As you start to practice the guitar, it is important to have a good posture, which can prevent you from injuries and allow you to practice longer. In this article, we’ll talk about how to hold a guitar and a pick.
How to Hold a Guitar
When you play a guitar sitting down, the waist of the guitar (where you would see a curve) should rest on your thigh—the right thigh if you are right-handed and the left thigh if you are left-handed. Next, the guitar is held by the right arm, with the left hand only for fretting. Of course, if your dominant hand is your left hand, then you would hold the guitar with your left arm, with the right hand fretting.
To not hurt your back, it is important not to slouch. So, bring your guitar to you, not you to your guitar. To bring up the guitar, you can cross your legs or step on something: foam roller, guitar stool, your amp, or anything of the right height. If you want to see the fretboard, you can till your head a little bit or play in front of a mirror. Don’t bend your back too much, as that would put more pressure on your back.
When you play standing up, adjust your strap so the guitar is at the same height as when you play sitting down. Again, whether standing or sitting, remember to keep your back straight and chest out, and, avoid hunching.
Learn with LPM
If you are looking to review your guitar basics like tuning, setup, TABS etc with Ze, check out his Intro to Guitar Playing Course for Beginners.
How to Hold a Pick
When you hold a pick, your thumb should go across the width of the pick. Then, your Index finger bends slightly behind the thumb. Pinch the pick between thumb and index finger (no middle finger) lightly as if there’s glue, so all you need is just a little bit of pressure. As for how much of the length of the pick should be exposed, I would say about half. If you expose too much of the pick, it might be caught in the strings. If too little, you could hit your fingers. You can experiment a little on this aspect to find what works best for you.
A good posture is a good habit to have from the beginning. With a good posture, you can enjoy playing more and look confident!
More About the Teacher
Ze is a Singaporean musician and teacher that first began his journey playing original music and top 40s pop tunes around the country's popular venues. Eventually, through the music of John Mayer, he found a strong attraction to blues music.
