Playing position

[bek]

I've been examining the issue of access to lower frets (not usually a concern for guitarists) because of wrist/hand problems I'm having. My tech says I would be fine just playing the short-scale guitars (Gibson scale or such). In checking this (bear me out, it could happen to you) I found most guitars hang about the same on the body, so far as where the strap pin is on the upper bout. The thing I needed, I guessed, was to get the lower frets closer to me. I measured the distance from the upper bout strap pin to the nut on a few instruments. The distances on my Hamer Studio Archtop, Epi LP, Washburn Telecaster, Lindert Skyliner (LP shape), Industrial LP and Jay Turser JT-Res were all about 15 to 15.5 inches. The distance on my Squier Strat was 14 inches (significant, in my estimation). Having had my curiosity aroused, I went to my local shop and measured the guitar which had the most advantageous design for my purpose -- a Michael Kelly Valor. It is essentially a PRS design, but with the neck well into the body. The distance on this guitar is a very significant 12 inches. It is clearly easier to reach the bottom frets, especially in terms of wrist angle. Perhaps this little research on my part will help some of you. It's here in the Strat forum because the Strat is the most common design which reduces this problem, and I think it may be a previously-unnoticed part of the universal Strat appeal. Am I nuts, or has someone else had this kind of problem, and is this just an excuse for indulging GAS, or what?

[TG]

I've had very bad problems with my wrist and thumb...but on my right hand. So with me it's the position of my strumming/picking hand that's the issue.
But I have noticed what you're talking about. I used to have a Yamaha SG1000 and it hung quite far to the left so you had to reach out to play open chords. Leads high up the neck were in front of or to the left of my left hip. After getting used to that and picking up something like a strat it was really wierd since leads were played in front of my belt buckle. Everything felt cramped. But the open chord position was much closer to me.
For me a tele has the best overall ergonomics standing up...and a strat is the best sitting down.

[bek]

So you know what I mean. Position is important to make various things easier, but if you have a bit of a limitation, it is becomes essential to work out an accomodation. I know I'm always happy playing my Tele, so I guess I generally agree with you. I guess it takes an Irishman to be able to empathize with me! Always wanted to visit your country, especially the western parts.

[TG]

Originally Posted by bek

So you know what I mean. Position is important to make various things easier, but if you have a bit of a limitation, it is becomes essential to work out an accomodation. I know I'm always happy playing my Tele, so I guess I generally agree with you. I guess it takes an Irishman to be able to empathize with me! Always wanted to visit your country, especially the western parts.

I'm in the west of it and it is well worth a visit. But the truth is I'm a displaced Canadian...but I've lived longer outside Canada now than I did in it so I've 'gone native', to some degree.

[bek]

There are many wanderers; one of my co-workers is a native Californian who moved to New Zealand when she was very young, grew up there and moved back here awhile ago. Her speech and such are all still quite kiwi, which affords me some diversion at work. Another is a Yugoslavian immigrant and he's pretty weird, too. Come to think of it, I know a couple transplanted Brits, too, who live near me. It's all good, but not a dang one of these people play guitar. No jamming, here. I digress, though. Anyone else with a contribution to this ergonomic discussion?

[charlie chitlin]

It's weird...I've always played my guitar just where it hangs, but I've recently started to re-think this.
It seems that when you wear a guitar high, it shifts to the left...the nut gets further away...it seems like that anyway, and that changes the relationship. I think of, for instance, Roy Buchanan and Buck Owens whose guitars seem to be high and to the left.
I've recently been working on Freddie King's "The Stumble" and it's got a part that goes from the 12th fret to the 2nd and back again pretty quickly.
I've started to shift the guitar to the left so I can get a better view of the whole neck.
This got me thinking (alert the press!).
So I've discovered that I'm more comfortable with the guitar shifted this way all the time, but it's also one more thing to think about, and it's not where it naturally falls.
Hmmmmm.

[bek]

I just never know what's going on; another thing to consider!

[Vince a]

I used to wear all of my guitars down low . . . like a 'rocker" maybe?

Then I started playing bass too, and started down low. Then as I learned to play other styles, other than picking . . . using my fingers and learning to slap and pop (which I rarely do), I raised my bass way up . . . getting my right arm more parallel down the line with the strings. My bass playing skyrocketed.

I then raised my guitars up, and though I get comments about how weird it looks, I also get comments on how much I've improved . . . and I've done nothing else other than raise the guitars up.

I used to have a small-bodied Parker PM-20 Pro, and I played it way high.

Ever notice how Derek Trucks wears his guitar?

[Kurt]

I try to emulate the overall position for a classical guitarist (seated, guitar on left leg with a foot rest, etc.). This tends to put the guitar a bit to the left with a good left hand arch. So, with the electric, this translates to wearing the guitar higher. May not help you, but someone must've known what they were doing way back when.

[srh3trinity]

This is a side note and not related to guitar position, but, if you haven't tried stretching your wrist out before playing, it may be worth a try. If you were going to play any sport, you would stretch before, guitar playing shouldn't be any different. As far as actual playing position, I have brought my guitar up some over the years, but I have yet to find the sweet spot where I am perfectly comfortable.

[bek]

Gentlemen, thanks for all the input. Being pretty old-school (I'm well into my 50's), I've never been one to hang my guitars low, but I have been raising them up higher lately. That reaches a diminishing-returns point, though, where the guitar neck is shifted more over to my left, which makes the bottom of the neck a longer reach, which is not good for me. Good thought about the stretch/warmup thing, though. It's all handy.

[lightice]

I feel more comfortable wearing the guitar high, its easier to chord the 1st and 2nd fret barre chords.

I think its cos of the arm stretching.