Holding And Hand Positioning

This is something which should not be neglected. If you start out with a wrong technique, it would be difficult to dig out and correct later. This lesson will teach you to hold the guitar in the correct way.

Typically, right-handers place the guitar on their right leg, with the neck pointing towards the left. The classical technique is to place the guitar on the left leg, fretboard pointing towards left and tilted upwards by not more than 45 degrees. If you are left-handed, the neck will be pointing towards the right. Moreover, it is good practice to raise the leg on which the guitar body is placed by few inches. This is normally accomplished by placing a small stool or a bunch of books beneath the foot. Here are images of the both positions:

The classical position is generally believed to allow better playability, but electric guitarists generally prefer the non-classical, perhaps because they find the classical position nerdy. If you play classical, you would be much better off playing with the classical position. If you play acoustic or electric, just experiment with the positions and go for the one you like.

The Left Hand (Fretting Hand)

There are two ways you can position your left hand. First, we will look at the classical technique.

Place your fingers on the sixth string. 1st finger on fret 1, 2nd finger on fret 2, 3rd finger on fret 3, and so on. Your knuckles should be parallel to the strings. Your thumb will be placed at the middle of the neck, behind the third (G) string, opposite the second finger. Your thumb will remain in this position when you are playing. You might want to move your thumb a bit upwards, behind the sixth string, when playing on the second or first strings. Below are two images showing the classical left-hand position:



The second position is used in rock and blues. In this position, your fingers are slanted towards the right, and the thumb is peeking from over the top. Note that your palm must NOT touch the neck, except the part between the thumb and the pointer. Here is an image showing the rock/blues position:


You will use the classical left hand style when playing on the acoustic. The rock/blues style is usually associated with the electric guitar. If you plan to play the electric guitar, you will need to be comfortable with both.