Holding The Guitar

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Written by Danny Poole | 21 April 2009

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Resting Guitar (Right Leg)

The curve in the bottom of the guitar is resting on the right leg. This is the most common way to hold the guitar. Keep the neck of the guitar horizontal.
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Resting Guitar (Left Leg)

The curve in the bottom of the guitar is resting on your left leg, this is the way classical guitarists hold their guitars. Some people find this way quite comfortable when playing an electric or acoustic guitar. You can see the head of the guitar is slightly higher and the neck is not so horizontal. This makes it easier when your fingers need to stretch over a long distance on the fretboard.
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Correct Thumb Placement

When holding the neck of the guitar, place your thumb on the back of the neck to the top and in line with your second finger. Don’t bring your thumb over the top of the neck. With some songs you may need to bring your thumb over, but when you're just starting, keep your thumb behind.
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Rest Fingers For Support

When you are picking a string, try to keep your third and fourth fingers resting on the body of the guitar. This will help you pick the strings without looking at your picking hand all the time. You don’t need to keep your fingers glued there, it’s more for a guide to help you pick the right strings.

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Comments  

 
0 #3 RE: Holding The Guitar — Jye 2010-02-02 19:12
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+1 #2 danpoole 2009-06-02 03:54
Your thumb will change position depending on what style you play (classical, blues, speed soloing or fingerpicking) so this makes it one of my least watched out for mistakes when people play. All I ask from my students is that they don't pop their thumbs out infront, you need to have that equal pressure on the back of the neck. In dome chords (D/F#) you will be asked to use your thumb so I wouldn't be too concerned about it.
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-1 #1 Arminas Katilius 2009-06-02 03:48
Hello, I would like to ask something about "Correct Thumb Placement". I know, that it is better to hold my thumb on the neck, but it was really uncomfortable, so I played with thumb higher. Now it's a habbit and it's hard to play correctly, should I play uncorrect way or should I fight with this habbit?
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