What position do you hold your guitar?

DOSW

I know it's a kind of dumb question, but I'm pretty new to the guitar (I started a thread a while ago about it) and I'm just curious to see where different people hold their guitar when standing. At the chest? At the stomach? At the waist? I had it at my stomach for a while, but then I moved it down to my waist (yes, I'm guilty of trying to look cool). It's kind of hard to hit some chords with it all the way down there, though. I guess I have to get good at playing before I try to look cool doing it...

So yeah, just curious. And let me just use this opportunity to say that learning guitar is an amazing hobby, and I'm loving every minute of it.

Thumbing My Way

It's important where you hold your axe when standing though, I think it says alot

That said, I find it so hard to play some stuff with it really low, although I like that look the best....

Mine's at my waist.

armanHammer

When standing, below the chest but covering your midsection. A guitar is like a woman, keep it close to your manly parts and you'll be fine! Having it too low looks stupid, too high looks dorky. There's a reason Joe Perry has a guitar with a picture of his wife on it!

moster78

Never above the belt, you're not in the Beatles. Never too low either. I don't understand how Billy Joe in Green Day slings it so low. I keep mine right at the waist. Being about 6'5" doesn't make it easy though, need some long straps.

DOSW

armanHammer wrote:

too high looks dorky.

Tom Morello can pull that off without looking dorky. But then again, he is a huge Star Trek fan...

prytocorduroy

The higher the dorkier, but also the easier it is to play the instrument. You shouldn't have to stretch or bend over a little to play it. All that should be moving is the fingers and arms (short of yourself dancing around). May look stupid but you'll play a lot fucking better.

TWHolt

Take a look at the new Rolling Stone cover to see a cool way of holding the guitar.....

tonepoet77

Slung low = hard as hell to play.

I play mine with the center of the guitar slightly above the waste on my main electric, a big ES-335 Gibson (I'm a little guy, so it's bigger still for me). It probably looks a little high, but it plays best there. When I switch to a Strat or Tele, they hang just a little south of center in regards to my waste. Still easy to play.

It won't matter too much until you're playing a lot of leads. Solos are a helluva lot harder with a guitar slung low, but chords aren't as bad.

tbone1

danny72688 wrote:

The higher the dorkier, but also the easier it is to play the instrument. You shouldn't have to stretch or bend over a little to play it. All that should be moving is the fingers and arms (short of yourself dancing around). May look stupid but you'll play a lot fucking better.

You got it!! Do how you want but you'll play WAY better hands down if you carry the guitar high. Especially if your speed picking~

keeponrockin

I have mine at the waist.

TheLuckyOnes

i've slung strats super low or mid- waist

les pauls look cool low

i had a 335 copy i used to keep way up dorky high
i was in basically a industrialrock/bowie band and people
didn't understand the guitar (goth kids asked about the "elvis" guitar)
or how i could hit the thing so hard while it was up at my shoulder

but my favorite way to hold the guitar i learned from Mr McCready

behind my head

:>)

CaptainSpaz91

DOSW wrote:

Tom Morello can pull that off without looking dorky. But then again, he is a huge Star Trek fan...

wasn't he a guest spot on a star trek episode....? haha

he pulls off the "dorky" look, whoever said look at the Rolling Stone cover...agreed!

gobrowns19

Lol, yes, behind the head. I always kill that bump in the back of my head when I play behind my head.

I had always played up high. I would play sitting down, and tighten my strap until my guitar was in the same position standing up as sitting down. And high doesn't have to mean dorky, I mean, one of the greatest of all times wore his REALLY high...Jimi Hendrix.

Lately though I have moved mine down. It does look cooler. The only reason I did move mine down, is because I have long arms, and it didnt make much since having the guitar so high up and having to bend my arms so much. So right now part of my guitar covers up my belt.

Novawind

I keep mine around the stomach. Or on my knee, I do enjoy just kicking back and playing.

guitar=love

Boozer wrote:

Take a look at the new Rolling Stone cover to see a cool way of holding the guitar.....

hahaha hell yeah!
the interview is pretty good, too

mca47

I usually have mine about mid-range.
If you're pounding out power chords it doesn't matter if you have in down to your knees. It hurts my wrist on some chords when it's too low.

brain of c

sixty-nine.

harrisonmerwin

im taller, so i usually have the average strap maxxed out. On a stratocaster, the backplate covering the tremelo system rests on my right hip bone...lets just say its been bruised before, but it makes for a nice solo crutch.

armanHammer

DOSW wrote:

Tom Morello can pull that off without looking dorky. But then again, he is a huge Star Trek fan...

Tom Morello is a fruit.

armanHammer

moster78 wrote:

...I don't understand how Billy Joe in Green Day slings it so low...

All he plays are power chords. Not really difficult to pull off.

moster78

armanHammer wrote:

All he plays are power chords. Not really difficult to pull off.

True, but the guitar is still at about his knees. It just looks uncomfortable to me.

WindNoSail

TheLuckyOnes wrote:

i've slung strats super low or mid- waist

les pauls look cool low

i had a 335 copy i used to keep way up dorky high
i was in basically a industrialrock/bowie band and people
didn't understand the guitar (goth kids asked about the "elvis" guitar)
or how i could hit the thing so hard while it was up at my shoulder

but my favorite way to hold the guitar i learned from Mr McCready

behind my head

:>)

then you must thank SRV and Jimi!

casper leblanc

I think I have my electric somewhere where Stone has it - just above the waist. Has anyone ever noticed how low Ed has his?

My fav acoustic on the other hand is WAY up there, practically underneath my armpit. It's like the guy in Live at the garden who wrote Throw your arm around me. And that really doesn't look dorky. I even think it looks cool in a way.

Albert Hammond Jr from the Strokes also wears his strat way up high. He and Nick Valensi are total opposites. Both look cool enough to me.

I guess comfort is my main goal.

If your guitar's cool with you and you with her, it doesn't matter where you hang it. Really.

harrisonmerwin

i thought i would mention, the lower you have yoru guitar, the more strain on your frettign hand as it has to wrap around the neck unnaturally if you get it too low. what iw oudl suggest for any persron is have yoru neck paralell to the ground, and have your frettign hand elbow making a 90 degree angle. Then of course tilt the neck up, body down and you got a nice comfortable stance.

DOSW

armanHammer wrote:

Tom Morello is a fruit.

Tom Morello = a fucking amazing and inventive guitarist

DOSW

harrisonmerwin wrote:

i thought i would mention, the lower you have yoru guitar, the more strain on your frettign hand as it has to wrap around the neck unnaturally if you get it too low. what iw oudl suggest for any persron is have yoru neck paralell to the ground, and have your frettign hand elbow making a 90 degree angle. Then of course tilt the neck up, body down and you got a nice comfortable stance.

Like Ed on the RS cover?

Boom The Cat

I dont have anything unique about my stance, it just rests comfortably on my leg.

JofZ

This is a low hanger:
http://www.soundgenerator.com/pix/articles/2004/12/joeyramone_BMGUKIRE_140.jpg

Joey needed a special strap
Everyone else is a wannabe!

The high strappers all have one thing in common, they are intelligent!
If you are more concerned with looks then the best way to play well then I would suggest focusing on being a hand model

harrisonmerwin

DOSW wrote:

Tom Morello = a fucking amazing and inventive guitarist

hes all filler no killer, anyone can stress a digitech whammy and a rack full of effects, 5 minute improv's are better than 30 second digi-solos, sorry bro, but its the truth.

DOSW

harrisonmerwin wrote:

hes all filler no killer, anyone can stress a digitech whammy and a rack full of effects, 5 minute improv's are better than 30 second digi-solos, sorry bro, but its the truth.

Well, to each his own. I love the guy personally. Sometimes the effects feel tacked on, but I think the times when he gets it right are incredible, in my opinion. He has some amazing speed to his fingers, too.

harrisonmerwin

DOSW wrote:

Well, to each his own. I love the guy personally. Sometimes the effects feel tacked on, but I think the times when he gets it right are incredible, in my opinion. He has some amazing speed to his fingers, too.

he used to shred in his day.