Why I took my pick guard/finger rest off my Kentucky.

[B381]

First, the wood is very pretty and the finger rest was hiding some of that.

But, the biggest reason I removed my pick guard/finger rest is that I found myself using it as a crutch for hand placement and that was slowing my learning curve of being able to have free hand movement. After removing it I was a mess for about a day, now my hand floats over the bridge instead of resting on it and my hand motion is much more responsive.

Not saying everyone should remove theirs but pay attention to your hands and see if it is hendering you more than helping you.

Thoughts?

[Mandobart]

I made my own pickguard for my WRC Morris F4. Occasional finger/nail contact was tough on the wood and finish.

[Seter]

I took the pickguard off of my Stradolin, mainly because it tended to vibrate and rattle. I like being able to see fully both F holes too though. I do still have the pickguard though in case I decide to sell down the road.

[Gary Leonard]

I wouldn't call it a crutch, you do need something to guide your picking hand placement though. Avoid planting, whether the pinkie or other part of your hand. Not sure if you really mean "floating", as a floating hand does not help with accuracy or tone in my opinion. I subscribe (literally an figuratively) to Mike Marshall's school of thought on this, with a light brushing of the fleshy part of the palm (by the thumb) on the upper post of the bridge. This changes to behind the bride on the strings when working up the neck or on the G string. This gives me the reference points I need to help me maintain a consistent hand placement, and pick angle that can give me a better sound. This is a work in progress, as I still struggle with a floating hand, an inconsistent pick angle, and soft tone at times.

[Cochiti Don]

I'm just starting out and I've often wondered what to do with my pick hand. Instructional videos say it should be relaxed and just hang out there just using the wrist to play. Nothing about reference points. I coul use some guidance

[AlanN]

Right now, this bad boy is off. I float back and forth, on/off/on/off. It doesn't impact my right hand/picking; I hardly touch it. I just think it looks so dang cool (plus, it was crafted by Charlie Derrington for this very mandolin.)

[Tobin]

I'm just starting out and I've often wondered what to do with my pick hand. Instructional videos say it should be relaxed and just hang out there just using the wrist to play. Nothing about reference points. I coul use some guidance

There are several schools of thought on this, but I think a lot of us have come to the conclusion (either on our own from experience, or from the teachings of others) that it's best to avoid any firm anchoring with your picking hand, and to use only a light reference point. When I started playing, I used Chris Thile's lessons on his Homespun video where he advocated resting the wrist lightly on the bridge, or just behind it. Over time, that started to present problems for me in my fluidity and reach. And I notice that he doesn't seem to use it any more. It took me a long time to relearn how to pick without that wrist reference.

Nowadays, I use an armrest as a frame of reference for my forearm, coupled with a pick guard (or finger rest) to lightly brush my ring and pinky fingers over. This provides a very light contact surface to keep my wrist moving in a plane that's parallel with the strings. And getting my wrist off the bridge allows me to be more dynamic and fluid with my picking motion, as well as moving my pick up closer to the end of the fretboard where tone is better.

When you're first learning to pick a mandolin, it's very tempting to use a firm anchor point for control. But it can really become a detriment later on. Playing with a completely free arm is ideal, but requires a lot of fine precision. So for me, the best compromise is to use an arm rest and pick guard for a very light set of references.

Now that I'm used to playing that way, I much prefer to have a pick guard installed.

[foldedpath]

Lately I've been thinking about going the other way, and installing a pickguard (abbreviated version) on my Lebeda.

In agreement with Tobin's post above, I seem to need at least a "light touch" reference point instead of a completely free-floating hand. However, even a light touch of my wrist on the back of the bridge, or a light touch of my pinky on the top, causes a very noticeable change in the tone of the mandolin. It sounds louder and warmer, almost like a completely different instrument, if my hand is completely free-floating while I pick. I just can't pick fast enough and accurately enough with a completely free floating hand, at least for fast single-note melody lines in a fiddle tune. Keeping my hand free for tremolo or strumming is no problem.

One thing I've been doing is hooking my pinky around the E strings when I'm not actually playing notes there, which helps, but it's not a great solution. So I'm thinking about adding a pickguard, as a place to lightly touch my pinky without affecting the sound of the mandolin. I haven't decided yet... the idea of drilling holes, even for an abbreviated one that doesn't require a side brace and only two screws in the side of the fretboard extension makes me nervous. But I might go for it. The alternative is to learn better control with a completely free-floating hand, and I'm just not sure I can manage it.

[JeffD]

I'm just starting out and I've often wondered what to do with my pick hand. Instructional videos say it should be relaxed and just hang out there just using the wrist to play. Nothing about reference points. I coul use some guidance

This now famous video should help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmagoBQunZI