The classical guitar demands not only dexterity of fingers but also a precise hold to truly sing. Through the use of a footstool or a guitar support, you align your posture, enhancing the fluid motion of your playing while reducing the risk of strain. So let’s talk about how to hold a classical guitar.
Establishing the Correct Posture
Your posture, when aligned and relaxed, forms the cornerstone of mastering your guitar. It prevents muscle strain, allowing you to play with comfort. The hand position, crucial to your technique, ensures that you can access the strings with ease, promoting fluid transitions and safeguarding against injuries.
As you perch on the chair’s brink, your legs should create a stable base, slightly angled to enhance the support from your sit bones, crucial for spinal health.
Positioning the Left Hand
Building on your established posture, you’ll need to position your left hand on the guitar’s neck so that your fingers are perpendicular to the frets, ensuring precise note production and chord transitions. Proper finger placement is key—arch your fingers, preventing them from resting on other strings which could cause muting or buzzing. Your thumb should be your anchor, positioned behind the neck to provide stability without inducing hand tension.
Remember to keep a natural curve in your fingers for optimal reach and agility on the fretboard. This also helps in avoiding hand tension, which can hinder your playing.
Lastly, ensure your wrist stays straight; this is crucial for smooth chord transitions and to maintain a relaxed, effective playing technique.
Angling the Right Arm
You’ll find that properly angling your right arm is crucial for achieving both comfort and control when playing the classical guitar. Start by sitting on the edge of a seat, ensuring your legs are flat or slightly downward. Rock gently to locate your sit bones, creating a stable foundation that promotes better arm support. This position not only improves your posture but also facilitates easier breathing and muscle relaxation—key for maintaining a healthy arm angle.
Use a guitar support or footstool to elevate the guitar’s neck. This adjustment is pivotal for improving arm support and finding the optimal wrist position. Don’t hesitate to try different supports like the Gaetano or various footstools. The right choice can make a world of difference in your playing comfort and technique.
Balancing the Guitar Body
A classical guitar, when cradled correctly, becomes an extension of the player, fostering comfort and control. The guitar’s body, balanced against the musician’s, staves off fatigue and enhances precision. Essential to this harmony is the right support—footstools and specialized guitar supports are game-changers. Such supports not only elevate the guitar’s neck, alleviating wrist strain, but also position the fingers optimally for accessing strings.
Hand positioning, integral to playing, is intimately linked with the guitar’s equilibrium. An appropriate chair, firm and supportive, anchors the player, allowing for an upright posture that promotes stability. Exploring various supports, like the innovative Gaetano guitar support, can pinpoint the perfect fit for any individual.
With the guitar well-balanced, the player’s body relaxes, sharpening focus on the music’s flow.
Footstool and Seating Arrangements
While balancing the guitar body is crucial for comfort and control, you’ll also need to consider the right footstool and seating arrangement to maintain an optimal playing posture. Choosing the right support isn’t just about preference—it’s about ensuring your guitar’s neck is elevated to facilitate ease of play. Experiment with different guitar supports or footstools. Finding the perfect height is key; it should allow your thigh to slope slightly so the guitar sits snugly and doesn’t slide.
Opt for a seat with flat or slightly downward-angled legs, and always sit on the edge. This position promotes stability and allows for better breathing and muscle relaxation. Remember, a hard seat will leverage your skeleton for support, avoiding the pitfalls of softer, less supportive surfaces.
Selecting the Proper Chair
Selecting an appropriate chair is vital for maintaining posture and comfort during classical guitar sessions. The chair’s height is the first entity that should be tall enough to encourage an upright posture and proper spinal alignment. This aligning of the spine is essential to prevent the strain on the back muscles and enhance the ease with which the guitarist can move their hands along the fretboard.
According to Classical Guitar Shed,
Sitting and holding the guitar is as much a technique as are scales or arpeggios.
How to Sit with Classical Guitar position and Avoid Injuries (classicalguitarshed.com)
The guitar chair should be paired with a support like an adjustable footstool or a specialized guitar support, such as the ErgoPlay Troster. The footstool’s adjustability allows the guitarist’s feet to rest flat on the ground, promoting a balanced sitting position centered on the sit-bones. This balance is crucial for stabilizing your posture and ensuring that the guitar’s headstock remains at or above eye level, aiding in visual comfort and technique.
Explore various chairs and sitting positions to find a combination that provides the optimum comfort for your guitar practice and performance. Comfort helps your practice routines be more effective, as it enables you to focus on technique and musicality without being hindered by physical discomfort.
If you perform locally, look for a chair that’s easy to throw in the car and take to your gig. I always bring my chair and use it unless the venue has a comfortable option.
My Chair and Support Setup
Finding out how to hold a classical guitar is a personal journey. When I practice and perform, I use an adjustable drum throne paired with a GuitarLift. I also use a footstool at the lowest setting to give one leg just a bit of height. The drum throne provides enough cushion, and I don’t need a back when using the GuitarLift. The throne is small and light so it isn’t difficult to carry around.
I play classical and flamenco repertoire, so I’ll actually put the guitar and footstool on my left leg for classical pieces and switch it to the right leg/foot for flamenco pieces. I found this is easier than using flamenco technique in the classical position or vice versa.
Is Classical Guitar Posture the Best for Everyone?
There is certainly a tradition of proper classical guitar posture. That said, there’s also a tradition of players using different posture techniques. For example, flamenco players elevate the right foot slightly and have the guitar over the right leg, not the left leg. Some may also put the wide lower bout on their leg, not the thin middle curve of the guitar. If you mix flamenco and classical music, you may find this position more comfortable to play techniques like rasgueados and golpes.
Many people also have lower back pain when keeping an upright posture with the left leg raised. Raising one leg and not the other puts your hip joints at different angles. Your back compensates to keep you upright and this can cause tension particularly in players who come to classical guitar later in life. A guitar support is perfectly fine in this scenario if you practice with it and feel confident performing with it.
How To Hold a Classical Guitar: Wrapping Up
Whether you use a footstool or different supports, the main point of classical guitar posture is to keep both wrists relaxed. This gives you the most control for playing wide stretches and complex counterpoint with your left hand and different techniques like free strokes, rest strokes, and tremolo with your right hand. A relaxed right hand also gives you complete control over the tonal palette. Take a look at your posture to see if it supports this.
Further Reading
- Lesson: Sitting and Guitar Position for Classical Guitar | This is Classical Guitar
- Classical Guitar Posture: Beginner’s Guide to Posture (classicalguitaracademy.co.uk)
- How to Sit with Classical Guitar position and Avoid Injuries (classicalguitarshed.com)
