awkward to me.

Do you guys lay your right hands on the bridge or do you let it float? I miss strings fairly regularly when I let it go free.

i always let it float...how long have you been playing? you get used to it after a while, and you can just sense where the strings are

[QuattroDore]

I've been playing for a little over a year. I currently let it float and I really only have trouble missing notes if I have to play consecutive notes on strings more than one string away from each other. For instance, I've just started to learn The Downtown by Days of the New, and I just now can play the intro clean perfectly because I just had to hammer it out for about an hour.

For the most part its not an issue. Its just so damn frustrating to miss a note, especially if you are playing in front of someone.

[ryopan]

Its just so damn frustrating to miss a note, especially if you are playing in front of someone.

very true. also, it never fails that when someone asks you to play something, you cant really think of anything......(for me anyways)

the sense of the strings is getting stronger in me. its really quite fun to think about how it used to be. id have to aim at a string and shoot for it. my hand floats now but only after hours of strummin around while watchin tv and stuff, you find those strings.

[Pickles]

i rest my hand on the bridge only when i need to do alternate picking. otherwise i hold it up a little bit

[Jay]

i never put my hand on the bridge, except for loving wings cause it sounds cool. for a long time it was really hard but lately i'm starting to get that sense of where the strings are. now if i could only sing. ARRRGGG

[grock]

i don't think i ever put my hand on the bridge either. sometimes i anchor myself with a pinky on the sound hole. but only on intricate picking patterns or riffs. when finger picking or strum picking or simple/easy picking i never use an anchor.

[ticohans]

yeah, if you can, you definitely don't want to anchor your hand anywhere, unless you are resting your palm on the bridge/strings for a mute effect. otherwise it should float. one thing that can make this easier is to be sure that you play by moving your wrist primarily, and not your arm. playing by moving the wrist while strumming is the right technique, as you don't get tired as easily, and with your arm always in the same place, it's much harder to "miss" strings as people have mentioned. even when doing elaborate finger picking, try not to anchor your hand as it restrics useful movement and dampens the sound. of course if you WANT to dampen the sound, then all's well.

[Jay]

someone told me to strum by moving your wrist, but when you are picking a lot of individual notes, you should keep your wrist straight and move feom your elbow. is that not right?

the guy plays a lot more electric guitar than me, and a lot more heavy rock...so maybe that's a technique for a different playing style?

[ticohans]

when you say picking lots of individual notes, if you're talking about fingerstyle, you definitely shouldn't be moving the elbow a lot. your wrist should be basically stationary, too. if you're talking about soloing, i still say you keep your elbow still. moving the wrist and not the elbow gives you the greatest control and the least tension. now i don't play much, if any heavy rock, so it could be that he's talking about something different.