Holding an acoustic guitar the right way is one of the most important things to learn when you start playing the guitar. Having the correct posture from the start will help you in your technique down the line when you become more advanced.

This article looks at how to hold the guitar when you learn to play the different styles. For example, Flamenco and classical guitar players hold the guitar differently from those who play blues or country guitar, so it is essential to do it right.

Read on if you want to know how a beginner guitar player should hold the guitar the best way for their style.

What Is the Right Way to Hold an Acoustic Guitar?

Before you can hold the guitar the correct way, you first need to get your body into the proper position or posture. There are a few essential tools you need to sit correctly when you learn to play the guitar

Footstool

A footstool is a great way to lift the leg your guitar is resting on a bit higher than the other leg. This will also keep the guitar balanced, and you will hold the guitar in a better way to make it easier to play.

Chair or Stool

You should use a chair or stool with no armrests, as they will just get in the way. The stool’s seat should not be too soft, so preferably no couch playing, which is not a good habit.

You should be able to rest your feet flat on the floor, so it should not be too high or even too low. The stools available at music stores are specially made to be used by guitar players when they play in the sitting position.

How to Sit

If you are sitting on a chair with a backrest, do not lean into the back so that you can maintain an upright position. To sit correctly, you must keep your back straight and sit on the front end of the chair or stool.

It may take some time to get used to sitting in this position, but you will get used to it at some point.

Which Leg?

This is a question many people ask: Which leg should you place the guitar for the best position? The best position to place your guitar as a beginner is on your left leg to help keep it stable.

You need to have your guitar well balanced, so the bout of your guitar should rest firmly on your leg. If it is not resting firmly and not well balanced, you will find it challenging to use your hands for the actual playing.

This way to hold the guitar is called the classical position and is the best option for the beginner guitar player.

Guitar Position

Now that you know how to sit and which leg you should place the guitar on let’s look at how to hold the instrument. When you place the guitar on your leg, you need to pull it tightly into the body so it firmly rests against the body.

It will be difficult to play when the guitar is too far away from the body, making it awkward to reach around it.

Point the Head a Bit Upwards

If you angle the guitar so that the body is lower than the head, you will reach the fretboard easier. This will allow you to play with much better technique, and you will learn the guitar much easier than just keeping it straight.

This is where the footstool will come in handy to help by lifting your left leg slightly higher, forcing the guitar to the correct position.

How to Hold an Acoustic Guitar

Holding the Guitar In the Correct Position

By following all the previous steps, you will find that you do not need to hold the guitar with your hands. This means that your hands are now free for the critical part: playing the guitar.

The only way to hold the guitar is with the fleshy part of the right arm that will lightly keep the guitar balanced.

Left Arm

Your left arm should be relaxed at the side of your body with the elbow close to your body. Make sure that your elbow is relaxed and kept close to your body; it should not protrude to the side like a wing.

When you are in this position, you will feel far more comfortable and will be able to reach everywhere on the fretboard. This is very important if you want to use the left hand to play the guitar with the best fretting technique.

The Casual Way

To hold the guitar the casual way, you will easily play other styles on the guitar. In the casual way, the guitar should rest lightly on the right leg with everything else the same as in the classical way.

Your posture should still be upright, and you should sit on the front end of the stool for a good and balanced position. All styles such as blues, jazz, and country style can be played in this position for the best playing technique.

Standing Position

You need to have a guitar strap attached to the body on both sides for this acoustic guitar style. The strap will keep the guitar close to your body in this position, so you do not need to use your hand to hold it.

You can easily adjust the strap to fit your body, and it will also help lift the guitar up high enough. This means that you will easily keep the guitar tight and reach the fretboard to play with a good technique.

Summary

Now that you know how to hold the guitar properly, you can concentrate on the fun part of playing it. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and learn to play it so you can entertain family and friends!

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