Classical Guitar Lessons - How to Hold The Guitar
It may seam trivial, but the correct posturing with a guitar
will make you a better guitarist.
How to Hold a Classical Guitar:
This Classical Guitar Lesson will cover your correct body
position to grasp the guitar. Although it may seem rather trivial to talk about how
to hold a classical guitar as a Classical Guitar Lesson, it
is a very important point that should not be overlooked
Holding the guitar correctly can mean the difference between
being an ok player or being a very good player. The reason for this is that the
correct positioning of your arms and torso play an important role is
how your left hand is positioned and how you pluck the strings with
your right hand. There will be more on that in the next Classical
Guitar Lesson: The Left and Right Hand Positions.
Also not to be understated, the position of the legs and feet
play and equally important role in the correct posture of holding a classical
guitar.
Almost always, the Classical Guitar is played from a seated
position. Here are the points we will cover in this Classical Guitar Lesson:
Proper Seated Position
How to Cradle the Guitar Between Your Legs
Proper Angle
Proper Left Leg Elevation
Proper Seated Position:
You should obtain a comfortable chair, without arms and of
standard seating height, similar to a kitchen chair. Some classical guitar
players prefer a stool, without a back for their favorite chair, for
very seldom do you lean back far enough for your back to come in
contact with the chair back.
Obtain a Footstool For Your Left Leg
Proper Left Leg Elevation:
One of the most important things to realize from this
Classical Guitar Lesson is the left leg elevation. Typically the left leg is elevated
off the floor by approximately 4 to 6 inches, depending on the stature
of the guitar player.
You can use any number of devices to attain this
height from a very short step stool to custom made adjustable footstool
that are available commercially from a well-stocked music store or eStore.
In an
emergency I have even used my guitar case in a closed position. In any
event the leg elevation is a big important step, not to be overlooked.
Proper Instrument Angle:
Next, place the guitar waist on the elevated leg and allow
the guitar to angle upward so the neck is pointed upward at about a 30 degree
angle.
This will allow you to comfortably grasp the neck with your
left hand and place your right arm over the lower bout of the guitar to contact
the strings.
Proper Way To Hold The Classical Guitar
How to Cradle the Guitar Between Your Legs:
The guitar should be nestled in your torso so that the only
contact points are the left leg on the waist, the left hand on the neck, the
upper back edge of the lower bout contacting your torso and the forearm
of the right arm on the upper edge of the lower bout.
You can feel when you have this right as the guitar tends to
balance between these contact points of your body.
The reason that this position is so important is that it
allows you to move your right hand up and down the neck effortlessly
without having to aid in the actual support of the body of the guitar.
This will allow you be become not only a more technically correct
player, but allow you great speed and agility in performing difficult
passages that would be otherwise very difficult to execute.
Note: To familiarize yourself with some of the terminology of
this article, refer to the previous Classical Guitar Lesson: Learning
Classical Guitar Elements.
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