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<span class="text">[[Guitar Parts and Functions|Parts]]</span>
<span class="text current">[[Holding the Guitar and Pick|Playing]]</span>
== Sitting ==
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<span class="text current">[[#Sitting|Sitting]]</span>
<span class="text">[[#Standing|Standing]]</span>
<span class="text">[[#The Pick|The Pick]]</span>
<span class="text">[[#Body Angle|Body Angle]]</span>
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The middle of the bottom side of the guitar body usually rests on the right thigh and is ''balanced by the '''right forearm''' 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.
== Standing ==
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<div class="trail orange">
<span class="text">[[#Sitting|Sitting]]</span>
<span class="text current">[[#Standing|Standing]]</span>
<span class="text">[[#The Pick|The Pick]]</span>
<span class="text">[[#Body Angle|Body Angle]]</span>
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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.
== The Pick ==
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<div class="trail orange">
<span class="text">[[#Sitting|Sitting]]</span>
<span class="text">[[#Standing|Standing]]</span>
<span class="text current">[[#The Pick|The Pick]]</span>
<span class="text">[[#Body Angle|Body Angle]]</span>
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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.
== Body Angle ==
<div class="item-wrap">
<div class="trail orange">
<span class="text">[[#Sitting|Sitting]]</span>
<span class="text">[[#Standing|Standing]]</span>
<span class="text">[[#The Pick|The Pick]]</span>
<span class="text current">[[#Body Angle|Body Angle]]</span>
</div>
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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.
<div class="item-wrap">
<div class="trail blueorange">
<span class="text">[[Guitar Parts and Functions|Parts]]</span>
<span class="text current">[[Holding the Guitar and Pick|Playing]]</span>