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|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Standing|Standing
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#The Pick|The Pick
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Body Angle|Body Angle|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Ergonomics and Injury Concerns|Ergonomics}}
The middle of the bottom side of the guitar body usually rests on the right thigh and is ''balanced by the <u>right forearm</u> pressing the guitar body against the right flank/ribs/gut''. The neck is almost parallel to the ground with the headstock slightly higher than the neck heel. The fretboard hand should ''not'' be required to balance the guitar. It should be free to slide up and down the neck, twist and turn to make different chord shapes and fret notes. Requiring it to balance the guitar only gets in the way of this.
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Standing|Standing
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#The Pick|The Pick
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Body Angle|Body Angle|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Ergonomics and Injury Concerns|Ergonomics}}
When standing, the strap is typically slung over the head and rests on the left shoulder - the strap crosses the back from the right hip to the left shoulder where it extends straight down to the front or horn strap pin. This prevents it from falling accidentally, and most guitar manufacturers balance their guitars so that when slung this way, the neck doesn't dip too much. A natural inclination may be to think the guitar's body should be centered in front of your body, but really it should rest on your right flank/ribs/hip. Your left hand should be reaching slightly away from your body.
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Standing|Standing
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#The Pick|The Pick
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Body Angle|Body Angle|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Ergonomics and Injury Concerns|Ergonomics}}
When beginning, holding the pick (or plectrum) always introduces self-doubt. There's no absolutely correct way to do it, as it depends on your hands and the type of pick being used and even your playing style. You will adjust and gain comfort over time. The important things to know are that you have to grip it so that you can pick in both directions - down (from your head towards your feet) and up (vice versa). This shouldn't require any big adjustment - you want the natural give of the pick and the flesh of your fingers to allow you to "push through" the string as you pick, not angling your wrist differently or otherwise manipulating your grip.
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Standing|Standing
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#The Pick|The Pick
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Body Angle|Body Angle|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Ergonomics and Injury Concerns|Ergonomics}}
One final thing. There's a tendency to want to angle the guitar so that you can see all the strings as if you were laying it flat on your lap. Or hunching over. This makes viewing your playing easier, but it makes actually playing the guitar more difficult. You'll naturally ''need'' to do this as you start, so that you can see which strings you are fretting/plucking. But keep this in mind as you get more comfortable - try to sit up more straight and angle the guitar so that you can only see the side of the fretboard.
== Ergonomics and Injury Concerns ==
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|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Sitting|Sitting
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Standing|Standing
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#The Pick|The Pick
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Body Angle|Body Angle
|Holding the Guitar and Pick#Ergonomics and Injury Concerns|Ergonomics}}
Proper holding of the guitar and pick is essential to not only play better but to avoid [[Injury|injuries (however, it is not the only concern - see the article for more details)]]. Here are some good pointers:
* Depending on your guitar and strap, you may find that the guitar slips off your shoulder. To compensate, you may try raising your shoulders. Holding your shoulders as such for prolonged periods is very stressful on the joints and muscles. Instead, try using a larger (wider) strap, and shorten the strap length. Also, be sure that the guitar isn't in front your body, but on the picking hand's hip. If that doesn't help, consider the balance of the guitar. You may be able to weight the back end down to shift the weight balance away from the headstock. If nothing else works, consider a different guitar, using different body styles, woods, cavity placement, and chambering.
* You may find yourself hunching over the neck when playing, moving your head closer to where you are playing the fretboard. This curve in your spine is bad posture, and when held in such a position for prolonged periods can put lots of stress on it. Be sure to sit up straight.
* Baritone, 8-string, and bass guitars often position the bridge closer to the back of the guitar's body. For bass, this is less problematic, as the picking/plucking is generally further from the bridge. For guitar, especially metal guitar, where lots of palm muting is required, you will often pick near the bridge. If sitting with the guitar on the picking hand thigh, the bridge may require holding the picking hand back in an uncomfortable position. If held that way for long periods of time, this can cause lots of stress on the shoulder and neck. Hold the guitar in classical position instead, with the body on/between both thighs, positioning the bridge closer to the center of your body.
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