Who plays their guitar below their waste?

solsurfr

When I see guitarists play like this, I wonder how comfortable it is. I guess I'm in the minority with my guitar hiked up so I can comfortably play lead lines and solos. I know Eddie does and since he is mainly rhythm, I can see how it isn't a problem but Mike it is completely different. I don't know how he does it but he does it good, I guess.

Pacomc79

My waste goes in the garbage, and the toilet.

I don't know why anyone would want to play below thier waste...gross.

I'd say it's not very comfortable.

It really depends on how long your arms are and what works for you I would guess.

miskin

i wear my guitar quite low... but not by my feet ;-).
i dont find it much of a problem to be honest!
to do a realy eally fiddly part of a solo il just hold the guitar sideways on my knees if you know what i mean.
this is of course when mi playing electric ;-)
i dont wear acoustics low! lol.

Nullifidian

I have to say I hate wearing my guitar low. It's just annoying and it makes playing the most simple power chords a vast strech! Plus I have a Les Paul its pretty heavy and having it too low really wrecks my back after playing for a while.

solsurfr

Nullifidian wrote:

I have to say I hate wearing my guitar low. It's just annoying and it makes playing the most simple power chords a vast strech! Plus I have a Les Paul its pretty heavy and having it too low really wrecks my back after playing for a while.

My thoughts exactly.

Schmakt

I like wearing it as low as possible... it does make some of the barres difficult, but I like it. It feels and looks cool, I think...

Jack White does it too...

and, of course, I'm as good as Jack and Mike.

who's_pearljam?

It's a rock and roll stance.
Any serious guitarist that plays a lot and for a long time brings the guitar up higher, as eventually you'll have carpal tunnel and wrist and elbow problems. Maybe they'll hang that thing down by their knees in a show, but they aren't in the studio like that.

That being said,,,

this is considered bad technique,but he's been around a bit, so who am I to argue!
http://www.nrk.no/img/233869.jpeg

BlackCorduroy

sometimes i try to wear it low but it is a lot harder. i think maybe it just takes some getting used to

solsurfr

who's_pearljam? wrote:

That being said,,,

this is considered bad technique,but he's been around a bit, so who am I to argue!
http://www.nrk.no/img/233869.jpeg

Keith's guitar is low but the slanted angle is considered good technique amongst the classical guitarists. I took a couple semesters of classical guitar in college and found it very comfortable to have the neck angle up where I'm looking dead on to the headstock and neck. Other than this, wearing your guitar low just looks uncomfortable. Eddie wears his down by his ankles it seems. I almost think it looks ridiculous. I guess I'm just not in style!

who's_pearljam?

DissidentBand wrote:

Keith's guitar is low but the slanted angle is considered good technique amongst the classical guitarists. I took a couple semesters of classical guitar in college and found it very comfortable to have the neck angle up where I'm looking dead on to the headstock and neck. Other than this, wearing your guitar low just looks uncomfortable. Eddie wears his down by his ankles it seems. I almost think it looks ridiculous. I guess I'm just not in style!

You are right about Keith Richards. I just thought that was a cool picture.

That low guitar is such a dated look now, to me.

Jimmy Page used to wear that thing down low for the bad assed look. He started having wrist problems and shifted things around, too.

I studied guitar with Robert Fripp once, and his thing is to hold the guitar close to your neck and keep your wrist parallel to your forearm. Much like classical technique, but even more extreme. He subscribes to the Alexander technique, which is a way of balancing your body.

http://www.pattishea.com/music1/FRIPP.html

solsurfr

I guess this is still cool?

http://www.landscape.it/viceversa/concerti/images/evsg.jpg

I've seen him play it even lower I think. Mike as well.

who's_pearljam?

DissidentBand wrote:

I guess this is still cool?

http://www.landscape.it/viceversa/concerti/images/evsg.jpg

I've seen him play it even lower I think. Mike as well.

Every occupational therapists's nightmare on the left :

http://www.gnrfrance.net/GNR/Photos/slash/slash+izzy01.jpg

Gossard_Is_God

I play with it just above my waist, below my waist is just very uncomfortabke for my wrists.

Flagg

I wear it above my waist, but not as high as someone like Tom Morello. I think that's uncomfortable too.

casper leblanc

I pretty much wear it like Dan Auerbach (Black Keys)

http://www.blackkeys.net/media/images/pg5/008.jpg

http://www.blackkeys.net/media/images/pg5/001.jpg

http://www.blackkeys.net/media/images/pg5/032.jpg

That's really comfy, but unless you play like him - and I don't - not really cool. Strumming a guitar that high just looks stupid. So I pretty much look pretty stupid

solsurfr

pearlwax wrote:

I pretty much wear it like Dan Auerbach (Black Keys)

http://www.blackkeys.net/media/images/pg5/008.jpg

http://www.blackkeys.net/media/images/pg5/001.jpg

http://www.blackkeys.net/media/images/pg5/032.jpg

That's really comfy, but unless you play like him - and I don't - not really cool. Strumming a guitar that high just looks stupid. So I pretty much look pretty stupid

I wear my axe the same way.

mccreadyisgod

I have fairly long arms, so it's really uncomfortable to play way up high.

I usually have my guitar so that the bridge pickup is about crotch-level... maybe I'm just used to the motion there...

But I do have my neck up at a considerable angle, which does help.

And I could care less how it looks.

Glaswegian

Can't say it's something I've given much thought to - fairly high.

My paw showed a video of me playing bass with him when i was about 14 and it was just about touching my ankles :rolleyes: Probably more to me being wee though. Definitely don't play like that these days.

GivenToPimp

me and mine....not too high...not too low

http://image28.webshots.com/28/3/75/24/242637524KsMzCL_ph.jpg

CherubRockBob

its comfortable for me to play it low but ive been playing it like that since i started three years ago. i dunno my arm always get tired when im trying to rest it in that postion and when its at my waist it seems to just fit at my arm length.

MissYouAllDay

Jack white and slash are bad examples. Both of them move their guitar around way to much so it doesn't really matter how their strap is set. Like Slash is always playing his straight up and down, like letting it dangle. Jack White throws his around like a maniac (this may explain his huge arms). Ed's isn't that low in that pic but I have also seen it lower. It has got to bad for your wrists to have it extremely low. I think having it just above the waist but with the neck tilted up is perfect and doesn't look to bad either. Honestly though I mainly play sitting down when I'm at home.

Jeremy1012

i play with it quite low and got used to it. took a while though. i feel i have more control over solos when i bring it up a bit thoug. ask slash from velvet revolver, he has it LOW

jimbo_lizardking

I have my guitar set up so that I can acheive the Hetfield stance but not the Korn stance.

Low but not dragging on the floor.

eddies grrl

You guys are making me sweat.

M VH, where do you play yours??

Milhouse VanHouten

eddie's grrl wrote:

You guys are making me sweat.

M VH, where do you play yours??

When I started, I wanted to play it low as possible, like Johnny Ramone.

Then, I wanted to have it at the exact right height to execute Pete Townshend windmills.

I kind of like how Billie Joe Armstrong holds it almost completely straight up, parallel to his body.

I've struck a good balance now. The guitar is at the waist, but tilted slightly upwards.

eddies grrl

Milhouse VanHouten wrote:

When I started, I wanted to play it low as possible, like Johnny Ramone.

Then, I wanted to have it at the exact right height to execute Pete Townshend windmills.

I kind of like how Billie Joe Armstrong holds it almost completely straight up, parallel to his body.

I've struck a good balance now. The guitar is at the waist, but tilted slightly upwards.

I'd like to see that sometime.

dontgimmenolip

I play mine at waist level, but I also have long gorilla arms. I'm primarily a rhythm guitarist though.

Paranoid Boy

Play usually at waist level too. Have a Les Paul custom so it weighs a tonne. I think my back is being slowly coroded!

mulac

billie joe armstron just plays it way too low. i saw him performing american idiot on top of the pops and he looked really uncomfortable.

i play like eddie in that pic. but i don't consider it low. it seems natural to me considering my arm length and build.

i don't play lead though

ScavonePJ

mulac wrote:

billie joe armstron just plays it way too low. i saw him performing american idiot on top of the pops and he looked really uncomfortable.

that's funny, Thats how low mine is when I play, coruse my arm are pretty damn long.

dontgimmenolip

Paranoid Boy wrote:

Play usually at waist level too. Have a Les Paul custom so it weighs a tonne. I think my back is being slowly coroded!

PRS Custom 22 here. Best birthday present I ever bought myself. I've had the guitar for 7 years, and it's the only one I take to gigs. Looking to get either a Variax or a Jet King 2