Resting the little finger on the soundboard

This is a controversial one. 95% of guitar teachers will be emphatically against students doing this. I perfectly understand why. It can easily become a source of tension in the hand, with the little finger pushing against the soundboard, and while it is placed down the movement of the ring finger is significantly limited.

However, it was common practice from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, on both lute and guitar instruments (though it could be controversial — at times even more so than the nail question). Partly this had to do with the kinds of instruments they played. The distance between the strings and soundboard was usually less. Consequently, the hand, and therefore the little finger, was closer to the soundboard. It was much more common for flesh players to rest their little finger than nail players; this may have to do with desiring extra stability, or perhaps that the hand position usually required when resting the little finger is less-than-ideal for tone production with nails.

It is still possible to rest the little finger on modern guitars, and without strain. Indeed, I do it myself for the two above reasons: stability and tone production. The little finger can act as a guide to the rest of the hand — but not as an anchor! It’s not much different to resting the thumb on a bass string while the fingers play a run. The little finger should be very lightly placed on the soundboard and effortless to remove when necessary to do so. I often pluck with the little finger, in fact, as did a number of nineteenth-century guitarists who often also placed the little finger on the soundboard.

In terms of tone production, tilting the right-hand side of the hand towards the soundboard is, for some players, a way of getting a better, fuller tone. When you do this, you often finds that the little finger naturally rests on the soundboard, on modern guitars just as older ones. With other hand positions you may find yourself straining to place the little finger on the soundboard — you never want to do this. An alternative possibility, which some young guitarist today use (and I should say I’m referring to nail players here), is to rest the little finger, or even the ring finger, on the first string. (I have even seen a few players rest their finger on the second string while plucking the top string.)

Personally, I rest the little finger some of the time — when it feels natural or when there is a musical justification. Other times, such as when playing apoyando, my little finger will never touch the soundboard.

You often see guitarists (including some very fine players) who have stiff or even protruding little fingers. It is a finger that’s prone to tension problems, whether or not you place it down on the soundboard. The best way to decrease the tension is to actually practice using the little finger to pluck the string. This will develop its independence and therefore reduce the tendency to tense the finger when playing. I have long experienced the problem myself, and learning to pluck the little finger has almost eliminated it.