Most beginners injure their wrist within six months because nobody taught them this. Take five minutes now and save yourself six months of pain.
Sitting
- Right-handed: rest the body on your right thigh. The neck angles up at about 30 degrees toward your left shoulder.
- The headstock should be roughly level with your shoulder. Neither drooping nor pointing at the sky.
- Both feet flat on the floor. Back straight. Do not hunch over the strings to see them; bring the guitar up to you.
Standing
Use a strap. Adjust so the body sits at roughly the same height as when you sit. Most beginners wear it too low. Looks cool, ruins your wrist. You can go lower as your technique solidifies.Fret hand (left hand for right-handed players)
- Thumb behind the neck, roughly opposite your middle finger. Not wrapped around like a baseball bat.
- Fingers come down on the fret just behind the metal strip, not on top of it. Pressing on top buzzes; pressing behind it gives a clean note.
- Knuckles roughly parallel to the strings, not collapsed flat against the neck.
Picking hand (right hand for right-handed players)
- Hold the pick between thumb and index finger. Roughly half the pick poking out.
- Rest your forearm on the body. The motion comes from your wrist, not your arm. Your arm stays mostly still.
- Pick angled slightly down at the strings (about 30 degrees). Vertical-flat picking catches and snags.
Try it
Sit. Tune. Now play any open string ten times, clean, even strokes from the wrist. Watch your thumb behind the neck. Notice if your shoulder is hunched.Next: the power chord, the single most important shape in rock.