You have to learn to hold the guitar properly before you can play a solo in E-flat.Proper holding of the guitar will help you build the fundamental skills necessary to play comfortably, quickly, and with the right technique.Good guitar players build habits that will allow them to become even better.You can learn to hold the guitar properly regardless of whether you're sitting or standing.
Step 1: You should sit in an appropriate chair.
It's important to practice in a seated position when learning to play the guitar.You have to learn to hold the guitar comfortably without having to reach the frets and the strings in order to play a solo.To hold the guitar from a seated position is the best way to do it.The chairs with no arm rests are the best.If your butt is right on the edge of the seat, sit far forward.Keep your back straight.Most music stores have guitar stools that are perfect for practicing.They are also expensive.If you want one, you should be able to practice in your kitchen chair.The couch, La-Z-Boy, and other soft recliners will build bad posture and bad guitar habits.
Step 2: Correctly orient the guitar.
If you want to hold the guitar properly, orient it to your body.The biggest string on the guitar should be close to the ceiling and the skinniest toward the floor.The guitar's body should be on the side of your dominant hand.The non-dominant side of the guitar should have the skinny fretted neck on it.Your main hand is yourstrumming hand or picking hand.The strings of the guitar will be plucked with this hand.It's much easier to learn this way if you use that hand for fretting.Your non-dominant hand is called the "fretting hand" and is used to press the strings down onto the fretboard.
Step 3: The guitar's base should be on your thigh.
When you pick up the guitar in a seated position, put the leg on your dominant side forward, bending your knee so it forms a right angle, your foot flat on the floor.It should be back to normal for your other leg.Keep your back straight.The guitar's tail should be balanced on the thigh of your dominant side.The cutout on some dreadnought-style acoustic guitars will help to orient the guitar properly.Take some time to sit your guitar on your lap.When it's balanced properly, you shouldn't have to hold it up with your hands.
Step 4: Place the neck up.
The neck of the guitar should be laid flat on your lap, not parallel with the floor.This is the best and most comfortable way to learn, no matter what style you plan on developing in your playing.Some guitar teachers don't hold the guitar in this way.You can hold the guitar as you please.It's easier for the beginner to access the freeboard this way.If you're taught to play with the neck of the guitar parallel to the ground, you should try out the other way.
Step 5: The body can be secured with the elbow and forearm.
The back of the guitar should be kept tight to your body.The strings should be perfectly parallel with the ground so you can see them better.Keep your wrist on the bridge of the guitar while strumming under the sound-hole.To make sure you're not hugging too tightly, practice strumming, letting your hand fall comfortably, about an inch below the sound-hole of an acoustic guitar, or even with the pick-ups on an electric guitar.You should think of this as letting the guitar rest on your lap while you play, rather than holding it.The easier it is to play, the less you hold it.
Step 6: The neck should be between your thumb and forefinger.
The fretting hand shouldn't be used to support the guitar.To hold a guitar in place, you need to support it on the thigh of your dominant side, with the elbow on that side.To balance the neck of the guitar, use the thumb and forefinger of your fretting hand to form a V shape.A small piece of tape is placed behind the third fret on the neck of the guitar by some guitar teachers as an indication of where you should place your thumb.The back of the neck is where your fretting thumb should stay if you're learning properly.Don't wrap your thumb around.The guitar wizards from Hendrix to John Fahey have used the wrapped-thumb to great effect.You can get away with it if you have long fingers.If you receive your instructions, try to see what works best for you.
Step 7: Keep your back straight.
Maintaining a straight back is the most important part of holding a guitar.It's easy to slide into a slouch, tilt the guitar back so you can see the fretboard, but this is a fast-train to poor technique and sloppy playing.Keep your back straight if you want to hold it properly.
Step 8: Buy a strap that is adjusted.
It's common to support the guitar with a guitar strap if you're ready to take your guitar skills onto the stage.Many different styles and arrangements are available, from wrap-around mariachi-style straps to tight banjo- style straps, but the most common varieties are relatively basic and easy to use.The freedom to find a height that works best for you with a strap of good quality cloth or leather is what you should look for.Before buying a strap or having them installed at the guitar shop, make sure your guitar is equipped with strap pegs.Most guitars have at least one strap peg at the base.Most guitars are pre-installed.
Step 9: Attach the strap with care.
If you have one or two strap pegs, attaching the strap will be different.Electric guitars have two pegs, while acoustic guitars only have one.Place the base peg through the tab on the end of the strap and install it closer to the neck.To strap an acoustic guitar with one peg, you'll need to insert the skinny end of the strap around the head, under the strings where they attach to the tuning pegs.You can use a shoestring through the peg-hole on the skinny end of the strap to make do in a pinch.Attach the strap to the pegs at the top and bottom of the guitar body if you already have two pegs.If you want to strap an electric guitar, you need to put the pegs through the tabs on each end of the strap.Some straps have different tabs that allow for different lengths.If necessary, start tight and loosen up.
Step 10: The guitar strap should be adjusted.
The length of the strap can be adjusted by sliding the buckle up or down.You can feel where the guitar falls if you put the strap over the fretting hand.You're all set if it feels good.Remove the guitar and adjust the strap until it feels right.The bottom of the guitar should be close to your hip on your dominant side.Don't keep the strap short on the side.You don't want the guitar to be too low or you'll struggle to play with your hand.It can be tiring to hold your arms up if the guitar is too high.The length of the guitar strap has a lot to do with how you play.Some players want the guitar high enough to allow easy access to the fretboard, while others want it low enough so it looks great.There is no right way.
Step 11: The guitar strap needs reinforcement.
The best guitar strap assembly will come with a strap-enforcement peg or clip on the base of the guitar, which will help to hold the strap onto the guitars.There is nothing worse than a guitar that slips off the strap pegs and falls to the ground in the middle of a performance.Plastic clips that fit over the peg will keep the end of the strap from slipping off.
Step 12: Before plugging in, loop your guitar cable through the strap.
To keep your guitar cable out of your way, loop it through the strap.Plug the cable between the base peg and the strap from the back to the front of the guitar.If you have an input jack on the bottom of your guitar, this is useful.The cable can fall all the way to the ground if it slips out.