Folk position or Classical position?

[rstaight]

I always played "folk" style. But the last few months I find I am switching back and forth.

If I am having trouble with a particular riff I will try classical. Sometimes the change in angles helps with timing.

[hairpuller]

The pomposity is solely based on your reason for going with the left leg position. If it's because of injury or comfort, good on ya! If you think it's going to make you look more refined or serious...lame. There very well could be other reasons, too.

Now, the only problem is getting the latter to admit it.

scott

[RJVB]

Originally Posted by frankmcr

Classical position requires a foot stool, doesn't it?

Someone else probably beat me to it already, but no. Nowadays there are supports you fix under the guitar (using suction cups) that hold it up to the same position with both legs flat on the ground. (Or not if you prefer; many of those supports are adjustable.)

Or you can use a strap and rest the guitar on top of your right leg; AFAIK this was the usual position in the 19th century (though apparently they did know supports too).

Bob Brozman did something similar, holding the guitar almost like a classical guitar. Now if he wasn't cool I don't know who was

[kayakman]

Classical always, much more comfortable on the arm and back for me..

[FrankHudson]

Originally Posted by lowrider

Which do you use? What are the advantages to you? Would you ever think of switching?

Most of the time "classical position" or something that is more that than the right leg body, neck almost parallel to the floor position.

I believe classical position evolved because it was thought to be the most efficient position for most players and allowed the guitar to resonate most freely. Of course if isn't comfortable or efficient for you that means little to nothing. I find it comfortable, and I most often use a little folding stool for my left foot, but I'll adapt if one isn't available. When sitting on a stool, I can use a foot ring to sometimes get the effect of a foot stool. I am sloppy with my guitar posture, so it's only when I'm playing attention that I'll make sure to get an optimum position, but when I do I can play even a full jumbo guitar without awkward left shoulder position and smaller-bodied guitars with minimal body contact.

I'm old and have arthritis issues, I should pay more attention to those posture and playing position things.

I don't switch so much as just get sloppy as when I'm thinking about something else and not thinking about how the guitar is positioned.

I was surprised at the makes the player look pompous remarks. As a person who has a tendency to be the pedantic know-it-all type I've probably already convinced many of that before I even sit down with the guitar, so I'm loosing nothing in addition by the way I hold my guitar.

[Mycroft]

I use both. Fingerpicking and more complicated left hand work I tend to go to the left leg. Often but not always with a footstand. Strumming and flatpicked often winds un on the right leg. I also find that if I play a big guitar with it on my right leg, it begins to hurt my shoulder, a problem I don't seem to get with it between my legs resting against my left.

Note the "often." I learned long ago to change playing positions and chairs as a preventative of repetitive stress issues. No different than the fact that walking on a rough trail is better for you than on flat level ground is. Of course, you do need to pay more attention...

OMMV

[JayBee1404]

When I play seated (which is often), I always adopt the 'Folk Position' (for want of a better expression0, have done for 50+ years. I've often read about the classical position supposedly being the more comfortable so I just tried both ways to see how they compare. My thoughts...

'Folk Position' - relaxed, comfortable, fatigue-free, the natural 'easy-feeling' way. I can play a whole gig in that position with no ill-effects.

'Classical Position' - completely unnatural, that left arm stuck up in the air ached above the elbow after less than five minutes, much more difficult to move the hand up and down the neck, and change chord shapes. Chest felt 'compressed' so that singing was more difficult.

So - 'Classical Position' is definitely not for me, I'll carry on as I always have. If it suits others, that's fine - do it the way you're most comfortable - but I won't be changing any time soon.

The usual disclaimers apply....IMHO, YMMV, etc.

[Willie_D]

Do whatever causes the least pain and aggravation for your fretting hand. CMC joint osteoarthritis is no joke, said the guy who just got a cortisone shot yesterday.

[Foghorne]

I always play in the Rock n Roll position with the guitar behind the back of my head...or is it the 1970's position? Either way my arms get pretty tired.

[RJVB]

You could try the flat-on-your-lap style as a way to rest from more acrobatic approaches

Seriously, would a classical position work with a dreadnought or decent-sized archtop?!

Edit:

Chest felt 'compressed' so that singing was more difficult.

I can imagine that singing might be easier with the guitar in folk position when sitting. Though that does seem to impose a torsion of the torso which is probably not entirely suitable for singing either (but then again, with singing there's also a classical vs. folk distinction...).

[lowrider]

It's been 10 days with the classical position. I don't know where the ''pompous'' remarks come from. If anyone has a problem with how someone holds a guitar, it's their problem on the player.

I'm very comfortable with the new position. The only thing I'm having to adjust to is the bare F chord. I just seems a little slower but it will be fine. G bare is fine.

I use an exercise brick under my left foot, sometimes in the low position and sometimes high. I feel like I have better posture now and the guitar is now in almost the same position seated as standing.

I made the switch because I thought it would the size of the guitar out of the picture. I was thinking about getting a dread. Instead of a dread, I'm getting Martin Jumbo, but I'm sticking with the new position. It feels good to me.

[curbucci]

Switch back and forth but I mostly play guitar in the "classical" position. Use the guitar case as a footstool.

[Imbler]

Originally Posted by RJVB

You could try the flat-on-your-lap style as a way to rest from more acrobatic approaches

Seriously, would a classical position work with a dreadnought or decent-sized archtop?!

I started with classical guitar and now any other position seems to place huge stress on my joints. So some of it may be just what we are accustomed to and have adapted our bodies to.

I don't know if it is a decent sized archtop, but my Eastman 805CE archtop is very comfortable in the classical position.

[jschmitz54]

The first thing my instructor did was change me to the classical position with my left foot raised on a platform . It feels like home.

[godfreydaniel]

I switched to classical position a long time ago. It worked better for me, particularly for my left (fretting) hand. I also play 000 or smaller guitars. Trying to raise my left leg could be difficult at times if I didn’t have something to put under my foot. I tried the NeckUp leather guitar support, and it worked great. At some point I tried using it on my right thigh, and that was even better. When I had the guitar on my left thigh (with or without the NeckUp), I had my back slightly twisted to my left. With the NeckUp on my right thigh I don’t need a foot support, my back is no longer twisted, and the neck is raised like a classical position so my hands are in the best position for me.