I have come to realize in playing guitar that everybody has their style, and this is something interesting. However, not all styles tend to be correct; this same applies to how to hold an electric guitar.
Although it isn’t a brainer when you think of how to hold your guitar, it does affect everything as you play. Imagine holding your guitar so that when you mistakenly trip, your body falls on it. It is not something I will want anyone to encounter.
Before you conclude you are a pro at playing guitar, I need to remind you how to hold your guitar. I believe you want the perfect balance when holding your guitar. However, when I started playing, I developed many bad habits when playing, especially how to hold it. In this article, I will share the best methods I discovered that work well when holding a guitar.
Here is what I will briefly share with you:
- How to hold your guitar when sitting
- How to hold your guitar in a classical position
- How to hold your guitar in a standing position
Method 1 – How to hold an electric guitar in a sitting position
Commonly, you will see many people taking the sitting position when playing guitar. I love this method because it allows me to feel natural. Since I play often, I am more familiar with the position such that I never feel stressed.
I use my knee as a balancing point for the lower half of my guitar. It’s the perfect position since the guitar is always in an ergonomic and balanced position. While some people complain of having issues with this way of holding a guitar, I don’t have any issue with it.
However, your position is critical to how to hold an electric guitar. When I started, I held my guitar in the wrong manner, and it injured me. I advise you should never curl your fretting hand at your wrist when holding your guitar neck because it can lead to serious long-term issues.
What I usually do when I observe that I am curling my wrist to reach the fret I change my position. I relax my picking arm/hand while bending my elbow slightly in the same vein.
Method 2 – How to hold an electric guitar in a classical position
I love the classical position because it has several benefits, even if you are a newbie. Normally, the position is deeply rooted in the acoustic guitar; I also use it for my electric guitar. Depending on where you learned to play guitar, your guide can show you this method when you start.
I find the classical position preferable since I can use it for several situations. Holding my guitar this way gives me easy access to higher frets. Besides this, it also allows me to form chords easier up and down the neck. However, I had to do several practices before perfecting this art.
In the classical position, your knees must be elevated by a footrest. For me, I use a small stool to rest my foot. However, if you want to perform in a place, you can find adjustable rest to elevate your knee. Whether this position is suitable for you or not will depend on you. You can experiment with it as I did.
Method 3 – How to hold an electric guitar in a standing up position
The last method I sometimes use when playing my electric guitar is the standing up position. It is the default position for anyone who plans to play on the stage. I wouldn’t recommend this method to hold your guitar if you are a beginner. It is essential to adjust your strap when using the standing-up position. It is dangerous if you hold your guitar in a too low position because it can damage your wrist.
Conclusion
Learning how to hold an electric guitar is very important because it can affect your overall performance and posture. Whatever method you find suitable, it is vital to get used to it and never feel discouraged if things don’t go as you’ve planned. I also had to find the balance between standing up and sitting down when learning how to hold my guitar.
