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"Anchoring" is not what players who touch the guitar top do. Actually, the finger or fingers brush or slide loosely on the top, as a reference and pivot. Watch Joscho, or Bireli (his gypsy guitar playing -- sometimes he brushes, sometimes not).
If you don't touch the top or the other strings, I think the splaying of fingers creates a stability (especially for playing the 1st string), much as a "tail" on a kite stabilizes the kite.
Ok, I call it anchoring but maybe even that doesn't describe what's going on that well. Point is, for the majority of players, majority of the time, finger/s or knuckle/s is/are touching either the top or the strings. I suppose this is in order not to lose the reference point, at least it is for me. Commonly used term, floating hand, gives the impression that this is not the case.
Bireli and Jimmy both play with a floating hand, with players like Stochelo, Angelo and Django, they have their fingers uncurled and very lightly brushing the top of the guitar - but it is very light, not anchored in anyway so still classed as floating, they are not putting any pressure on the guitar at all so the hand can move freely. The point is that it is the dead weight of the hand that creates the tone - when I've seen top players up close, their hand is incredibly relaxed, there is hardly any tension in it at all. If you play with your palm or index finger pressed to the top, it won't matter how diligently you end up resting on the next string with your pick, your Selmer guitar will sound choked.
Both Bireli and Jimmy rest or brush their fingers against the top, it's very obvious on the DC Music School videos. The only player I know of who's hand never touches the top is Sebastien Giniaux.
For the most part floating hand in the sense that no part of the hand is touching the guitar is really a myth. If while playing you can rest your finger,or like in my case a knuckle, and still have floating hand, then great.
I just honestly wanted to ask what does that really mean?
Because I was just jamming with a player at Django in June who was trying to float the whole hand in the air and clearly struggling. When I asked about it, the answer was "well you're not supposed to touch the top". So I'd like to clarify that whole business.
As far as hand being relaxed and freely moving, yes absolutely. I'm still chasing that myself when playing gigs and jamming.
Hi,
I have a Gypsy Jazz cd that I’ve just seen on Amazon for £67 😳
I bought it 10+ years ago and played only once to put on laptop library.
4 cd’s, info booklet, mint!
£25 + £5 pp.
Micah 🙏🏴
When I was at the Stephane's Django a GoGo this past spring, Raphael Fays showed us how he keeps a second pick in this hand to keep his fingers curled and hand floating. I've adopted this technique (and so has Stephane who used to keep his pinky finger somewhat resting or brushing against the top of the guitar) and I have found that it has helped me keep my arm relaxed and hand floating. This is working really well for me, to the point that after almost 4 months, it's my technique.
I don't think that one way is better than the other, but the pick that I hold with my ring and pinky finger palmed in my picking hand has been really helpful for me. While I do strongly adhere to the downstroke style, I think how we get there is somewhat unique to the individual and should remain that way.
Surprising - but I just tried and it does help.
This 2nd pick technique is interesting. When I was first learning this style, to help remind us of the same thing, my friend and I rolled a small piece of paper up to create a sort of ersatz cigarette, which we held between ring & pinky. It served the same purpose as this extra pick. After a few months, the muscle memory was there and I stopped with this training aid. I wonder if the need to hold that extra pick doesn't create a little excess tension in the right hand, trying to keep the pick captured?
I didn't know this is such a debated subject in the electric playing world. I searched the term because I was really trying to find out if there's like an accepted agreement regarding what does it mean to anchor vs float. Sounds like in the electric playing world, if your hand is touching any part of the guitar, you're considered to anchor.
I was also rereading discussions here on the forum and it's been mentioned that you could still say you're using a floating hand if your fingers and/or knuckles are lightly brushing the top. I guess as long as your hand isn't not stuck to the same exact spot, you're not anchoring.
So both terms are somewhat fluid.
I've actually found the opposite to be true, it reminds me to only grasp enough to keep the pick from flying out. I notice any excessive tension immediately. It's actually made my hand and wrist more relaxed.