PLAYING POSITIONS

Starting on guitar comes with a lot of questions, not the least of which is "How do I hold this thing?" First things first, you need to know how to have a guitar on your person before you can play effectively.

It's easiest to sit down when you are beginning.

You won't need a strap and will have a bit more flexibility to find a comfortable position. Most commonly, players rest the guitar on their "strumming side," meaning, if you strum with your right hand, you rest it on your right leg. Rock, folk, and all manner of acoustic players use this position.

Alternatively, you can rest the guitar on your "fretting side".

Meaning if you fret notes and chords with your left hand, you rest it on your left leg. This is seen most with classical guitarists and some jazz players. Holding the guitar in this position also lends itself to positioning the guitar on a bit steeper of an angle, which can be beneficial to some styles of playing.

Of course, with a quality strap, you can also play the guitar standing.

When you're standing, you'll find the guitar horizontally is usually centered on your person, but you can adjust how high it is on your body and also angle it a bit. You may find it easier to keep the guitar higher, over your stomach, though you'll see some people hang the guitar around waist level (punk rockers love this). Overall, it's important to choose the height that is most comfortable for you and makes it easiest to play.