In this guitar lesson we are going to go over three different ways to hold a guitar. Knowing how to hold the guitar properly is going to give you good posture and help you avoid any injuries or fatigue. It’s going to also ensure that your practice sessions go as well as possible. We are going to cover the casual method, the classical method, and standing up with a strap.
If you are using the causal method of holding the guitar, and you are right handed, just set the guitar on your right leg. Using a footstool raises the guitar up a bit. It can really help put the guitar in a more comfortable position for playing. They are about fifteen dollars at your local music store and I really recommend getting one of these. Put your foot on it to elevate the leg a little bit. It brings the guitar up into a bit more of a comfortable position when I’m playing for long periods of time.
One mistake that I see newer guitar players make with the casual method, is that they will slouch the guitar down. This is so they can see what’s going on with the fingers on their fretting hand. That’s bad for a couple of reasons. It’s not the best ergonomic position to be in and it might make you sore or fatigued after a while. It’s also pretty inefficient for your practice time. You are going to want to pull that guitar in and make sure it’s upright, right next to your body.
The nest tip for the casual method is to make sure your bring your strumming arm around to hold the guitar in place. That’s going to keep the guitar from slouching, and it’s going to make sure that the guitar is in a good position for playing and practicing.
The second method for holding the guitar is the classical method. Take your footstool and move it from your right foot to your left foot, if you are right handed of course. Now move the guitar over to rest on your left leg. This is going to bring the guitar neck over to the left, and it’s also going to bring it up a little more. This puts it in a better position to get to all the notes. This method can be a bit harder to use for longer periods of time unless you’re using a strap to help hold the guitar up, but it does put the neck in a better position to get to all of the notes.
The last method for holding the guitar is standing up with a strap. You can get a strap at any music store, and they are pretty cheap. They go all the way up to two hundred dollars for expensive leather straps, but most of them are around twenty dollars. When you’re practicing, it’s best to practice in the same way you’re going to be performing. So if you’re going to be performing standing up, it’s probably best to be practicing standing up too. Experiment with each way to hold the guitar, and choose the one that works best for you.