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Learn how to hold the guitar

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Written by Crazy Dave

Friday, 14 March 2008

Short Description: You'll know how to hold a guitar if you go through this article.

by CrazyDave

When you've already bought a guitar and decided to master it, there's no need to wait any more.

Well, if that be case, let's go ahead and start at the beginning. Just like any other instrument, a guitar must be held properly for getting the best out of it. Any awkward pose makes it difficult for the player to play even the simplest of melodies on this most effective musical instrument of all times. The whole thing appears so labored that many would be guitarists drop the idea before they even touch the instrument.

The first rule is to be comfortable while holding the guitar. So, go get yourself a straight-backed chair and sit on its front edge with your back straight. Gently lift the guitar and place it on your right thigh with the strings and sound hole facing outwards. If you're right handed, the neck should point towards your left. If you're a left hander, don't worry, you have Jimi Hendrix for company! Place the guitar on your left thigh and let the neck point towards your right. The neck should point slightly upwards; say 30 or so.

But remember, comfort and ease is the watchword. A slight deviation here and there which might make you more comfortable wouldn't bring the heavens crashing down.

Let's go to the next step and see how your arms should be draped around the guitar. The hand positions described here are for a right hander - it'd be just the opposite for a left hander.

Let your right arm lie over the guitar in a gentle way so that your fingers hang loosely over the sound hole. These fingers (rather, the finger tips) would strum the strings, so see to it that you don't require a lot of wrist movement in order to reach the strings. There are cases where people have ended up with carpal tunnel syndrome by exerting too much effort on their wrists, so, once again, be comfortable while holding the guitar.

Let's go over to the other hand - the "fretting" hand, so to say. You must have observed that the back of the guitar's neck is curved. It's so to allow your palm to fit snugly over it. Curl your fingers so that you can freely press the strings with your fingertips.

With four fingers poised over the strings let your thumb curve over the neck while you're constructing chords and let it remain at the back of the neck when you're playing scales. This, once again, is a guideline and comfort and ease should be the watchword while you hold the guitar.

About the Author:

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