This is an interesting topic. I'm mostly self taught, so I just did what comes naturally. I couldn't even tell you what I did until I picked up a guitar and took notice. I anchor with my pinky on my les paul. I think I may do something different on my strat - I'll have to check it out when I get home. I may rest my hand on the side of the guitar or on the bridge.

I can appreciate the freedom of a floating hand though. Thinking about it now, I can remember working on "Wish you Were Here" by Pink Floyd which combines striking individual notes with strumming chords. To play that effectively with feel, you have to play the individual notes with a floating hand so you can easily transition to the strum. The challenge in being able to play the song well (for me) was hitting the correct string with a floating hand.

I find it interesting that you point out that Yngwie plays with an anchored hand - goes to show you can speed play even with an anchored hand! Whatever works for you... From now on, when watching other players I'm going to take note on what they do out of curiosity.

I'm going to try working on playing solos with a floating hand and see what new things that might open up for me. I can be inspired by the stupidest things...like new picks! Seemingly small things can unlock new inspiration and potential.

Thanks for the interesting article!