Lesson 3: Holding your Guitar

Find a stool to sit on, and keep your back straight. Again, it is essential to keep your spine erect, if you don't want to end up with a back pain. Try to make yourself as comfortable as possible without slouching. Hold your Guitar so that back of the body presses flatly onto your Stomach/Lower Chest.

If you're right handed, hold the guitar so that the headstock points to the left, and the body rests on your right thigh. For a left handed person, this should be the opposite. (Left handed guitars are available in every brand. If you are left handed, getting a left handed guitar is advisable. Don't try to play with your right hand, as this might take more time.)

Note: Classical Guitarists advise you to rest the body of your guitar on the thigh that is closer to the headstock. But in most other styles of playing, it is recommended that you rest it on the thigh farthest from the headstock as this will cause minimal back strain. In case you decide to go the classical way, you can avoid back pain by using a foot-stool to elevate your foot.

What you need to know before playing the Guitar

Take a closer look at the neck of your Guitar. You can see metal strips running across it. The space between any two such strips is called a fret. The space between the nut and the first metal strip is called 'Fret 1'; the space between the first and second strips is called 'Fret 2' and so on…

While playing the Guitar, your 'fretting hand' should be able to run freely over all the frets. Your 'picking hand' will hold the 'plectrum' or the 'pick' which is a piece of plastic material used to strum the strings.

The thumb of your fretting hand should rest behind the neck of the guitar, with your fingers curled around the neck on poised over the strings. Hold the pick firmly between your thumb and your index finger as shown, and in a downward motion pick the strings one by one. If there is a rattling sound, try picking softer. Practice this till you're able to produce a good sound.