What position do you hold your guitar?

DOSW
DOSW Posts: 2,014
edited June 2006 in Musicians and Gearheads
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.
It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win
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Comments

  • Thumbing My Way
    Thumbing My Way Posts: 1,073
    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.
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  • armanHammer
    armanHammer Posts: 471
    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!
    Riverside.. LA.. California. EV?
  • moster78
    moster78 Posts: 1,591
    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
    DOSW Posts: 2,014
    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...
    It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win
  • prytocorduroy
    prytocorduroy Posts: 4,355
    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
    TWHolt Moncton, NB Posts: 409
    Take a look at the new Rolling Stone cover to see a cool way of holding the guitar.....
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  • tonepoet77
    tonepoet77 Posts: 8
    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.
    *Must be an eject button somewhere on the V.C.R.*
  • tbone1
    tbone1 Posts: 21
    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~
    Only real stars can rock an arena while sitting down with a notebook and a bottle of wine.
  • keeponrockin
    keeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    I have mine at the waist.
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • TheLuckyOnes
    TheLuckyOnes Posts: 476
    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
    CaptainSpaz91 Posts: 266
    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!
    "i wanna rock and roll **all night**, and part of everyday"
  • gobrowns19
    gobrowns19 Posts: 1,447
    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.
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  • Novawind
    Novawind Posts: 836
    I keep mine around the stomach. Or on my knee, I do enjoy just kicking back and playing.
    If idle hands are the devil's workshop, he must not be very productive.

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  • guitar=love
    guitar=love Posts: 4
    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
    mca47 Posts: 13,337
    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
    brain of c Posts: 5,213
    sixty-nine.
    d'oh!!!!!!

    http://www.myspace.com/brain_of_c
  • harrisonmerwin
    harrisonmerwin Posts: 766
    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.
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  • armanHammer
    armanHammer Posts: 471
    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.
    Riverside.. LA.. California. EV?
  • armanHammer
    armanHammer Posts: 471
    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.
    Riverside.. LA.. California. EV?
  • moster78
    moster78 Posts: 1,591
    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.

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