Being sure to hold your guitar properly is something that is extremely important, but is often overlooked by many guitar students. How you hold the guitar is something that easily becomes habitual, so it is important to learn how to hold the guitar properly from the start; otherwise, bad habits will develop. Holding the guitar correctly is simple; there are only a few key matters that you need to be aware of. These are outlined below.

  1. Left Hand, Right Hand.
    The elbow of the hand that you strum with should be at an angle that is slightly less than 90 degrees, so that your hand naturally falls close to the sound hole / pick ups. If you are a right handed guitarist, this will apply to your right hand; your left hand will be the hand that manipulates the fretboard. The opposite is true for left handed guitarists.
  2. Back of Body Against Stomach.
    Ideally, you should hold your guitar so that the strings are properly aligned, and are directly above one another. If you are doing this correctly, the back of the guitar's body should be resting against your stomach. Holding the guitar in such a position will allow you to maximize the mobility of your fingers across the fretboard.
  3. Bottom of Body on Lap.
    When seated, the body of the guitar should rest on your lap. You'll notice that both electric and acoustic guitars have curves in their body; the curve is the perfect place where your guitar can meet your lap.
  4. Palm Away From Neck.
    This fourth mistake is by far the most common one, and is an easy trap for guitarists to fall into, even after they have become experienced: the palm of the hand should not touch or rest against the back of the guitar's fretboard. Your thumb can push against the back of the neck - this often makes pushing the strings down easier - but the palm should not "hug" the neck. Hugging the neck can substantially limit the guitarist's mobility up and down the fretboard. This is important! This is what allows him to move up and down the fretboard so quickly, and to play notes clearly. The guitarist also has the guitar positioned properly with respect to his body.

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