Quote:
Originally Posted by DadOfThree
Hi, I'm a beginner, just starting out. I have a Yamaha FG820 that I got from Amazon to learn from. This guitar only had a strap button on the bottom of the body, and I didn't want to mess with the string method for the other end. So, I've installed a second strap button by the crook of the neck, as instructed by many videos. I'veppositioned the guitar more like a classical style with the neck facing up and the bottom tuning key, around face level.
When holding the guitar like this, it feels much better. However, I not sure if I'm sitting correctly or if I have the strap adjusted too high / or too low. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
|
The essential factors governing ideal guitar position are:
1. fret hand position and angle (including wrist and arm)
2. pick hand position and angle
3. keeping the guitar steady and relatively immobile.
For (1), the fret arm elbow should be 90 degrees or less, the forearm at right angles to the neck when approaching around frets 5-7. The wrist should straight or gently curved, and an index barre (in that position) should fall naturally parallel to the frets, the finger pointing roughly at your eye. The thumb would normally be on the back of the neck, to allow the fingers maximum reach for any one position.
(2) is really governed by what style you're playing. If classical, the thumb and fingers should be able to pick the strings so that the thumb passes outside the index without having to bend the wrist too much. The fingers will be roughly at right angles to the strings. The standard classical left leg position, neck up around 45 degrees, is ideal for both (1) and (2).
If playing rock, pop, etc, you'll be doing a lot of strumming, which is easier with the neck lower, and the guitar on the right leg (the left hand angle should not have to change much if at all). The hand angle for fingerpicking (folk or blues) can also be more variable - sometimes the wrist needs to rest on the bridge for those styles, which obviously governs the thumb/finger angles.
It's (3) where a strap may or may not come into it. The important starting point is that the left hand doesn't (shouldn't need to) support the neck.
Classical players need no strap, because the guitar is wedged firmly between both thighs and right arm.
Holding the guitar on the right leg means it's not as stable: the right arm can hold it steady, so the left hand is not holding the neck up, but the neck can still move around fairly easily, meaning the fret hand may have a harder job.
This is why you find some folk or jazz players (again with no strap) crossing the right leg over the left, to wedge the guitar more firmly between thigh, right arm and body.
But of course, this is where a strap can come in useful as an additional support - at least to get the guitar to a higher position than it would normally be if resting on an uncrossed right leg (the guitar's body size is obviously an issue here); or to prevent the neck dropping if the right arm releases its bracing role (which it might sometimes need to).
In short, yes, personal comfort is important, but not at the expense of
efficiency; i.e., each hand needs to be able to do its job with the least effort. That can require guitar positions which seem awkward to begin with (such as that conventional classical position).
EDIT: I
don't recommend classical position for a dreadnought! Not unless you're a really big guy with long legs...
