Wayward index finger

It seems I have a problem with my fingers. Actually a finger I think, and no, it's not that I bite my fingernails thank you very much. Sometimes (actually often) when I fret a bass note with my third finger the index seems to fly off in the air, as pictured here. Hmmm. Not ideal as I need that finger close to the fretboard for the coming notes. Perhaps, as illustrated, I push too hard with that third finger. Could that be it? I certainly need to be mindful when I play. I practiced some scales while paying attention to this and it seems to have helped. A bit. More work in progress....

And also of note is that my finger seems to be pressing down too hard on the fret board (sighs and adds to list of things to work on).

On a serious note though, I think as an amateur musician I often work too much on the music and not enough on the technique. When I say 'work on' I mean pay attention to. The paradox of course, is that if you practice technique then the music tends to come along with it in a job lot!