guestpost

I recognise your post as not wanting to ingrain bad practices which then have to be retrained away and often take evn more time

Christopher is the voice to listen to.

However I would say that while you need to recognise where you want to be, as in your case, fast shredding it's also a case with most new skills you have to lay down the basic fundamentals before you take the giant strides forward. 

Drummers, pianists all learn some structure before the higher skills.

It's all covered in Beginners levels 1 and 2.

You can change or add  to good practice as you go forward without the backward steps of ingraining a bad or unusual practice, 

Mike Olekshy and Dave Celantano also do weekly lessons on youtube under the GuitarTricks channel but you don't have to be a GT member. In MIkes fingerpicking sessions the question of anchoring the pinky is often asked. As Christopher has said the usual answer given for this and as in which fingers to apply to each string is no size fits all , go with what works for you and is comfortable to you.

To say beginning stages are very frustrating and confusing is merely understatements of fact.

Your hooked, your enjoying it. Keep at it

Dave