Guitar Playing Position Basics

Sitting Positions

There are two sitting positions for holding the guitar - the classical and casual positions.

1. Pick up the guitar and make sure that the guitar body is supported by your leg.

2. Position yourself on the front half of your chair.

3. Ensure that your back isn’t arched, ensure that it is straight but not so that it is tight.

4. Lean the guitar back towards you slightly.

Standing Position

1. Pick up the guitar and place the strap over your shoulder. Adjust the strap so 

 that the guitar is positioned mid-body.

2. Use your fingering hand to support the neck of the guitar.

3. Rest your strumming hand over the bridge of the guitar.

 

Hand Positions

It is important that you relax your wrists and hands when you are first learning about finger

placement because straining them can cause injury.

Fretting

        When you play the guitar, you use the fingers of your fingering hand to press down the strings

on the fret board of the guitar and use your strumming hand to pluck or strum the strings at

the bridge end of the guitar. Which hand you use will depend on whether you are left-handed

or right-handed. Using your fingering hand to press the strings on the fret board is called

fretting. Here are some tips to help you with fretting:

1. Keep your fingernails short as you will need the tips of your fingers to press the 

    strings.

2. When making a chord, be sure that each fingertip is placed as close as possible to 

    the fret, the closer they are they less chance there is for buzzing strings.

3. Check to make sure that each string rings clearly and is not muted or buzzing.

4. It’s important to make sure that your fingers approach the strings on the neck at a 

    perpendicular angle. If they are at right angles to the neck there will be 

    less fret buzz.

As a beginner guitarist, it may hurt your fingers to play. This is normal. Every guitarist starts

this way for the first couple of weeks. With practise, you will develop guitar fingers (hard skin

on your fingertips).

Holding the Pick

1. Position the pick between thumb and index fingers as shown in the diagram below.