[Bea]

HI FOLKS
my third night of practice, and i have a question... i have read you should keep the thumb of your left hand in the middle of the guitar neck, i am having problems with this i keep moving it
is it absoloutley necessary and does anyone have any tips on how to keep it there?

[Lcjones]

Hey Bea,

Welcome to GFB & B.

I'm pretty sure that's not a hard written rule, rather a guide line to better practices. While it will give you some easier mobility up and down the neck in certain cases, it isn't a do or die thing. You do want to be sure to not overly curl your thumb around the neck to the binding as that will cause fatigue.

But in the final analysis you'll place your thumb where you feel most comfortable with it.

Best.

**
LC

[justinthyme]

Just a few other things - when your thumb rides up too far above the neck and stays there it limits your ability to stretch with your fingers. Try it for yourself and you'll see what I mean - when your thumb is low behind the centre of the neck you can stretch both index and pinky a lot further away from your other fingers - to reach frets further away from your hand position. Its just mechanics. So when you need to stretch, best to let the thumb move more into that 'classical' position in the centre back of the neck.

If you are say, string bending though, the better place for the thumb is further up, (toward the ceiling) as that gives you more purchase - again just a question of mechanics.

So, imho - the position of your thumb is dictated by what you need to be doing at the time and as you become more adept at playing that will feel right and comfortable.

[geitenvla]

My experience is you will slowly adapt yourself to the instrument. Sure, there are "rules", but please don't take to much notice from these. Just play as much as you can and you will find your own unique posture.

[allthumbs]

The more you need to stretch your fingers, the lower your thumb goes under the neck. It give you more reach. Classical players and shredders tend to keep this position for that reason. The rest of us can let the thumb slide around as needed. That will also help prevent your thumb from getting fatigued.

[scotty_b]

In my opinion, it is best to learn the rules and then learn when to break them. I think that doing whatever 'feels' comfortable can be disastrous. There are a number of people who I have met who have not developed their pinky because they followed that advice - and then later on realised they needed that finger but were so ingrained in bad technique it was going to be very hard to change.
It is also wothwhile considering what sort of player you wish to be. If you will be happy playing some open-position chords, and not much else, then you can get away with a lot more than if you wish to be a more technically advanced player.
I think the thumb behind the neck for about 80% of playing is the best option. I use position it over the top when I am bending, needing to mute a low string when I am playing something funky, or playing a walking bass line and want to keep a melody going on top, but apart from that it is behind the neck.

[JessThrasher]

Have you tried the handshake trick yet? If you don't know what it is, its when you think of holding it as you are shaking hands. Think of how you shake hands with someone.

[hugeknot]

It's probably worth remembering that we are all individuals with different hand shapes, finger lengths etc

Couldn't agree more!
Look at Richy Havens and Jimi Hendrix, they produced 30 percent of their notes with their thumb over the top of the neck.

[JessThrasher]

Originally Posted by hugeknot

Couldn't agree more!
Look at Richy Havens and Jimi Hendrix, they produced 30 percent of their notes with their thumb over the top of the neck.

Especially for me, I starated on electric so I just got used to it untill instructor pointed it out.

[wcostley]

I've often wondered about that center of the neck thumb possition too, it's uncomfortable to me and when I watch video's of good players playing, I always see their thumbs hanging out over the neck KirK being one of them, so it's always been a puzzlement to me that it's recomended but not adhered to, by good players.
Skip

[JessThrasher]

Sometimes its necessary. Like when I do powerchords on the 5th string especially, I use my thumb to mute the low E.

[monk]

Hello All,
I will have to agree with scotty_b. I have never seen anyone develop a problem from using "proper technique".

Witchy Woman, it's difficult to offer advice without seeing how you hold your guitar, but if keeping your thumb in the back of the neck is causing you to bend your wrist & causing the pain you describe, you may be holding the neck too low.

Classical guitarists solved most of the problems of ergonomics a hundred years ago. Compared to rock, jazz and other guitarists you seldom hear of classical guitarists with RSI.

Remember,no one becomes a great guitarist because they have bad technique, they do so in spite of having bad technique.

As a beginner it's tempting to try to take shortcuts or think that there are no rules. This kind of mindset can erect unnecessary barriers and cause unforeseen problems down the road.

Regards,
Monk

[JessThrasher]

But heavy metal shredders get RSI so easily right?

[wcostley]

Classical guitarists solved most of the problems of ergonomics a hundred years ago. Compared to rock, jazz and other guitarists you seldom hear of classical guitarists with RSI.

Regards,
Monk

WHAT IS RSI?
Skip..............

[monk]

hermanli,
I wouldn't say that metal players get RSI any easier than any other style of player. Many heavy metal players have left hand technique as good as any classical player. Some virtuoso guitarists who consistently display excellent technique are Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, John McLaughlin and Joe Satriani.

As someone on this forum pointed out, guitarists are small muscle athletes. No professional or amateur athlete walks out on the field without warming up first.

The muscles that control your fingers are not in your hand, they're in your forearm. If you play with your wrist bent, you are compressing the tendons as they pass through the wrist into the hand. The immediate result is that your fingers won't respond optimally, the possible long range effect is wear and tear on the tendon sheath that could end your career.

Proper technique allows you to play at your optimum for long periods in the most relaxed state possible.

You should monitor yourself for tension when you practice. Are you clenching your teeth, holding your breath, tightening your stomach or buttocks? Is your guitar pulling you forward causing you to tighten your back? Is it pulling to the side causing you to tense your shoulder? All of these things can have a negative impact on your playing.

Warm up before practice and performance by playing simple things to loosen up the muscles and joints before diving into the rigorous stuff. Take breaks every hour to allow the mind as well as the body to rest.

Regards,
Monk