Most people have seen a picture of
Jimmy Page with his guitar slung low near his waist line but most of us are not
Jimmy Page. Another favorite guitarist is
Slash, he too wears his guitar
very low. I cannot argue that this doesn't look good because these people are archetypes of guitar neophytes. But (
behold the underlying truth) playing in this position for practice will cause a myriad of
problems because your wrist, back, neck will be canted to unnatural positions. You can solve two area's of difficulty by simply raising your guitar up higher. The secret is to minimize bent limbs - Your guitar should be at arms length (unless your are
Jimmy Page and last time I checked -
there is only one!) and your wrist should be at a minimal angle. Your playing position should be comfortable enough for you to not feel the need to remove the guitar or adjust. If you must adjust while playing then you should re-examine your position.
Raising your guitar to a higher position decreases the angle of your wrist and will facilitate better technique. This position will also reduce fatigue and potential
tendinitis. Another advantage with adjusting your guitar to a reasonable height is; while seated the
guitar will be held up by your strap which is the s
ame position it will be in while standing. What does this mean? You will not find that there isn't any difference in your guitar's position against your body regardless of whether you are seated or standing and that position aids muscle memory while decreasing unfamiliar positions. Proper posture should be common sense but common sense isn't so common today!
Coupling correct position to a good
warm up routine will facilitate better comfort, performance and increased performance longevity. For example;
John Petrucci has great technique and his position is conducive to comfort and
good posture. Other players who also employ good posture are
Steve Morse,
Al Di meola,
Steve Howe,
Greg Howe,
Steve lukather, and many more.
Yngwie Malmsteen, suffered severe nerve and
tendon damage from excessive playing. Therefore, even good posture, position and technique cannot protect you from frequent use damage. So don't be in denial of the perils of playing the guitar. At least try a new uncool looking posture friendly position; if the position appears dorky, daft or stupid then put the guitar back to where you want it to be against your body.
Stay home and practice or stay home!
