Page 23 - Guitar Tuition for Students and Tutors level 1

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How to hold the guitar and develop good posture
Learn about how to sit, hold the guitar. Learn about basic chord

formation, which fingers to use, advice on fingernails, sequence of
notes on strings on round diagram.

Short Link: shorturl.at/jyDH7

Proper guitar posture is not something every guitar player is aware of or takes
seriously.

That’s because improper posture and bad habits will not immediately result in injuries.

But over the long-term guitar players can get back, shoulder, neck, elbow, arm and
wrist pains, R.S.I (repetitive strain injuries), tendonitis, CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome)
and other nasty side effects.

This is certainly not every guitar player’s destiny, but it’s
not out of the question either. But there’s good news!
Proper posture can prevent a lot of these injuries and it

makes guitar playing easier and more pleasant.

A good hand positioning is here also really important to
learn to play effectively and properly. Every detail makes

all the difference in the world.
Let’s take a closer look:

Sitting position

Sit down on a chair, put your two feet on the floor and keep your back straight. Put the
waist of the guitar on your right leg (if you’re right-handed) and hold the back of the
guitar against your stomach and chest. Keep the neck of the guitar horizontal to the
floor.

Don’t use the left hand to support the neck from leaning down towards the floor, instead
let your upper right arm rest on the upper part of the guitar body to avoid this. Make
sure all this feels comfortable.

Left hand position and finger placement
(fretting hand)

The thumb of your fretting hand should rest behind the
neck of the guitar placing it approximately between your

first two fingers. Make sure to bend all your knuckles
(1st, 2nd and 3rd).

Use the tip of your fingers to press down the strings and
place them as close to the fret as possible. (Don’t place
your fingers on the fret!) Keep your fingernails short, so
they don’t touch the fretboard.